The New Nation - Internet Edition

The World Bank approved a US$130.7 million IDA credit to the Government of Bangladesh, designed to improve the quality of secondary education, systematically monitoring learning outcomes, to increase access and equity, and ensure greater accountability at school level.

Bangladesh has recorded impressive achievements in the education sector. Since 1980, enrollments in secondary school have increased three-fold and female enrolments have risen seven-fold. This has been achieved partly thanks to a unique system of public-private partnership at the secondary level where more than 98 percent of secondary schools are managed and operated by the private sector with financial support from the government.

Female enrollment in the secondary schools increased from 1.1 million in 1991 to 4.4 million in 2006 after an innovative World Bank financed initiative 'Female Secondary School Assistance Project’ was launched in 1993. Schools and families received cash incentives under this project to keep girls in secondary school through completion.

This helped Bangladesh to achieve the MDG of gender parity in education ahead of time.

Despite these achievements, significant challenges remain. Completion rate at the secondary level is as low as 20 percent and many poor children, especially boys, are still left out of the secondary school system.

Overall improvement in gross enrolments also masks large disparities by poverty status. For instance, in 2005, the secondary school Gross Enrolment Rate among the richest fifty percent of the population was 75 percent, compared to 38 percent for the poorest 50 percent.

The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project will finance activities in 121 Upazilas aimed at improving education quality, and poverty-targeted stipends and tuition to girls and boys to increase access and retention.

'Achievement of high quality secondary education is a critical foundation for higher levels of education and skills which are likely to have a significant impact on economic development,’ said Xian Zhu, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh.’

This project will ensure that poor children are not left out of the secondary school system. Importantly, it will also enhance secondary teacher and student performance, as well as in making schools more accountable to the community.’

The project will also strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education both at central and local levels, and establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system. It will measure learning levels by administering internationally comparable and national curriculum-based numeracy and literacy testing.

'Establishing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system is critical to improve the education system,’ said co-task team leaders Nazmul Chaudhury and Irajen Appasamy.

'The results of learning assessments will be fed back to policymakers and stakeholders to raise their awareness about the quality of education, which will enable them to adjust quality-related policies and interventions.’

The credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary arm, has 40 years to maturity with a 10-year grace period; and it carries a service charge of 0.75 percent.