Bangladesh has made significant progress in school enrolment rates, but now it should focus on creating a healthy and positive learning environment so children do not drop out, said Shuchona Foundation Chairperson Saima Wazed.
“We have made significant progress in ensuring that children attend school, but again one of our social belief systems is that everybody should be excellent at school,” she noted.
Saima Awazed came up with the observation while presenting a keynote presentation titled “The Well-being of Our Children Today is the Prosperity of Bangladesh Tomorrow” at the first-ever “National Symposium on Child Protection in Bangladesh” jointly organized by United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the European Union (EU) at a hotel in Dhaka on Monday.
“Many of them, including children with disability, physical limitations or with complex disorders like autism, end up not being able to complete school because of the learning environment. The support system needs to be there within the education system and in the family,” she noted.
According to Wazed, also an advisor to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General on Mental Health and Autism said many children are dropping out due to the absence of the right mental health support and other issues like bullying and anxiety.
File photo of Saima Wazed Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune“Our education system is very much focused on teaching children who are the smartest in a classroom. Unless and until we start changing some of the perspectives and practices, the policies within the country are not going to make a significant change. We have to start within the home, teaching caregivers and parents, as well as teachers,” she said.
Pointing out the competitive environment at schools as another reason behind dropouts, she said: “Unfortunately, we have teachers who are not taught how to create a healthy and positive learning environment. We are still very much long believers in punishment to keep children focused and learning. This again increases the rate of dropouts.”
Bangladesh has many comprehensive and progressive policies to support the well-being of children, but these policies are only as good as their application, which requires everyone's participation, she added.
Saima Wazed also highlighted the presence of different inclusive policies, acts, and strategic plans, but also said many challenges remain.
“Having things on paper and not knowing how the strategies can be implemented within the community, homes, and not having well-trained people to support is going to mean that we will not have the national change in progress for the population we need to have,” she said.
“In order to ensure that these initiatives are effective, we need to work together with all stakeholders - involving families, policymakers and other people that are within this education system,” she added.
She appreciated the introduction of well-being as a subject within the new curriculum and mental health program as a significant and huge step forward.
She also highlighted the need for teaching children skills that is necessary to be much more productive, engaged and involved.
Saima Wazed noted that not everybody is going to be great at studying but every child has potential and can contribute to the community and society.
“We just have to make the environment. We have to work together with policymakers, social support systems, educators, other carers and security personnel. Everybody should pay attention to this,” she added.
