Bangladesh has performed well in reining in school dropouts in spite of hurdles, like poverty, lack of awareness and an inadequate number of schools.
The government is making efforts to make all children aged between 6 and 10 school-oriented, so that 100% go to school and the country is made free of illiteracy. But one cannot say that they have yet succeeded fully.
According to reports, children in six unions of Jamalpur upazila, which are located in the shoals of the Jamuna River, are being deprived of primary education. Schools in 16 of the villages have been washed away by the river. Schools are far away, that is why children do not want to go there.
But the district education officer Md Abdul Alim has a different story to tell. The enrollment rate in Jamalpur district is 98%. The percentage of school attendance is 85%. The rate of dropouts in the entire district is only 11.8%.
Durgapur upazila of Netrakona is girdled by mountains. It is the abode of ethnic minorities. A local ethnic leader reported that 70% of Garo children go to school, while the rate for Hajong children is 30%.
Alauddin, a primary school teacher explained the reasons for their poor attendance: poverty, linguistic problem, and sale of labour along with the parents - these he felt alienate them from schools. Those who do get admitted also discontinue after a time, reports UNB.
The primary education officer of Durgapur upazila Binoy Chandra Sarkar says the dropout rate in the entire upazila is 33%.
According to the Primary Education Annual Sector Performance Report- 2012, the number of non-school-going children between the ages of 6 and 10 is 26 lakh. But according to official figures, 99.34% of children are enrolled in schools and 21% of them drop out.
These figures are from the Primary and Mass Education Ministry. But in 2013, 29 lakh 50 thousand 193 children took part in the primary level examinations. Of them, 26 lakh 35 thousand 406 students participated in the primary examinations, while 3 lakh 14 thousand 787 students sat for the Ebtedayee exams. About 160,000 students did not take part in the examinationss even after filling up the forms.
The high rate of dropouts is no reason for frustration. Because it has come down significantly over the years. For instance, the rate of dropouts was 47.2% in 2005. It rose to 49.5% in 2006-2007; and only slightly decreased to 49.3 in 2008.
From 2009 to 2011 the rate came down gradually to 45.1%, 39.8% and 29.9% respectively. The rate of enrollment has increased significantly. Between 2006 and 2010 the rate of admission stood at 90.9%, 91.1%, 90.8%, 93.9% and 94.8% respectively.
From different sources it has been confirmed that in 47 districts, 100% of children have been enrolled. Following different initiatives of the government, children in remote areas including in erosion-prone river and oceanic areas have been brought under the programme and the dropout rate has fallen considerably.
However, progress in the hilly regions has not been particularly satisfactory. This is largely because of poverty, lack of awareness, inadequate numbers of schools and last but not least: Language problems.
For instance a Marma child speaks in his mother tongue from his childhood. And the problem arises as the books are all in Bangla which has nothing to do with his mother tongue. The instructions are all in Bangla. His lack of skills in Bangla hinders his education.
