Primary Education in Biswanath Upazila

In line with MDGs commitments, primary education is one of the major services provided by the Biswanath Upazila Parishad. It is provided through 183 government, non-government, private institutions, and madrasahs. Table 24 lists the types and number of primary education institutions in the Upazila.

Table 24: Primary Education Institutions in Biswanath Type of Primary Institution No of Institution

Government 100

Registered non-government 15

Community 11

Kindergarten 26

Ebtedaee Madrashah 18

Qaumiee Madrashah 13

Total 183

Source: Biswanath Upazila Education Office, December, 2013

One hundred institutions are under the direct control and supervision of local administration of the Upazila. They are funded by the government and run by their respective School Management Committees (SMCs). The 26 registered non-government

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primary schools are run and managed privately. They are granted financial and academic assistance from the government. The remaining schools are run through either privately or community initiatives. They must receive accreditation as providers of primary education from the national education authority. Government primary schools have, according to the Upazila Education Office records, 31,998 students and 451 teachers. The ratio between student and teacher is 70:1. The enrolment rate is 99.74%.

The dropout rate has been calculated as 14%.

Primary education in the Biswanath Upazila is centred on the Upazila Education Committee (UEC), Upazila Education Office, primary education institutions, the SMC and URC and clusters for government primary schools. The overall structure is illustrated in figure 18.

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Figure 18: Primary Education in the Biswanath Upazila

Note: UEC= Upazila Education Committee; UEO= Upazila Education Office; URC=

Upazila Resource Centre; SMC= School Management Committee; MDGs= Millennium Development Goals

Primary education is delivered through the combined efforts of several different entities.

There are 183 primary education institutions; among them 100 is government funded schools; i.e., schools under the direct supervision of the Upazila Parishad, with 100 SMCs. Schools are grouped by 6 clusters for UEO supervision. Academic support stems from the URC.

The Upazila Education Committee (UEC) consists of eighteen members headed by the chairman of the Parishad, Mr M. M. Rahman, including two vice chairpersons, the UNO, an Upazila Health Officer (UHO), Upazila Engineer, a Union Parishad (UP) Chairman, two local educators, two primary school head teachers, two SMC presidents, and the instructor of the URC. The UNO acts as the executive vice chairman of the committee. The Upazila Education Officer (UEO) acts as the member secretary to the

Primary MDGs 2 Education

UEC

100 SMC

URC

100 Primary Institutions 6 Clusters

UEO

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Committee. The MP of the local constituency- Sylhet 2 of the National Parliament, Mr S. R. Chowdhury, advises the committee. The present education committee is shown in table 25.

Table 25: Education Committee of Biswanath Upazila Parishad Sl No Designation Category Functionaries

01 Advisor Ex-Officio Mr S. R. Chowdhury MP, Sylhet 2.

02 President Ex-Officio Mr M. Rahaman, Chairman, Upazila Parishad

Ex-Officio Mr. G. Khan ,Vice Chairman, Upazila Parishad

06 Member Ex-Officio Upazila Health & Family Planning Officer

07 Member Ex-Officio Upazila Engineer

08 Member Ex-Officio No 6 Biswanath Union Parishad U P Representative

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13 Member SMC

Representative

Mr M. Miah, President, SMC, Dhorarai Reg. Non Govt Primary School.

14 Member Teacher Representative

Mr K. Kanti Das, Head Teacher, Bahara Dubag Primary School.

15 Member Teacher Representative

Mr M A. Salam, Head Teacher, JonoKallyan Reg. Non Govt Primary School.

16 Member Academic

Support Instructor, Upazila Resource Centre, Biswanath

18 Secretary Member

Secretary Mr S. Miah, In Charge UEO, Biswanath Upazila

Source: Field research, November, 2012 and December, 2013.

The Upazila Education Committee

The Upazila Education Committee (UEC) is responsible for maintaining primary educational facilities in the Upazila. Administrative assistance is provided by the Upazila Education Office and academic support is provided by the Upazila Resource Centre (URC). The Upazila Education Office is located in the Upazila Parishad complex. The URC oversees the nearby model primary. The education office in Biswanath Upazila is officially staffed by one UEO, seven AUEOs, one ULD, two OAs, and one MLSS. However, some positions are vacant. The present staffing strength of the education office is shown in table 26.

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Table 26: Staffing Strength of Biswanath Upazila Education Office Position Existing Sanctioned Responsibility Upazila Education

Officer

0 1 Overall supervision and

coordination Assistant Upazila

Education Officer

3 7 In charge of Clusters

UDA 0 1 Administration

Office Assistant 2 2 Clerical

MLSS 0 1 Messengerial

Total 5 12

Source: Field research, November 2012 and December, 2013.

As the table indicates, only five positions out of twelve are currently filled. The Upazila Education Officer (UEO) and MLSS positions are vacant. There are three AUEOs instead of seven.

The Upazila Resource Centre

The Upazila Resource Centre (URC) is the main source of academic support for primary schools in the Upazila. It is responsible for teacher training, teaching orientation courses, teacher refreshment courses and so on. The centre is attached to the Upazila Education Office and is located by the nearby Janayya Primary School. The resource centre is presently staffed by two persons: an Assistant Instructor (AI) and a member of the support staff. The assistant instructor performs the duties of the instructor, as the position is presently unoccupied.

179 The Upazila Education Cluster

In order to ensure quality education, the Upazila primary education is divided into six clusters. Each cluster is headed by an Assistant Upazila Education Officer (AUEO).

They are responsible for inspecting and monitoring teaching and learning delivery and educational facilities. The officers usually visit the schools once a month. The six clusters are organized into cluster areas consisting of around 17 primary schools. Table 27 lists the clusters and their responsible AUEO.

Table 27: Clusters in Biswanath Upazila Primary Education

Sl No Clusters Responsible AUEO

1 Gumragul Mr S. Miah

2 Janaya Mr S. Miah

3 Doshpaika Anor Pur Mr A. Razzaq

4 Eklimia Mr A. Razzaq

5 Doshghor Mr F. Islam

6 Daudpur Mr F. Islam

Source: Field research, November, 2012 and December, 2013 Note: AUEO= Assistant Upazila Education Officer

The School Management Committee

Every school in the Upazila is managed by an SMC typically consisting of 11 members from the school locality. Members consist of parents and guardians, educators, teacher representatives, representative from the Union Parishad, land donors, and a teacher from a nearby secondary school.

180 7.2.1.5 Puran Gawn Primary School

Institutional Profile

Puran Gawn Primary School is one of 183 primary education institutions in the Biswanath Upazila with a B-grade status. It was established in 1979 by the community to provide education for local children. Puran Gawn is a rural village under the No 4 Rampasha Union Parishad. It is located approximately 3 km from the Upazila headquarters, Biswanath Bazar. The catchment area of the school is the neighbouring villages of Ilamer Gawn and Aat Ghor, including Puran Gawn.

The school came under the local administration of the Upazila in 1988 and became a grassroots level unit delivering primary education. The EMIS (Education Ministry Information Service) code is 602040210. This is under the cluster of Daspaika Anor Pur of the Upazila Education Office. The school has 6 teachers, including the head teacher.

The school consists of five classes, which are held two shifts. Classes I and II are taught in the late morning. Teaching lasts for two hours. Classes III, IV and V taught from 11:30 to 16:15. The school has 327 students. 48% are boys and 52% are girls. The teacher-student ratio is about 1:65. The enrolment rate is 99% and is close to complying with the MDGs primary education target.

Management of the School

The school is managed by the School Management Committee (SMC). The Committee consists of 11 persons from the school locality and come from a variety of backgrounds.

The committee usually meets monthly, or when necessary. The structure and membership of the SMC is shown in table 28.

In document Administrative Reform and Capacity Building: The case of primary education in Bangladesh (sivua 193-0)