Low-level foundational learning in primary education

Md Bayazid Khan :
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted a survey between December 2021 and January 2022 in collaboration with the UNICEF Bangladesh under the title, “National Survey on Children’s Education in Bangladesh 2022”. The survey covered a sample of 9,000 households across all 64 districts in 8 divisions. The survey report shows disappointing performances of children in foundational reading and numeracy skills.

The report says that foundational reading and numeracy skills among children aged 7-14 years are at low levels. Only 62.3 percent can correctly read 90 per cent of words in a given story and 49.8 percent have reading skills while only 25.8 percent of children who could complete all 4 tasks under the numeracy skills. 52.8 and 52.9 percent of children correctly answered comprehension questions of three literals and two inferential respectively. While 59.1 percent successfully completed number reading and 53.5 percent completed addition. Urban children are a little better than rural children in both reading and numeracy tasks. Recent published reports from other surveys also found similar results.

Returning to enormous investment every year in the primary education sector, the government definitely demands achievement of foundational learning by entire primary school children. Every learner of grade two to five of primary school should have the ability to read simple texts with comprehension (both Bangla and English) and ability to solve problems of four basic operations in mathematics.

Basic of foundational learning has been nurtured mostly to the pre-primary and grade one classes. So, teachers’ responsibilities during teaching-learning activities in the aforesaid two classes are so vital for developing skills to identify and write letters/other signs and numbers as well as to make and read simple words/sentences among students. Class teachers may be asked for assessing students’ performances in the aforesaid areas of learning regularly as well as taking necessary steps for improving those who are identified with difficulties.

Nationwide random based selected schools might be brought under assessment of students’ performances in achieving reading and numeracy skills every year by third parties. Teachers and concerned supervisory officers might be rewarded or punished reviewing the assessment results.
As survey reports show that hard to reach schools have poor performances than urban schools, therefore these schools may be brought under close monitoring for teachers’ timely attendance/departure and performing duties with commitment. In addition, vacant teachers posts should be filled up and an adequate number of teachers must be ensured. To remove the monotony of teachers who work at these schools year after year, additional financial allowances might be provided to them. Moreover, authorities may consider their transfer to the urban or schools having good communication facilities after working with satisfactory performance for a stipulated period at these schools.

Schools should be run by a single shift so that contact hour may increase. Before starting teaching-learning activities for every lesson, teachers may be asked to spend a few minutes with students who have difficulties in reading and numeracy skills while engaging other students with different tasks.

Last but not the least it can’t be justified and rational by blaming only primary school teachers and primary education officials for some of its professionals’ negligence in performing duties and responsibilities properly or with honesty as these types of professionals have been found in almost all professions of the country. Rather every profession should be brought under close monitoring and accountability so that their professionals from top to bottom must perform duties and responsibilities with commitment and honesty.

(The writer works for primary education sector).