The World Bank has approved $300 million in financing to improve the quality of pre-primary and primary education in Bangladesh, targeting better learning outcomes for 26 million children up to Grade 5.
The funding will support the government’s Fifth Primary Education Development Programme, with a focus on strengthening children’s basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
The approval came from the World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors on November 6, according to a release of the lender’s Dhaka office.
Despite achieving near-universal access to primary schooling, Bangladesh continues to face a serious challenge in ensuring that children acquire basic learning skills.
About 50 percent of 10-year-olds in the country cannot read and understand a simple, age-appropriate text, compared with 42 percent in Malaysia and 47 percent in Brazil, according to the World Bank.
The programme, titled Learning Enhancement and Acceleration in Primary Education, will introduce structured lesson plans, teaching materials and training for teachers to improve foundational literacy and numeracy.
It will also provide remedial learning support to children who are falling behind, with priority given to districts with the weakest educational outcomes.
In addition, the initiative will support leadership training for headteachers in 90 percent of government primary schools and strengthen school management systems.
“Quality primary education is one of the building blocks for a globally competitive workforce,” said Jean Pesme, World Bank division director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
He said the World Bank Group had helped Bangladesh bring nearly all children into school over the past two decades, and the new financing would help them learn better and remain in school, improving their prospects for better jobs in the future.
Tashmina Rahman, World Bank senior education specialist and team leader for the programme, said strong foundational learning was essential for building skills and securing better employment.
The programme would also promote stronger teacher and school leadership, more accountable use of education budgets and greater reliance on data in decision-making, she added.
It will also seek to improve pre-primary education in government primary schools to ensure children develop essential skills and are better prepared for formal schooling.
Bangladesh has one of the world’s largest primary education systems, with more than 20 million children studying in government schools, NGO-run institutions, kindergartens and madrasas.
The World Bank said the programme was expected to generate 843,000 additional and better-paid jobs in government primary schools.
The financing comes from the International Development Association, the World Bank Group’s concessional lending arm for lower-income countries. It has a 25-year repayment term, including a five-year grace period.