The uniqueness of BRAC Primary Education

The uniqueness of BRAC Primary Education


BRAC Education Program aims at making significant contribution to the achievement of Education for All in Bangladesh improving the quality and extending support to the poor children. It also gives serious importance to bridging up the gaps in coverage, retention and quality of compulsory primary basic education in our country. Brac Education Program now provides a pre-primary and a primary education in collaboration with its partner NGOs targeted to the needs of the marginalized children in both rural and urban settings.

BRAC began its pre-school intervention in 1997 as a pilot project with 40 schools to provide educational opportunities to young learners who were unable to get their schooling before the age of six and to prepare them for formal school. Children’s holistic development through joyful and child friendly environment and to prepare them for formal primary school is ensured. BRAC works with the government officials and stakeholders through workshops and meetings and dialogues to share and disseminate information about teaching and learning at the pre and primary levels. BRAC received permission in 2002 to establish pre-primary schools in formal primary school campuses or in the catchments areas. Majority of these schools are established in the rented premises nearest catchments of government primary school and registered non-government primary schools and remainders are located in the campus of government primary schools. Students of these schools are selected according to poverty criteria aiming for 60% girls. Each school has one teacher preferably with at least SSC graduate. The pre-primary school curriculum addresses the holistic development of children in order to develop their physical, emotional and cognitive skills. The curriculum focuses on three subject areas namely Bengali, Mathematics and Science. These subjects are taught with the help of textbooks published by BRAC. Up to December 2007 BRAC operated over 20,140 pre-primary schools where 562652 children were enrolled, 60% percent of them were girls and there were over 5000 students with special needs through 180 schools for ethnic children.

BRAC started primary schools in 1985 with the opening of 22 one-room schools providing three years schooling up to grade III. BRAC primary teacher is prepared through induction and in-service refresher training. Special courses are organized at the beginning of each grade and on core subject such as Maths, English, Bengali, Science and Social Studies. Following the national curriculum BRAC develops textbooks and other material for up to grade III and government textbooks are being used in grade IV and V. These are supplemented by materials developed by BRAC to ensure proper delivery. Over the years the programme has gone through a number of innovations particularly in the area of instructions and pedagogy. There are four types of primary schools—BRAC Primary school, BRAC Adolescent Primary School, Ethnic Schools and Education Support Programme (ESP) Schools. Majority of these schools are in rural areas. All the schools are in one-room rented house with a local female SSC graduate as the teacher. The school timings are flexible and are fixed according to needs. Children do not have to pay any fees and there is no long holiday or homework.

Following table shows the four different types of primary school

School type Age of students % of girls Class size Grades covered teacher
BRAC Priamry schools 8-10 years 60-65 30-33 I-V Local SSC female
Brac Adolscent Primary Schools 11-14 years 60-65 30-33 I-V Graduates, preferably married
Education Support Programme 8-10years 65-70 30-33 I-III Graduates, preferably married
Ethnic School 8-12 years 60 22-30 I-V Local females are of an ethnic background with 9 years of schooling

Grades I-V is covered in 4 years covering all the competencies specified by the NCTB.

Children with Special Needs was started in 2003 with the concentration on building awareness among BRAC staff and community members regarding disability issue and the concept of inclusive education. Teaches were given special training material. BEP holds numerous workshops with parents, community leaders and teachers as social discrimination needs addressing. In 2006, 6 CSN students received the government primary scholarship. This is a source of encouragement for other CSN students to aim high. In addition, at the end of 2006 all CSN students sat for the primary schools completion Test and 91.66% passed the test. The CSN unit works in a number of ways –differently able children are given technical and remedial assistance

In 2001 BEP established the Education for Indigenous Children (EIC) to cater to the educational needs of children of indigenous communities. Teaching and reading materials are produced locally and focus on the children’s culture, heritage and their everyday experiences.

Community schools were established by the government under the General Education Project between 1990 and 1996 in rural areas where the density of population was high but literacy rates were very low and where for geographic reasons children were unable to attend other schools. A survey done in 1998 which revealed that 194 community schools had become dysfunctional .the government decided to hand them over to various NGOs and BRAC agreed to participate in and BRAC was given 44 community schools. at present there are approximate 10000 children in the community and formal schools.

BRAC has been working in the domain of primary education for almost two decades and has a track record of providing good quality education and it felt the need to support the government as it has been struggling to improve the quality of education in the mainstream primary schools. Despite good works in a number of areas there are concerns that the core goal of quality education may not be achieved fully and in all schools under PEDP phase II. BRAC felt a partnership approach with the government as a realistic one as it does have limited experience in working with formal primary education. Under these circumstances the Upazila Executive Officers in two different upazials showed interest to work with BRAC. In 2005 and 2006 at the initiative of local administrators works were extended in two other locations –Sherpur and Comilla districts and this intervention is named as Partnership with Mainstream Primary Schools. (PPS) Under this initiative, BRAC organized training for teachers of Mathematics and English, management training for head teachers, orientation sessions for local SMC members. Most of this training was from 6 to 12 days and residential except of SMC orientation which is limited to 3 days . BRAC also organized sessions with upazial level education committee and education officers. Over a period of 2-3 years, BRAC provided training to 934 Mathematics, 926 English and 993 Head Teachers and a special course of 12 days duration for teachers who had no formal training but have been engaged in teaching for at least three to five years. Thus Brac contributes in pre-primary and primary levels to eradicate illiteracy from the country and to ensure quality and life oriented primary education.



Md. Masum Billah
Programme Manager: Brac Education Programme, PACE
Phone: 9355253 (residence), 01714-091431(cell)
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com