ADB

FINAL REPORT

ADB TA 7206-BAN BANGLADESH: CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR MADRASAH EDUCATION

PREPARED FOR ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK & GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH

PREPARED BY MAXWELL STAMP LIMITED, BANGLADESH

In association with:

EDUCATION FOR CHANGE, UK

JULY 2011

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education

Table of Contents

ABBREVIATIONS..............................................................................................................................................II KNOWLEDGE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................................. V

CHAPTER 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 1 REFLECTIONS ON THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT.................... 1 1.0 1.1

ASSESSMENT OF THE OUTCOMES OF THE TA PROJECT ........................................................................ 1 OUTPUTS OF THE TA PROJECT ............................................................................................................. 1

CHAPTER 2.......................................................................................................................................................... 8 THE OUTPUTS OF CDTA 7206 BAN............................................................................................................... 8 2.0 OUTPUTS ............................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN .............................................................. 8 2.2 THE MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY (MSS) ........................................................................................... 10 2.3 PRELIMINARY MAPPING OF THE QOUMI AND IBTEDAYE MADRASAH SUBSECTORS ...................... 16 2.3.1 Qoumi Madrasahs .......................................................................................................................... 16 2.4 PRELIMINARY MAPPING OF THE INDEPENDENT IBTEDAYE SUB-SECTOR ........................................... 17 2.5 QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PARENTS’ AND CHILDREN’S DECISIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN MADRASAHS 20 2.6 ROAD MAP AND COSTED INVESTMENT PROGRAM FOR THE MADRASAH SUBSECTOR ......................... 22 2.6.1 Priority Areas for Investment ......................................................................................................... 23 2.6.2 Indicative Investment Program for Madrasah Education............................................................... 25 2.7 REPORT ON THE OVERSEAS STUDY VISITS ........................................................................................ 26 2.8 LESSONS LEARNED ............................................................................................................................ 27 TA Design .................................................................................................................................................... 27 Government Execution and Implementation Agencies................................................................................. 27 Office Accommodation................................................................................................................................. 28

ANNEX 1: INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN (CDP) FOR BANGLADESH MADRASAH EDUCATION BOARD (BMEB).............................................. 29 ANNEX 2: MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY REPORT.................................................................................. 84 ANNEX 3: ROAD MAP AND INDICATIVE INVESTMENT PROPOSAL.............................................. 413 ANNEX 4: OVERSEAS STUDY VISITS REPORT ..................................................................................... 541

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ABBREVIATIONS ADB

Asian Development Bank

AI

Assistant Inspector

BANBEIS

Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics

BE

Budget Estimate

B Ed

Bachelor of Education

BEDU

Bangladesh Examination Development Unit

BMEB

Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board

BMTTI

Bangladesh Madrasah Teacher Training Institute

BNFE

Bureau of Non-Formal Education

BNP

Bangladesh Nationalist Party

BRAC

Building Resources Across Communities (Formerly Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee)

BSCE

Bangladesh Central Service Examination

CAMPE

Campaign for Popular Education

CDP

Capacity Development Plan

CDTA

Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Technical Assistance

C in Ed

Certificate in Education

CQ

Creative questions

DC

Deputy Commissioner

DEO

District Education Office

DIA

Directorate of Inspection and Audit

DME

Directorate of Madrasah Education (proposed)

DPE

Directorate of Primary Education

DSHE

Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education

DTE

Directorate of Technical Education

EFA

Education for All

EIIN

Educational Institution Identification Number

EMIS

Education Management Information System

FGD

Focus Group Discussion

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GER

Gross Enrolment Ratio

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education GPS

Government Primary School

HRP

Human Resource Planning

HSC

Higher Education Certificate

HSTTI

Higher Secondary Teacher Training Institute

ICT

Information and Communication Technology

JCE

Junior Certificate Examination

MBA

Madrasah Based Assessment

M&E

Monitoring and Evaluation

MCQ

Multiple Choice Question

MLSS

Menial Level and Subordinate Staff

MMC

Madrasah Management Committee

MOE

Ministry of Education

MOPME

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education

MPO

Monthly Pay Order

NAEM

National Academy for Education Management

NCTB

National Curriculum and Textbook Board

NCCC

National Curriculum Coordination Committee

NEP

National Education Policy

NER

Net Enrolment Ratio

NGO

Non Government Organization

NTRCA

Non-government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority

OMR

Optical Mark Recognition

PBM

Performance Based Management

PEDP II

Primary Education Development Program II

PROG 3

Program 3 (for Primary Education Development)

PRSP

Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper

PTI

Primary Teacher Training Institute

RE

Revised (Budget) Estimate

RNGPS

Registered Non-Government Primary School

SBM

School Based Management

SEQAEP

Secondary Education Quality Access Enhancement Project

SESDP

Secondary Education Sector Development Project

SSC

Secondary School Certificate

STR

Student Teacher Ratio iii

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education TA

Technical Assistance

TQIP

Teaching Quality Improvement Project

TTC

Teacher Training College

TVET

Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UEO

Upazila Education Officer

UNDP

United Nations Development Program

UNICEF

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund

UNO

Upazila Nirbahi Officer

WB

World Bank

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KNOWLEDGE SUMMARY Madrasahs are religious schools that offer religious education along with secular subjects. In Bangladesh there are two types of madrasahs – Aliya and Qoumi. The Aliya madrasahs receive financial support from the government, mainly salary for hiring teachers and are under government supervision. Qoumi madrasahs are not recognised by the state and do not receive any financial support from the government. While the curriculum of the Aliya madrasahs has a mix of general education and religious subjects there is no uniform curriculum in the latter type of madrasahs although the weight is heavily on religious subjects. All Aliya madrasahs, apart from three government aliya madrasahs, are managed by local communities. The Aliya madrasahs have over 4 million students in about 14,000 institutions, under the overall supervision of Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB). There is no official estimate about the total number of Qoumi madrasahs. The Quomi madrasahs are known to be under the supervision of unspecified number of regional quomi madrasah education boards. While most of the Aliya and Quomi madrasahs are located in rural and semi urban areas there are more girls than boys attending Aliyah madrasahs. A sample survey on Qoumi madrasahs carried out under the project shows that most Quomi students are male and about half of all students are boarding. Until 2010 madrasah education was considered outside of the mainstream education system. The new National Education Policy 2010 announced a “unified” system of education under which Aliya Madrasah, though not Qoumi (as they are outside the purview of government supervision and support), students will study the same curriculum and sit the examinations as general education students plus they will have their unique religious subjects and separate examinations for religious subject. In addition, the structure of the school system is to change from a 5+5+2 years system to 8+4 years with the 8 years primary or basic education cycle being compulsory. The policy context for the future of madrasah education will require long term planning and considerable additional resources. In general, students attending Aliya Madrasahs compared to those students attending general secondary schools experience a lower quality of education in terms of the inputs provided by the government and the communities which manage those madrasahs. Moreover, with rare exceptions, the perception of the public is also that madrasahs offer an inferior quality education. Aliya madrasah students cannot at present compete with their peers from mainstream secondary schools in the labor market nor can they readily advance into higher education. There are six main obstacles that Aliya Madrasahs face in improving quality and becoming “unified” with the general education stream. These are • • • • •

the lack of adequate training in teaching methodology of the majority of madrasah teachers; failure to use the same textbooks and examination questions as general education schools for non-religious subjects; the lack of capacity of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board to plan, manage, monitor and evaluate Aliya Madrasah education; failure of students to complete their education cycles; failure to teach Aliya Madrasah students, at both primary and secondary levels, in good facilities that are equipped for learning.

There are proposals in the final report of the project to address the above obstacles. The TA has also addressed the policy and planning issue, access & equity and gender issue, curriculum and teacher training issue, as well as physical facilities and learning materials issue, monitoring and evaluation, as well as EMIS for madrasah education. In addition, v

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education capacity of Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) was developed for madrasah mapping study and particularly for qualitative survey. The main outputs of the project are: • • •

a comprehensive madrasah sector study, an institutional assessment and capacity development plan for the BMEB, and a road map and an indicative investment plan for madrsah education development.

The Asian Development Bank has supported the education sector, though not directly madrasahs, in Bangladesh for nearly three decades. ADB has the potential to lead a consortium of development partners to support the government of Bangladesh in investing in madrasah education. The urgent need is to attend to the gross inequalities in education provision within madrasahs so that they are ready to benefit from the restructuring which the new education policy envisages. Thereafter, madrasahs will be part of the mainstream education system.

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CHAPTER 1 REFLECTIONS ON THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT 1. A TA Fact-Finding Mission fielded in July 2008 reached an understanding with the government on the rationale, scope, outcomes and outputs, methodology, implementation arrangements and timeframe, cost and financing plan, and terms of reference for the TA project, Capacity Development for Madrasah Education. The Project was approved in December 2008. The new government took office in January 2009. One of its first actions was to set up a commission to formulate an education policy. By September 2009 there was a draft education policy, the first since Liberation in 1971. Cabinet agreed to it in mid-2010 and the National Assembly approved it in December 2010. Hence the policy context for education, and in particular madrasah education, changed during the fielding of the TA Team. In reviewing the expected outcomes and outputs this critical point has to be understood.

1.0

ASSESSMENT OF THE OUTCOMES OF THE TA PROJECT

2. The outcomes of the TA will be a strengthened Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB) with increased human, organizational and institutional capacity. (TA Paper, paragraph 1). 3.

This outcome is dealt with under Capacity Development below.

1.1

OUTPUTS OF THE TA PROJECT

4. The TA project was expected to deliver its outputs in two phases. The outputs of the first phase were to be (1) a comprehensive sector study for the entire madrasah subsector and (2) an action plan for institutional and organizational capacity development for BMEB and other associated institutions, such as the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), and the Qoumi Madrasah boards (TA Paper paragraph 1). The output of the second phase was for the TA Project to assist the Government in developing a medium- to long-term participatory policy and strategic plan for the madrasah subsector.

1.1.1 Phase One Outputs 5. The sector study An interim version of the Madrasah Sector Study (MSS) was completed in July of 2010 and the draft final version in late March 2011. There were two main reasons for the delay. First, two surveys of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs and 1

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Qoumi Madrasahs, and a Qualitative Study, took much longer to launch and process than the sub-contractor, BANBEIS, had estimated. Second, the policy context had changed. The National Education Policy approved in 2010 envisaged a unified curriculum for all schools and madrasahs as well as the restructuring of the school system from a 5+5+2 system to an 8+4 system. During 2010, as the National Education Policy went through various stages to its adoption, fresh thinking on the nature of the madrasah sector was required. 6. Capacity development plan The TA Project prepared a Capacity Development Plan (CDP) for BMEB in early 2010. Stakeholders then discussed it and provided feedback to the TA Project. As explained below, under Capacity Development, the TA Project did not include the NCTB in the plan for capacity development. The Qoumi boards were also not included in the capacity development plan. Qoumi Madrasahs are not recognised by the government. While the staff of the main Qoumi board was willing to participate in limited ways, for instance, in assisting BANBEIS to devise the first data collection instruments for their institutions, there was no enthusiasm for their involvement in other aspects of the TA Project. With limited consultant time, and the lack of government’s official positive line on Qoumi Madrasahs, the TA took a decision to restrict the CDP to Aliya Madrasah education. 7. The first version of the Capacity Development Plan was reviewed and updated to be consistent with the emerging proposals within the National Education Policy (NEP 2010). These revised proposals for capacity development appear in the Road Map for Madrasah Education and they are flexible enough to respond to whatever organisational and structural change the government may decree once the NEP 2010 is implemented.

1.1.2 Phase Two Outputs 8. During Phase Two, the TA project was to assist the government in developing a medium- to long-term participatory policy and strategic plan for the madrasah subsector. The output of the TA Project at this stage was described as (i) an agreed process for policy reform for the madrasah subsector; (ii) a madrasah subsector road map; (iii) complete databases installed in the government’s computer systems and a comprehensive madrasah mapping study; and (iv) an agreed financial planning, management, and monitoring framework for reforming the madrasah subsector with detailed budgeting, funding options, and prioritized activities (TA Paper paragraph 1). 9. Process for policy reform for the madrasah subsector This output became irrelevant once government drafted the NEP 2010. Officials sent strong signals that no longer would madrasah education be a neglected and separate entity. The NEP 2010 stipulated that the whole of education, from Classes 1 – 12, including madrasahs, were to be “unified” both in terms of curriculum and standards. Thus, there was no case for an output that formulated a process for madrasah reform outside of the already approved NEP 2010 and its implementation process. However, the TA Project included a section in the MSS that addresses the feasibility of madrasah education reform in relation to the NEP 2010 and its implementation process.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 10. Madrasah subsector road map. The TA Project produced a Road Map for Madrasah Education in March 2011 after consultations with stakeholders in October 2010 and again in early March 2011. The Road Map considers education in madrasahs as part of the proposed education reform in Bangladesh rather than treating madrasah reform as a separate subsector activity. This approach allows flexibility as progress in implementing the NEP 2010 unfolds. In addition, once the reforms of the NEP are complete, the present functions of the BMEB for education in the madrasah subsector may well be altered. 11. Complete database installed in the government’s computer systems and a comprehensive madrasah mapping study: the databases This third output has two separate sub-outputs: the databases and the mapping study. We discus the databases first. BANBEIS has a database of Aliya Madrasahs for both 2008 and, now, 2009. The TA Project used the 2008 database since the 2009 database was not available during the time allocated for the consultants. The analyses that were specified by the TA Project can repeated on the updated database in the future. BANBEIS also has the 2010 database of a large sample (25%) of the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs. The TA Project proposes that beginning in 2011, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME) include all Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs in its annual Primary Education Census. The MOPME’s inclusion of these madrasahs in its census will assure that its data collection will be aligned with the NEP 2010’s intentions of not neglecting the madrasahs. The database of Qoumi Madrasahs consists of 544 institutions. It is not “comprehensive” since time and resources did not allow a statistically sound nationally representative sample to be taken. Further, the number and location of the population of Qoumi Madrasahs in Bangladesh are unknown. The TA Project made proposals in the Road Map for a national survey of Qoumi Madrasahs. 12. The comprehensive mapping study. The TA Team interpreted the comprehensive mapping study to be a report that addresses all the facets of madrasahs and incorporates information obtained from empirical data analyses with insights from reading, field visits, the Qualitative Study interviews, and structured enquiries of the stakeholders in madrasah education. The MSS is this output. The MSS is a comprehensive report on the status madrasah education as it currently operates. 13. Agreed financial planning, management, and monitoring framework for reforming the madrasah subsector with detailed budgeting, funding options, and prioritized activities. This is the fourth and final expected output. The TA Project prepared an Indicative Investment Proposal (IIP) that covers part of this output. The IIP provides cost estimates for implementing the main proposals described in the Road Map. The analysis the TA Project prepared and included in the MSS shows that Bangladesh persistently allocates less to education than other countries in the region and that the per student allocations to secondary education, including madrasahs, stand below the international norm as judged by the Mingat ratio1. 14. However, although the NEP 2010 advocates increasing the government financial allocation to education, neither the BMEB nor the MOE felt able to discuss the topic of 1

Ratio of revenue expenditure per student to the GDP per head of population.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education financing madrasahs with the TA Project consultants. The financing of madrasahs is a “political” topic in Bangladesh. The NEP 2010 contains only sketchy and incomplete calculations of the cost of adding the classrooms that are needed for extending primary education to eight years. It is not possible to consider the financing of madrasah education separately from the wider budget allocations of government revenue and development funds to the education sector. Give the contexts describe here, the TA Project can go no further than presenting the MSS, the CDP, the RM, and the IIP. 15. Monitoring framework The TA Project made proposals regarding monitoring in the Road Map. At present MOE has neither the capacity nor a real interest to monitor madrasahs except for publishing exam results. Madrasah educational personnel in the field have virtually no capacity to monitor madrasahs’ educational processes or teaching quality. The TA made proposals in the Road Map to strengthen both the staffing and systems for monitoring through using secondary education field personnel.

1.4

Capacity Development

16. Being a capacity development technical assistance project it is appropriate to reflect on the extent to which capacities were developed during the tenure of the project. The “target” organisations for this project were the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB), the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), the Bangladesh Bureau for Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), and the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB). Offices for the TA consultant team were provided in both BMEB and DSHE. Since a substantial part of the work in the mid-period of the TA was subcontracted to BANBEIS, the team leader, the EMIS specialist, and Qualitative Research Specialist spent substantial amounts of time at BANBEIS. The NCTB provided information on and samples of curriculum and textbooks, and provided information on policy, procedures and organization. The BMEB provided information about policy and procedures, but provided only a minimum amount of materials. The TA Project consultants noted that all the target institutions were involved, though to different degrees. Some staff of these institutions benefitted from the short study visits to India and Indonesia, while all participated in the various workshop activities organised under the project. 17. Capacity development covers both training and administrative systems’ development. Training can be on-the-job where, as in this case, consultants and regular government staff sit together to work on project tasks, or off-the-job. The latter can be formal, such as when a short course of training is delivered or non-formal. Non-formal training includes overseas study visits that provided exposure to new ways of thinking through observing and discussing with others how madrasah education is managed elsewhere. Such visits and interactions can potentially increase capacity to analyse issues and generate new approaches. Project workshops allow interchange of views, between officials and consultants, and between officials from different departments and agencies. Such interchanges can lead to appreciation of other perspectives on issues, in this case on madrasah education.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 18. But capacity development extends beyond training to increase the skills and knowledge of current personnel in the target institutions. Alongside these improvements in human capacities, there also has to be improved systems or operational procedures. These improvements in how an organisation works day-to-day have to be sustained beyond the Project period. In what follows an attempt is made to assess just how successful have been the attempts at capacity development in the target organisations. 19. Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board, BMEB: This organisation, as detailed within the Capacity Development Plan, suffers from a chronic shortage of technical and higher level curriculum and textbook development staff. The current staff members’ workload is such as not to allow the key top managers to spare time to work regularly with consultants. One BMEB staff member became almost the sole source of information about madrasah education and contributed to the team’s understanding of the many complex issues. The short-term capacity development workshops proved problematic since their timing had to coincide with prior commitments of the BMEB staff such as examination administration, competing events set by government, and with the intermittent availability of the international consultants. The few zonal staff, who were targeted for both local training and overseas exposure, could play an important role in field management, but are totally handicapped by lack of resources. While the operational systems of the BMEB were not affected directly by the TA Project consultants, there is evidence in the Study Visits’ Report that those overseas study visits provided by the Project opened the eyes of many of the BMEB staff to operational features of madrasahs elsewhere and these insights will contribute to positive attitudes toward the need to improve the BMEB’s systems and ways of working. 20. Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, DSHE: Interactions with the DSHE were mainly with the Director, Deputy Director, and Assistant Director of the Planning and Development (P&D) wing. They facilitated our project office accommodation and provided the channel for communication to the MOE. The P&D wing contributed to all of the Project’s workshops, particularly by looking at the statistics and quantitative aspects of reports and proposals, and through offering comments on the CDTA Project’s documents. The Director General of Secondary and Higher Education was de facto project director and gave time to the team and took the chair at most of the workshops. 21. The DSHE operations were not changed as a result of the CDTA. However, as the report of the overseas Study Visits shows, the visits revealed to the DSHE that in Indonesia madrasahs and schools are at par with each other. The DSHE’s recognition of this may help to improve working relations between the DSHE and the BMEB. 22. Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics, BANBEIS: The most salient aspect of capacity development was the Project’s impact on some key technical staff of the BANBEIS. The BANBEIS was commissioned by the Project to undertake two surveys and one qualitative study, as well as to produce fresh analyses of two existing databases.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 23. In Bangladesh, there is capacity in private sector to undertake large scale surveys. However, the attempt to involve the BANBEIS in conducting the studies had several advantages and capacity building opportunities for this national institution: (a) contracting with a designated government office to conduct the studies could lead to better acceptance of the results by the MOE, (b) a national database of Aliya Dakhil Madrasahs was accomplished, and a start has been made to establishing national databases for both Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs (IIMs), and Qoumi Madrasahs (there is an expectation that later there will be a complete national coverage of the both IIMs and Qoumi Madrasahs), and (c) the BANBEIS staff appreciated the lessons learned from the mission’s input, especially at the data processing stage. 24. The team leader worked with the BANBEIS to produce technical and financial proposals for undertaking the surveys and the Qualitative Study since the BANBEIS had no experience in writing proposals. This is a new skill now embedded in the organisation and, therefore, a new technical capacity. 25. The national EMIS specialists worked closely with the BANBEIS staff to develop, field test, and revise data collection instruments for the sample surveys of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs and Qoumi Madrasahs. Development of the latter set of instruments required careful negotiation and close cooperation with the senior members of the main Qoumi board. These data collection instruments, with some further refinement and updating, can be used in the future and, therefore, represent a second item of capacity development. The second national EMIS consultant worked closely with the BANBEIS staff in producing the data tables that summarize the analyses of the databases. There was clear indication of lack of capacity in the BANBEIS in data cleaning processes; the problem became acute in case of Qoumi survey. Fresh approaches to data cleaning were introduced as a new technical capacity. 26. BANBEIS had no experience of conducting and reporting qualitative research studies. The Bank, through a separate contract, hired a specialist researcher to train three senior staff of the BANBEIS in qualitative research techniques, as well as to work closely with those researchers – through email – to prepare the analysis and write the report. The BANBEIS now has the capacity to undertake qualitative studies in the education field. 27. The interactions with officials of the Qoumi board extended the knowledge base of the BANBEIS staff as well as their skills in negotiating the involvement of Qoumi Madrasah personnel in the survey. The Qoumi board personnel also benefited in that they seemed to concede that information on the Qoumi Madrasahs could be useful for purposes other than registering them. 28. Data collection forms for both the sample surveys had shortcomings in the sense that they could not capture the dropout data. The Qoumi Madrasah form has some serious shortcomings, like gender disaggregation of result data were not attempted, teacher information was not clear, various details of attached sections were missing, etc. These shortcomings arose from the thin inputs of the international EMIS consultant, the delay in appointing a replacement national EMIS consultant, and time pressures to start the surveys.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 29. The combined analyses of the madrasah and secondary school databases, again commissioned by the Project, provided the BANBEIS with a new tool since previously the organisation had reported separately on the different sectors. 30. National Curriculum and Textbook Board, NCTB: The NCTB staff provided information when required, but they were not targeted for training except for the overseas study visits. The Secondary Education Sector Development Project (SESDP) has the reform of curriculum in madrasahs within its framework and has appropriate long term resources to aid the process. Hence, NCTB at this point had a limited role with respect to our TA Project.

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CHAPTER 2 THE OUTPUTS OF CDTA 7206 BAN 2.0

OUTPUTS

31.

The following are the outputs of the CDTA 7206 BAN: 1. Short- and medium-term Capacity Development Plan 2. Comprehensive mapping of the Aliya Madrasah subsector 3. Preliminary mapping of the Qoumi /Ibtedaye Madrasah subsector 4. Qualitative study of parents’ and children’s decisions and experiences in madrasahs 5. Comprehensive Madrasah Sector Study synthesising findings 6. Road Map for the madrasah subsector 7. Costed Investment Plan for the madrasah subsector

32. Each of these outputs is summarized in the remaining sections of this chapter. In addition to the above contracted outputs, this Report includes a Report of the Overseas Study Visits.

2.1

SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Summary 33. Bangladesh has made significant progress in primary, secondary, and higher education. It has also witnessed a remarkable growth in Islamic schools known as madrasahs both at primary and secondary levels2. Officially recognized as an integral part of national education system, madrasahs in general are perceived to be lagging behind mainstream schools due to poor physical facilities, lack of qualified teachers, and inadequate management and supervision. It is estimated that approximately over 20 per cent3 of primary and secondary age students attend madrasah located primarily in rural and semi-urban areas. Madrasahs, however, also exist in urban areas. 34. Since liberation in 1971, successive governments attempted to modernize madrasah education in parallel with mainstream education. The Madrasah Education Ordinance 1978 2

In Aliya madrasah education, Ibtedaye (grade 1-5) is the primary level, Dakhil (grade 6-10) is the secondary level and Alim (grade 11-12) is the higher secondary education. 3 Unless otherwise stated, data for secondary schools and secondary (Dakhil) madrasahs are for 2008. Numerical information given for Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs and Qoumi Madrasahs are from the 2010 surveys.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education was promulgated with a view to streamlining, regulating, managing, and upgrading the subsector. It also established the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB) as an autonomous institution. However, the experience during the past several decades has shown that the BMEB is constrained by a number of bottlenecks that need urgent action to meet the challenges of modern times and to deliver the government’s goals of quality education and mainstreaming madrasah education. 35. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded technical assistance (TA) No. 7206BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education to help develop a medium and longterm policy framework, and a strategy and investment plan that will need to be supported by effective institutional arrangements and qualified personnel. Despite the sound strategy and policy thrusts enshrined in the first and revised Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for accelerated poverty reduction and human development, madrasah education is seriously constrained due to lack of appropriate investments, effective institutional arrangements, and qualified staff. 36. The TA, in close consultation with key stakeholders, prepared a Capacity Development Plan (CDP). The CDP addresses the policy and management environment of the Aliya Madrasah education system that is currently coordinated by the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB); the institutional aspects of the current BMEB, including functions, systems, and processes; and most importantly the current capacity BMEB’s staff. Using both an institutional analysis and a participatory needs assessment analysis, the TA formulated a short-term CDP, consisting mainly of local training workshops and overseas study visits; and an indicative medium-term CDP, that could be part of a future investment package. The medium-term CDP is included in Section 5, Planning and Management, of the Road Map for madrasah education. Within this section, there are detailed costed proposals for investment in the human infrastructure of the BMEB, as well as other organisations relevant to madrasah education. 37. There was almost a year’s gap between the first appearance of the CDP and the finalisation of the Road Map, during that gap the government introduced the NER 2010. Thus, the proposals in the Road Map take precedence since they are based on an increased appreciation of madrasahs in the light of the NEP 2010. Moreover, the proposals in the Road Map are flexible enough to meet possible organisational changes that might result from the NEP 2010 (for instance, the possible establishment of a Directorate of Madrasah Education). 38.

The Capacity Development Plan is attached as Annex 1.

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2.2

THE MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY (MSS)

39. The MSS document runs to 100 pages of text and 200 pages of appendices to support the text. It is the response to both the second and fifth outputs listed in Chapter 1. The appendices contain the reports of the three commissioned pieces of work: (1) the sample survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs, (2) the sample survey of the Qoumi Madrasahs, and (3) the qualitative study. 40. Below is a summary of the main text. Sections 2.3 – 2.5 are separate summaries of the three commissioned research reports.

Summary Introduction 41. The Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Technical Assistance Project had its origins before the election of the present government and before the rapid formulation and adoption of a National Education Policy in December 2010 (NEP 2010), the first comprehensive education policy since Liberation in 1971. The NEP 2010 presents a vision of the Bangladesh education system that is quite different than the system that existed at the time the TA Project was started. The NEP 2010 calls for a “unified” school system with a strong common core of subjects in the curriculum; a restructuring from 5+5+2 years of schools to 8+4 years, with the first eight years being free and compulsory; establishing comparable standards for students in schools and madrasah; and requiring students from both systems to be assessed in the core general subjects with the same examinations. 42. In planning the TA Project there was an unstated assumption that the status quo of madrasah education system under the direction of the BMEB would continue. The reforming proposals in the NEP 2010, however, change the context for planning the future shape of madrasah education, as the TA Project was in the completion phases of the MSS. 43. The MSS presents a status report of madrasah education up to 2010. Nevertheless, what we can be certain of is that the future for madrasah education may be quite different from how it is at present and how it has developed over the last couple of decades. The MSS discusses both types of madrasahs that currently exist: one type, the Aliya, being partly funded and supervised by government, and the other, the Qoumi, standing outside state control. However, the MSS focuses primarily on the Aliya Madrasahs, particularly at the Dakhil or secondary level. The MSS addresses issues of access, quality, internal efficiency, equity, management, and finance. It attempts to identify the most pressing needs for madrasah education and points the way towards a Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal (that were prepared as separate outputs). The MSS is a substantial documentation of the current madrasah system in Bangladesh that is timely in relation to the implementation of the NEP 2010.

10

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education The MSS was prepared using information obtained from commissioned surveys, projectinitiated studies, document reviews and analyses, visits by the Technical Assistance team to almost 50 madrasahs of all types, and interviews and discussions, both formal and informal, with key stakeholders. An Interim Madrasah Study was completed and presented to key stakeholders in June 2010 and further drafts in December 2010 and March 2011. The TA team used feedback from those presentations to shape the final MSS. 44. Among the several reasons for studying madrasah education at the present time is that while the number of madrasahs has grown fast since Liberation it is widely held that the quality of madrasah education falls short of general education in preparing students for a very competitive job market and for entry into higher education. 45. Access to all forms of secondary education is almost exclusively through nongovernment schools and Aliya Dakhil Madrasahs, there being only 317 government secondary schools and 3 government madrasahs in a total of almost 33,000 secondary level institutions. There is also a tiny Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) stream. Madrasahs are more common in rural areas than urban areas. In 2008, just under one fifth of all students at secondary level were studying in madrasahs, 2% in TVET, the remaining 80% in the general education stream. The growth of Aliya Madrasahs over the period since 1970 has been twice as fast as that of general education secondary schools. 46. Gross and net participation rates at secondary level are quite close – being around 44% to 42%, respectively, for boys, and 56% - 55.8%, respectively, for girls, showing that most students fall within the accepted age range of 11 - 16 years. These rates ignore those students attending Qoumi madrasahs, for whom comparable data could not be obtained. Divisional and national averages hide wide variations at district and upazila levels. Gender parity has been achieved within both general education and Aliya Madrasahs. Participation of the higher income groups is more common in secondary schools than in madrasahs. Stipend schemes, which have long targeted girls, seem to be associated with higher participation by girls in both schools and madrasahs. The administration of the two scholarship schemes – open to both school and madrasah students – seems to favour greatly male secondary school students. Children with various disabilities are few in schools and even rarer in Madrasahs. Madrasahs – Dakhil, Independent Ibtedaye, and Qoumi – all have lower student-teacher ratios than secondary schools and consequently lower class sizes. Madrasah teachers, however, are much less likely to be trained than teachers in secondary schools. Few madrasah teachers have had in-service training. Approximately three quarters of all madrasah buildings are of poor or temporary construction. Quality 47. A wide gap has existed in the curricula used in general education schools and Aliya Madrasahs. Based on a careful study of curricula and textbooks it is concluded that the amount of content included in general subjects has been less in Aliya Madrasah textbooks than in the general education school textbooks. Curricula, syllabi, and textbooks covering the general subjects have been developed by BMEB and have fewer numbers of teaching units than the general secondary education curricula. These differences in the textbooks defined 11

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education the differences in the content and amount of material taught to students in two streams of secondary education since the textbooks are the primary teaching resources used by teachers. The examinations set for the general education school students are of a higher quality than those set for the madrasah students. The NEP 2010 educational policy has attempted to address these differences and to close the gap between the two streams. In the coming years, a core of general education subjects in the two systems should be taught using the same textbooks and perhaps a similar pattern of examinations will be instituted. Religious education curricula and textbooks will continue to be unique to the madrasahs. 48. Generalisations concerning Qoumi curricula cannot be easily made since there is no single umbrella body for curricula and many Qoumi madrasahs are independent of any board. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are supposed to follow a curriculum similar to that used in primary schools with the addition of religious education, but an analysis of past textbooks show they have fewer lessons than their counterparts in primary schools. With poorly qualified and untrained teachers, a general neglect of physical facilities and learning resources, as well as the lack of supervision nor inspection, it is difficult to conclude that students in the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs do experience at present a curriculum comparable to that in government or even non-government primary schools. 49. The pass rates for the general education Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and the Dakhil examination for ten years show Dakhil leavers to have a higher rate of passing their examination than the general education secondary school leavers have of passing their examination. However, the curriculum, textbooks, and examinations of the BMEB and NCTB were found to be so different that the pass rates cannot be validly compared to evaluate quality. Pass rates are not valid indicators of the quality of student learning in the past Bangladesh education system. Internal Efficiency 50. Wastage at the secondary level is disturbingly high. The rates of cycle completion in the general secondary education stream are 42% for boys and 34% for girls while in madrasahs the rates are slightly better – for boys at 50% – and around the same for girls, 36%. These low completion rates represent a huge loss of money to the country and to the families who pay hard-earned money to invest in the future of their children. Although no data were collected in the survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs on dropout and repetition, the pattern of heavy enrolments in the early grades, and a sharp decline in enrolment by Class 5, that is so typical of primary schools in Bangladesh, suggest significant attrition in the course of the 5-years’ cycle. Dropout in Qoumi Madrasahs is thought to be very low perhaps because they are predominantly residential institutions and many students receive free board and some get free food.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Equity 51. Availability, proximity, and affordability have made madrasah education attractive to rural and poor parents who cannot afford the costs associated with other types of education. Madrasahs are particularly appealing where girls are concerned, when the benefits of moral and religious issues are added to lower parental costs and the availability of government stipends. Against this backdrop, girls are being enrolled in greater numbers though their wastage rate is higher than that of boys. However, girls do not fare as well as boys in terms of performance, retention, and completion rates. Their educational attainment does not translate as well into post-secondary education opportunities or higher salaries on graduation. Equity analysis shows that in Aliya Madrasahs female teachers are rare and female education managers even rarer. Approximately 10% of all madrasah teachers are female; less than 3% of Dahkil Madrasahs have female superintendents or assistant superintendents. Vulnerable groups are not well represented, with very few recorded students with disabilities; orphans are roughly 3% of all students in Dakhil Madrasahs. Moreover, in the case of madrasahs, girls are being educated in a context where women’s rights and access to full citizenship are not always fully supported. System Planning and Management 52. The NEP 2010 is committed to bringing Aliya Madrasahs, but not Qoumi Madrasahs, into the framework of an overall education policy and system. However, the implementation strategy is not yet fully developed. At present, the BMEB has no capacity for policy analysis and technical planning. Planning expertise for re-structuring of the school system will have to come from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) and the Ministry of Education. 53. Education policy and planning suffers when there is a dearth of reliable and up-todate information. At present, the secondary sector, including the Aliya Madrasah sub-sector, has a somewhat disjointed system of information collection, processing, retrieval, and access. Although an integrated EMIS covering the main administrative, management, monitoring, and evaluation functions was developed in 2006/7, only one part, management of the monthly payment order (MPO) system is functioning. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are not included in the annual census of primary schools nor are they surveyed during the irregular BANBEIS surveys of post-primary education institutions. Qoumi Madrasahs also fall outside the existing and proposed systems for data collection, processing, and analysis. 54. Implementation of the NEP 2010 policies, including the restructuring of schooling to an eight years primary cycle and four years secondary phase, will require substantial additional planning capacity and reliable up-to-date information. 55. The TA Project’s institutional analysis of the BMEB showed that its decisions are frequently referred to the Ministry of Education for adjudication, even though BMEB decisions are in principle “autonomous”.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 56. Like other government organisations, the BMEB’s strict hierarchy inhibits lower level staff members from enhancing institutional performance. Moreover, while almost all senior staff are deputed from the Bangladesh Civil Service (Education cadre), the BMEB’s own staff have no route for development and promotion. The BMEB neglects human resource management. There is a total absence of female professional staff within the BMEB. The TA Project has prepared a Capacity Development Plan (CDP) for the madrasah education sector4. The CDP is a medium-term proposal focusing on developing human resources and institutional capacity for the madrasah sector. The Road Map for madrasah education contains detailed proposals for a long-term future development of capacity. Finance 57. Against a backdrop of a respectable growth rates in GDP, over the past few years Bangladesh has consistently allocated only 2.0% - 2.3% of GDP to education. Education’s share of the government revenue budget has fluctuated in the range 15 - 19% in the period 2000 - 2008. Within the education revenue budget, madrasahs have held their share at about 11% while primary education’s share dipped in the last year for which there are data. Primary education, however, took the lion’s share of the education development budget over the period 2000 - 2008. Secondary education, including madrasah education, fared poorly with steadily decreasing allocations, in real terms, from the development budget: when the effects of inflation are considered, the allocations in 2006/07 were less than in 2001/02. 58. Relative unit recurrent expenditures in non-government secondary schools and madrasahs have improved in the period 2005/6 to 2008/9 but are still some way below the internationally accepted norm of expenditure per head on secondary level students, being twice that on primary school students. The significance of low inputs per student, taken in the context of very high wastage through low completion rates of the secondary cycle, indicates that the secondary schools and madrasahs are possibly not receiving adequate resources to operate effectively nor to produce their potential output. Conclusions and Recommendations 59. The relevant messages in the NEP 2010 for the Aliya Madrasahs are that all types of primary schools and madrasah will follow a common curriculum with only variations up to Class 8; secondary education will start at Class 9 and run to Class 12; and each stream of secondary education is to have a common core of five or six compulsory subjects, thus providing students in all three streams of secondary with potentially equal chances to proceed to further study and access the job market. The question arises, once the NEP 2010 begins to be implemented, as to what will happen to the present Aliya Madrasah sub-sector? It appears that the present Dakhil curriculum and examination arrangements would be changed so that a core of the curriculum – the general subjects – would be in common with secondary schools; examinations would be common across the streams, and comparability between achieved grades on those general subjects would be transparent.

4

The CDP is available as Annex 1 to the Final Report of TA 7206-BAN.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 60. At present, both the mechanism for implementing the NEP 2010 and the pace at which it will be implemented are unclear. Hence, it is very difficult to be certain about how the large structural changes for the entire school and madrasah system will impact on madrasah education. Logically, implementation of such a large-scale upheaval in the structure and curriculum of schools would be preceded by a school sector study. That study would identify problems and present possible solutions. In the absence of a structure and a timescale for implementation of the NEP 2010, however, certain areas in madrasah education are recommended for immediate to medium term support in order to prepare for the implementation of the NEP 2010 policies. It is important that madrasah education have an earmarked project or a program support, otherwise it may not receive its appropriate share of development resources. Moreover, when the full-scale implementation of the NEP 2010 begins, madrasah education may not be at the starting line without this enhancement to the current resources and management. 61. The MSS has identified six main obstacles that Aliya Madrasahs face in improving quality. These are A. The lack of adequate training in teaching methodology of the majority of madrasah teachers. B. Failure to use the same textbooks and examination questions as general education schools for non-religious subjects at all levels of madrasah education. C. The lack of capacity of the BMEB to plan, manage, monitor and evaluate Aliya Madrasah education. D. Failure of students to complete their education cycles. E. Failure to teach Dakhil Madrasah students in good facilities that are equipped for learning. F. Failure to teach Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah student in good facilities that are equipped for learning.

62. The Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal for Madrasah Education has detailed recommendations for each of these obstacles. Hence, we recommend a) A massive teacher training program for 50,000 teachers over 6 years. b) Adoption, after vetting, of the curriculum and textbooks of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board for general subjects, and revision of the textbooks for religious subjects. c) A capacity development plan for BMEB involving substantial training, local international and on-the-job. d) Conditional cash transfers for the poorest students in the poorest upazillas to encourage sustained attendance and prevention of drop-out. e) A re-building program at 120 Dakhil Madrasahs in the poorest areas to provide pucca facilities that can act as “flagships” to other communities. f) A package of improvements to some 200 Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs, including enhancement of facilities, teacher and head teacher training.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 63. These TA Project recommendations appear in the Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal. 64.

The MSS is attached as Annex 2 to this Report.

2.3 PRELIMINARY MAPPING OF THE QOUMI AND IBTEDAYE MADRASAH SUBSECTORS 2.3.1 Qoumi Madrasahs The Sample 65. Because the number and national geographical distribution of Qoumi Madrasahs is unknown, it was not possible to construct a 10% nationally representative random sample of Qoumi Madrasahs. Instead, a census of all Qoumi Madrasahs was undertaken in seven districts. This is more than 10% of the 64 districts in Bangladesh and these districts contained approximately 12% of the national all-age population. The survey found 544 Qoumi Madrasahs in the seven districts. The data were collected in June to August of 2010. 66. On account of the lack of national geographical representativeness in the survey, the findings are best regarded as indicative rather than conclusive. Nevertheless, the findings of this survey are the first indications of the key features of Qoumi Madrasahs derived from a large number of madrasahs.

Summary 67. There were at least nine identified Qoumi education boards in the seven districts studied but the overwhelming majority of Qoumi Madrasahs (355 of 544) that registered with a board were registered with the Befaqul5 board. Some registered Qoumi Madrasahs use one local board for regular tests and the Befaqul board for terminal examinations. Surprisingly, 189 Qoumi Madrasahs were not registered with any board: they may be lower level institutions that do not offer formal external examinations. 68. About 85% of Quomi Madrasahs’ students are boys but about 25% of the madrasahs accept girls, either for girls only madrasahs or in mixed madrasahs in which they are normally taught separately. Girls-only madrasahs have a slightly better overall studentteacher ratio than boys-only or mixed madrasahs. There is wide variation of the students to teacher ratio in different types of madrasahs in rural, municipal, and metropolitan areas. 69. The “attached” sections of Qoumi Madrasahs provide a mix of pre-school and additional education with almost as many boys attending these sections (and a rather lower proportion of girls) as are formally enrolled in them. These may be students, who are also enrolled in other institutions, or in the case of pre-school students, proceed to other types of 5

The complete name of this board is Befaqul Madrasil Arabia Bangladesh.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education education subsequently. In such cases, Qoumi Madrasahs may essentially be providing the religious education that students and their parents seek as complementary to their learning in other schools. 70. About half of the students in Qoumi Madrasahs are residential, with a substantial number benefiting from free boarding. 71. Facilities vary widely but over 90% of Qoumi Madrasahs have water, toilets and electricity, a proportion that compares very favourably with the situation in the Aliya Madrasahs. 72. The report of the survey of Qoumi Madrasahs appears as Appendix 11 within Annex 2 to this Report.

2.4

PRELIMINARY MAPPING OF THE INDEPENDENT IBTEDAYE SUBSECTOR

The Sample 73. The Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah survey was conducted using a sample of 25% of all districts in the country. Statistically, it followed a single stage stratified cluster sampling design, where the four greater (old) administrative divisions were considered as strata. From each of the stratum, four districts were randomly selected. However, one district (Rangamati) from Chittagong Division was later dropped and replaced by Gopalganj from Dhaka Division because there is a very low incidence of madrasahs in the Hill Tracts’ districts and because Dhaka is the largest division. Thus, those 16 districts were selected randomly as the primary sampling units from the total of 64 districts in the country. All Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs in all 117 upazilas within the selected districts were included in the survey.

Summary 74. There were 1,104 active Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs in the districts that were surveyed. For this survey, the BMEB’s and the BANBEIS’s lists were supplemented on the basis of reports from field officers. This resulted in a new list of 2,103 madrasahs in the selected districts. However, of these, only 1,104 were found to be active as Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs at the time of the survey; 80 had upgraded to Dakhil Madrasahs, 74 had converted to Qoumi Madrasahs, 21 converted to Kindergarten, plus Noorani Madrasahs; and 824 (40% of the 2103) had disappeared. 75. Based on this 25% sample we estimate that in Bangladesh in 2010 there were 4,278 (standard error 77) Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs with 655,270 students (standard error 12.203).

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 76. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are small with an average enrolment of 153 students, an average of 4.5 rooms, and an average of 4 teachers. While there is overall gender equity in enrolments, there is considerable variation between upazilas with girls accounting for 39% to 75% of enrolments depending on the upazila. One possible explanation for this variability lies in the availability of other forms of primary education in an upazila. Girls and boys benefit equally from stipends although there are significantly fewer stipend holders (less than 13% of all students) in Independent Ibtadaye Madrasahs than in primary schools where 40% of students in receipt of stipends has been the norm. 77. The facilities are poor, with only 5% of rural Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs having pucca buildings. While most have water supplies, almost 63% of the water supplies have tested negative for arsenic (i.e. 37% of the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs either have not been tested for arsenic or are known not have safe water). 78. Few Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs have electricity (only 15% in rural areas). Facilities for teaching and learning are meagre with less than two textbooks per student even though between 5 and 10 subjects are taught per class. 79. Their teachers are predominantly male. Female teachers are 18% of the total. In the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs 89% of the teachers have received no training as teachers, not even short inservice training. 80. While 30% of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs have government support through the monthly payment order (MPO) system, only 17% of the teachers are under MPO. The MPO is a meagre Taka 500 (US 7) per month. Only 13% of female teachers receive the MPO. 81. Most commonly, Ibtedaye teachers have an Alim (HSC equivalent) level of education, though 40% of men have higher qualifications (bachelor’s degree or more) compared to only 18% of women. Teachers in the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs tend to be young with more than 70% of the women being under 30, compare to about 37% of men. 82. Although no data were collected on dropout and repetition, the pattern of heavy enrolments in the early grades and a sharp decline in enrolment by Class 5, that is so typical of primary schools in Bangladesh, suggest significant attrition over the 5 years’ cycle. In Class 5, overage students are approximately one third of all enrolments, an indicator of repetition. 83. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are founded, maintained, and managed by communities from which management committees are formed. They are, by and large, poor institutions with the majority, 70%, having an annual income of less than Taka 50,000. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs in cities and metropolitan areas have an income approximately 50% higher though there are, of course, few of them. The Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs in the survey had over 11 thousand management committee members

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education of whom only 800 (7.1%) were female and half the management committees had no female member at all. 84. The report of the survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs appears as Appendix 10 within Annex 2 to this Report.

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2.5

QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PARENTS’ AND CHILDREN’S DECISIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN MADRASAHS

The Sample 85. The Qualitative Study involved ten madrasahs and is not “representative” of the vast range of types, locations, and sizes of madrasahs. The purpose was to provide additional information that might help to interpret the findings of quantitative surveys through in-depth interviews. Sixty students were interviewed for this study; twenty-one of the students were girls. The students’ ages were between 7 and 22 and they were enrolled in Class 1 to Fazil 3rd year and Post Graduation (for Qoumi Madrasahs). Five Aliya, three Independent Ibtedaye, and two Qoumi Madrasahs formed the sample. In addition to students, 40 guardians, 40 teachers, 10 administrators, and 10 members of Madrasah Managing Committees were targeted for interview In all, 157 interviews were conducted in the ten madrasahs.

Summary 86. Madrasahs and the people within them are deeply attached to the ideal of providing a Muslim education and instilling good moral values to the children of Bangladesh. This ideal gives madrasahs and their supporters a strong sense of identity and a collective belief that they are special institutions with a unique purpose and mission. This is both strength and a potential limitation. Madrasahs derive great pride and purpose from their uniqueness and their core ideal. However, such a differential identity may increase madrasahs’ insularity and may reinforce an inward looking stance that may make changes more difficult to implement. 87. In point of fact, however, madrasahs, especially Aliya Madrasahs, have been changing all along. Madrasahs have already adapted and responded to the changes brought about by modernity and globalization. Their numbers have grown, and they have offered secondary level educational – albeit as weaker condensed versions of the national curriculum – opportunities to many children in Bangladesh, including large numbers of girls. Many madrasahs are now co-educational. As modern madrasahs, they are being shaped by the realities of the national and global economies, which increasingly demand that a nation’s youth master computer and other forms of technological literacy. 88. Aliya Madrasahs want to reform their curricular offerings, they want better science labs, they want libraries and computers, and they want support from the government. However, they do not want to do this at the expense of their core religious mission. Indeed, madrasahs want to retain their core identity as faith-based educational institutions at the same time as they want to provide their students, especially young male students, with the tools they need to succeed when they graduate. How they will manage to do both – in the context of the NEP 2010 – remains to be decided. 89. The qualitative study has also underscored several issues that are of concern to us. In particular the serious lack of play time, the recurring use of physical punishment, and the

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education evidence of gender inequalities, which stand not only as barriers to the development goals of Bangladesh, but also as violations to basic human rights. 90. This study has given us a glimpse of what happens within ten madrasahs in Bangladesh. It has highlighted their great variety and their complexity as religious educational institutions. A few of the unique insights afforded by the qualitative analysis are summarised here. 91. Teachers and administrators in madrasahs are themselves products of the madrasah sub-sector and share certain elements of their students’ background. Moreover, the recruitment practices of madrasahs, and the lack of teacher training opportunities for madrasah staff members, reinforces their insularity. 92. While many respondents declare that madrasahs deliver an excellent education (at least equivalent and sometimes superior to the one offered in the general education schools), there are recurring references in the interviews to private tutors, coaching centres, dual tracks, and transfers to the general education schools. Respondents’ faith in madrasahs (at least as far as preparation for the job market is concerned) might have its limits. 93. Despite some of the harsh disciplinary tactics deployed by the teaching staff, most students interviewed for this study, had positive perceptions of their teachers. The students often used the language of “love” and “affection” to describe what they liked most about their teachers. They also underscored the “sincerity” of the teaching staff as something that might distinguish them from teachers working in other institutions. 94. Clear gender distinctions emerged from the analysis. Girls seem to be overburdened by the domestic chores they are expected to perform at home. This added labour combined with the strenuous study schedule of madrasahs and their lack of playtime may have adverse consequence for the girls and young women enrolled in the madrasahs in the sense of limiting their opportunities and educational advancement. Gender differences were also noted in the ways madrasah students thought and talked about their future. Girls were more likely than boys to frame their plans in the language of service and dedication to others (especially family members). In contradistinction, boys – especially those enrolled in Qoumi madrasahs – talked about serving their religion. The theme of serving the people is less present in the boys’ interviews and most often framed in the language of spiritual service and leadership. 95. The report of the Qualitative Study of Madrasahs appears within Annex 2 to this Report, as Appendix 9.

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2.6

ROAD MAP AND COSTED MADRASAH SUBSECTOR

INVESTMENT

PROGRAM

FOR

THE

Introduction 96. The policy context for madrasah education changed with the approval in December 2010 of the National Education Policy. As a result, it is no longer possible to regard Aliya Madrasahs as a separate island of education. The NEP 2010 presents a strong vision of a unified school system sharing a common curriculum and achieving comparability of standards. Hence, in formulating the Road Map and making proposals for investment, the TA Project took the view that investments are urgently required in madrasahs, both Dakhil and Independent Ibtedaye, no matter how they are eventually controlled and managed. Moreover, we have chosen to label the investments as both “indicative” and “proposal” rather than as a “program”. The reason is that in the context of the NEP 2010 there is an Implementation Committee that will be planning implementation across all sectors of education. The major restructuring of education into an 8+ 4 system from a 5+5+2 structure inevitably will include madrasahs. That will mean changes to both Ibtedaye and Dakhil Madrasahs. The new “secondary” sector – Classes 9 - 12 – will require an investment program and that will also affect madrasahs. The Indicative Investment Proposal for madrasahs made by the TA Project is based on the conviction that unless there are earmarked funds for the madrasahs to meet the immediate deficiencies in teacher education and training, in management, and in facilities, the likelihood is that, in whatever sectoral development programs emerge later to meet the regulations of the NEP 2010, madrasahs will not receive the scale of support that is needed to increase their standards so their outputs can compete on equal terms with those of the general education schools. Without enhancement to the resources and management of madrasah education, when the full scale implementation of the NEP 2010 begins, madrasah education will neither be prepared for nor able to meet the challenges that restructuring will bring. As an absolute priority, unless the Dakhil Madrasah teachers have their subject knowledge and pedagogical skills upgraded, full implementation of the new secondary curriculum in madrasahs will just not happen.

Summary of Road Map (RM) and Indicative Investment Proposal (IIP) 97. The RM is based on (i) the comprehensive Madrasah Sector Study – 100 pages of text and 200 pages of appendices; (ii) consultations with officials, including two Road Map workshops in October 2010 and in early March 2011; (iii) recommendations from the officers who undertook study visits to Indonesia and West Bengal; and (iv) critiques of the draft Road Map in two consultations with stakeholders in late March and late May, 2011. 98. The proposals are fully consistent with the NEP 2010 in so far as the policy is explicit on a unified curriculum, restructuring of school education, and the need for a common assessment system for all secondary level students.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 99. There are three overarching objectives grouped into: Access/ Efficiency/ Equity; Quality; and Management. For each objective the TA Project presented a rationale for the proposed intervention, followed by an outline of the proposed investment. Lastly there are some recommendations for the NEP 2010 Implementation Committee. The latter are not costed.

2.6.1 Priority Areas for Investment 100. The following are the main areas recommended for investment. In subsequent paragraphs we summarize the nature of each recommended investment. •

Training for approximately 50,000 of Dakhil madrasah teachers who have no teacher training qualification

•

Upgrading through re-building of up to 120 selected Dakhil Madrasahs in the poorest rural areas

•

Conditional cash transfers to at least 27,000 identified students, boys as well as girls, from the poorest households in the poorest upazilas or an alternative of school feeding for students in the poorest madrasahs

•

Capacity development for madrasah education, including for the BMEB

•

A support package for 200 Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs

•

Nine studies of, and research into, madrasah education to serve the interest of better planning and management of madrasah education.

1) Rapid Madrasah Teacher Quality Improvement. Teacher training for the majority of the thousands of Dakhil Madrasah teachers who have no teacher training qualification. •

Teachers to be training for a Diploma in Secondary Teaching

= 50,000

•

Duration of course

= 4 months

•

Residential period for intensive subject and pedagogical training in two subjects = 2 months

•

Training venues will be selected, after research, from TTCs, PTIs, BMTTI, private TTCs

•

Number of Key Trainers

= 36

2) Upgrading through re-building of selected Dakhil Madrasahs in the poorest rural areas. •

Number of rural kachha madrasahs to be upgraded = 120, including 10% for girls only

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education •

“Flagship” status with full teaching learning facilities including science lab, ICT facility, etc

•

Separate toilet provision for boys and girls, male and female teachers

•

Design of facilities based on the 35 model madrasahs of the SESDP with enhancement to respond to the needs of the NEP 2010.

3) Conditional cash transfers to identified students from the poorest households in the poorest upazilas. •

Number of madrasah students to be provided with cash transfers for stipends, exam fees, tuition fees = 27,000 per year

•

Average level of cash transfer per student

•

Stipend rates increase each year from Class 8

•

Stipend levels build upon the experiences of the Secondary Education Stipend Project and other stipend schemes.

= 2580 Taka per year

101. As an alternative, a madrasah feeding program could be devised and for the same objective of ensuring enrolment and attendance of the poorest students and within the same IIP allocation. 4) Capacity Development for Madrasah Education, including for the BMEB •

A first and major program of support to madrasah education and to BMEB

•

Combination of local and international training in areas identified as weak in the BMEB

•

National and international, long and short term technical support for skill and knowledge development for the BMEB and other organizations with a stake in madrasah education

•

Building on the Capacity Development Plan, agreed with government in early 2010, but with additional flexibility in case of the establishment of a Directorate of Madrasah Education and the possibly changing functions of the BMEB.

5) Support to Distressed Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs (IIMs) •

Facilities enhanced and learning materials provided at the 200 poorest IIMs

•

400 teachers to be trained in a condensed course to teach the basic subjects

•

Head teacher management and teacher supervision training for 200 head teachers

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Special annual allowance for motivation of teachers, dependent on performance and continued service.

102. There are also nine studies in support of madrasah education to serve the interest of better planning and management of madrasah education.

2.6.2 Indicative Investment Program for Madrasah Education SUMMARY OF PROPOSED INVESTMENT

In Lakh Taka

In US $

Teacher Training Facilities Equity Capacity Development IIM Support Package Studies Project Management Total of 7 components Contingency 5% of Direct Costs

10131 18827 3505 2748 8932 613 1400 45963

14,472,531 26,895,471 5,007,150 3,926,400 12,760,000 875,000 2,000,000 65,660,553

2298

3,283,028

TOTAL

48,463

69,233,381

Note: Project Management Costs are only approximate 103. The Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal for Madrasah Education appear as Annex 3.

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2.7

REPORT ON THE OVERSEAS STUDY VISITS

Summary 104. Three study teams, each comprising 10 members, were selected by the government to visit Indonesia and India to learn about their madrasah education systems that are recognized for their mainstream elements. From the reporting of the officials, it appears that they have benefited immensely from their visits, especially the staff from the BMEB who learned about the policy and legal status, financing, structure, and monitoring system of the madrasah education in the two countries. The madrasah curricula in these countries are mainstreamed and student mobility from one institution to other is not restricted. These factors also make the madrasah graduates equally competitive in the job markets with their peers from general education schools. In West Bengal, India, many Hindu students attend madrasahs as they can study most core courses. Generous stipends, scholarship schemes, and a mid-day meal have made madrasah students of West Bengal not only more motivated towards their academic studies but they have also reduced dropout and repetition. Based on their experience, the study team made a number of recommendations for developing and mainstreaming madrasah education in Bangladesh. These are set out in Annex 4 to the Final Report. 105. Among many significant aspects of madrasah education in Indonesia, it is striking that science and ICT education have evidently brought phenomenal success in the recent development of madrasah education. Student language proficiencies both in Arabic and English are also worth noting since such proficiencies increase job possibilities at home and abroad. Teacher recruitment, training, and promotion are all professionally dynamic and well structured. Communities are involved, through Parent Teacher Associations (PTA), in the regular academic and other relevant affairs of madrasah education. This has ensured more transparency, accountability, and collective ownership of this system in Indonesia. 106.

The report of the Overseas Study Visits appears as Annex 4.

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2.8

LESSONS LEARNED TA Design

107. The original TA design was planned to extend over 18 months. Delays in delivery of the subcontractor’s outputs for the surveys and analyses of existing databases further extended the Project by three months. It would have been more efficient had there been a planned intermission allowing the subcontractor – BANBEIS – six months or so to undertake the surveys and qualitative study while the TA team stood down for this period. 108. Because there was a shortage of qualified national consultants in the defined technical areas of the TA, and because of the long elapsed time of the project, some national consultants opted for other longer-term positions with more secure income streams. The unavailability of the original national consultants in some of the important areas, namely, national deputy team leader, institutional capacity assessment, EMIS, and finance at the initial phase and at some of the critical phases, affected smooth operation of the TA. 109. The TA team never met as a whole, partly due to the late appointment of the specialist in qualitative research methods, the absence of a full national team, and partly because the intermittent inputs of three of the four international consultants were very dilute. One consequence of the dilute international inputs was that issues such as gender mainstreaming in the analysis and how to incorporate “findings” from the qualitative study with the other findings could not be discussed interactively among team members in advance of writing different parts of the outputs, resulting in a less “integrated” report than was desired.

Government Execution and Implementation Agencies 110. The MOE was the designated EA. The MOE’s Planning Wing was inadequately staffed to engage in the details of the TA, though they sent representatives to the TA workshops and participated in the overseas training programme. The Planning Wing was the coordinator of the TA Steering Committee. This committee met on two occasions: once some six months after the team was mobilised and again in June 2011. 111. The TA Paper envisaged the BMEB being the Implementing Agency (IA). During the TA Inception, a change was made to have both BMEB and DSHE as joint IAs. The BMEB has neither project implementation experience nor expertise. The DSHE became the de facto IA. While it is noted that, without the active involvement of experienced officers of DSHE, the TA would not have been implemented effectively, the “ownership” of the TA Project could have been decided before mobilizing the team. The long delay in implementing the overseas study visits was partly caused by having joint IAs. Earlier implementation of those study visits would have enriched the contributions of BMEB and DSHE to the conceptualisation of the Road Map.

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Office Accommodation 112. Two offices were established: one at the DSHE and one at the BMEB – the joint IAs. The office in the BMEB was available after four months and the office in DSHE, which was better furbished, was established about nine months after the mobilization of the TA team. As a result for the first four months the team often used the facility of MSL. Having two offices and two IAs provided challenges to project management in liaising project implementation. 113. Learning from Other ADB Projects The Secondary Education Sector Development Project (SESDP) had produced a Madrasah Sector Strategy before the CDTA was mobilised. The draft was shared in late 2009. It was not accepted by the MOE till March of 2011. In part, the strategic recommendations within the Madrasah Sector Strategy were already accepted in the 2010 National Education Policy while other components of the “Sector Strategy” required empirical data and investment proposals now included in the Road Map, RM, and Indicative Investment Proposal (IIP). The SESDP has also established some 35 “model madrasahs”. The evaluation of the concept is on-going internally to the SESDP. However, the physical infrastructure, furniture, and equipment specifications were all available to the CDTA and provided the basis for the investment package (component 2) in the IIP. 114. The Teaching Quality Improvement Project (TQI) had made significant progress towards development of inservice programmes for secondary teachers, including a few madrasah teachers in the final batches of trainees. Their course structure provided the basis for the proposed investment to cover approximately 50,000 madrasah teachers (as component 4) in the IIP.

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ANNEX 1: INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN (CDP) FOR BANGLADESH MADRASAH EDUCATION BOARD (BMEB)

29

ANNEX 1

INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN (CDP) FOR BANGLADESH MADRASAH EDUCATION BOARD (BMEB)

ADB TA 7206-BAN BANGLADESH: CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR MADRASAH EDUCATION

PREPARED FOR ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK & GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH

PREPARED BY MAXWELL STAMP LIMITED, BAN

In association with: EDUCATION FOR CHANGE, UK

JULY 2011


CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................... 31 GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................... 32 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................... 33 I. II. III. IV. V. VI.

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... 37 MADRASAH EDUCATION SUB-SECTOR ...................................................................... 37 GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT OF MADRASAH .............................. 39 INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF BMEB.................................................................... 44 CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ................................................................................ 49 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 68

APPENDIX 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE ................................................................................. 69 APPENDIX 2: REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 69 APPENDIX 3: PRESENT ORGANOGRAM OF BMEB.............................................................. 70 APPENDIX 4: PROPOSED ORGANOGRAM OF BMEB........................................................... 72 APPENDIX 5: ORGANOGRAM OF PROPOSED DME ............................................................. 75 APPENDIX 6: NEEDS ASSESSMENT CONSULTATION WORKSHOP ........................................ 76

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ABBREVIATIONS ADB BMEB BMTTI BNFE CDP DC DIA DPE DSHE DTE EFA EMIS FGD HRP HTTI ICT MBM MLSS MMC MMC MOE MOPME MPO NAEM NTEARA NTRCA PEDP II PRSP PTI SBM SESDP TA TQIP TTC UNDP UNO WB

Asian Development Bank Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board Bangladesh Madrasah Teacher Training Institute Bureau of Non-formal Education Capacity Development Plan Deputy Commissioner Directorate of Inspection and Audit Directorate of Primary Education Directorate of Secondary & Higher Education Directorate of Technical Education Education for All Education Management Information System Focus Group Discussion Human Resource Planning Higher Teacher Training Institute Information and Communication Technology Madrasah Based Management Menial Level and Subordinate Staff Madrasah Management Committee Madrasah Management Committee Ministry of Education Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Monthly Pay Order National Academy for Education Management National Teachers’ Accreditation and Registration Authority National Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority Primary Education Development Program II Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Primary Teacher Training Institute School Based Management Secondary Education Sector Development Project Technical Assistance Teacher Quality Improvement Project Teacher Training College United Nations Development Program Upazilla Nirbahi Officer World Bank

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GLOSSARY Benchmarking – is the systematic comparison of organizational processes and performance in order to create new standards and /or improve processes. Benchmarking can provide new insights into the strengths and weaknesses of an organization and illustrate possible improvements and fresh ideas. Business plan – is a document, which sets out in words and figures a projection of how the new programs or activities (and or expansion of old/existing program/activity) is going to proceed. Capacity development – is understood here as the need to adjust policies and regulations to: reform institutions; modify working procedures and coordination mechanisms; increase the skills and qualification of personnel; and change the value systems and attitudes in a way that meets the demands of the organization’s priority policies, programs and services. Core competency – refers to a combination of specific, inherent, integrated and applied knowledge, skills and attitudes of an organization that should be used as the basis for strategic intent. Human resource planning – refers to a technique aimed at securing, and improving an organization’s human resources to meet present and future needs. Three principal stages can be envisaged: evaluation of existing resources, forecast of future requirements, and action plan. Job description – is a statement of overall purpose and scope of a job, together with details of its tasks and duties. Organization structure – is used to describe the intangible network of relationships between jobs, jobholders, roles, and organizational groupings by which organizations achieve sufficient differentiation and coordination of human effort to meet their strategic goals. Training needs analysis – is a rational approach to assessing the training or development needs of employees, aimed at clarifying the needs of the job and the needs of individuals in terms of training required.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Bangladesh has made significant progress in primary, secondary and higher education. It has also witnessed a remarkable growth in Islamic schools known as Madrasahs both at primary and secondary levels1. Officially recognized as an integral part of national education system madrasahs in general are perceived to be lagging behind mainstream schools due to poor physical facilities, lack of qualified teachers and inadequate management and supervision. It is estimated that over 20 per cent of primary and secondary level students attend madrasahs located primarily in rural and semi-urban areas but also exist in urban areas. 2. Since liberation in 1971 successive Governments attempted to modernize the madrasah education in parallel with mainstream education. The Madrasah Education Ordinance 1978 was promulgated with a view to streamline and upgrade the subsector. The ordinance aimed to regulate, manage and upgrade madrasah education and established the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB) as an autonomous institution. However, the experience during the past several decades has shown that the Board is constrained by a number of bottlenecks that need urgent action to meet the challenges of modern times and to deliver the Government’s goal of quality education and mainstreaming madrasah education. 3. Consistent with the current Government’s National Education Policy 2010, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded technical assistance (TA) No. 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education helped to develop medium and long term policy framework, strategy and investment plan that will be supported by effective institutional arrangements and qualified personnel. Despite the sound strategy and policy thrusts enshrined in the first and revised Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for accelerated poverty reduction and human development madrasah education is seriously constrained due to lack of new investment, effective institutional arrangements and qualified staff. 4. This report, prepared in close consultation with key stakeholders, looks at the policy and management environment of the madrasah education coordinated by the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB), the institutional aspects including functions, systems and processes and most importantly the staff capacity. On the basis of the analysis and findings, including a participatory needs assessment analysis, a short-term Capacity Development (CD) plan comprising mainly training workshops and study visits within the limited resources of the TA and an indicative medium-term CD plan as part of future investment package are formulated. TOR of the CDP is provided in Appendix 1 and a list of documents consulted is in Appendix 2. Below is a summary of the key points made in this report. Governance and Management Environment of Madrasah 5. Partly due to absence of robust systems and processes and lack of qualified staff the management, supervision and decision making functions of madrasah are centralized at senior management level and very little delegation takes place. This is despite the fact that the number of madrasahs almost quadrupled since the 1978 ordinance was adopted by the Government.

1

In Madrasah education Ibtedaye (grade 1-5) is equivalent to primary level, Dakhil (grade 6-10) is equivalent to secondary level and Alim (grade 11-12) is equivalent to higher secondary education.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 6. Analysis shows that at the central level the component units are either thinly structured or inappropriately organized. For example, despite the high priority on quality curriculum and textbooks, and inspection and supervision the two units are inadequately staffed and are unlikely to provide strong direction for program execution. BMEB lacks a quality assurance unit, a monitoring and evaluation unit or an education management and information system (EMIS) unit. In addition it lacks the capacity for its human resources planning and development. 7. Despite maintaining a database on personnel by DSHE mainly for the purpose of salary administration very little is done on human resource planning and management through the application of modern tools and techniques that will meet its strategic objectives. 8. The nine zonal offices are not only inadequately staffed (only one Assistant Inspector to cover a range of 4 to 11 districts) and virtually without any logistic support, but also these offices are often overburdened with the work of collection of fees and other related activities, and manual record keeping on behalf of BMEB. The Zonal offices need to be empowered with logistics and new mandate to undertake regular supervision and inspection of madrasah and foster madrasah based management (MBM). 9. Despite its own strong revenue base BMEB lacks financial autonomy to prudently use its earned income for development purposes as the organization is restricted by various procedural matters that negatively impact staff morale and professional development. In future, BMEB may be empowered to use its earned income with the approval of MOE and within the planned annual budget. 10. The Madrasah Ordinance 1978 needs to be amended urgently to meet the challenges of modern times including rationalizing the structure of BMEB and providing flexibility and a clear mandate as an autonomous institution in accordance with the recommendations of National Education Policy 2010. Institutional Assessment 11. McKinsey’s seven-S framework was used to analyze the organization of the BMEB [structure, strategy, systems, skills, staff, style and shared value]. The strategy and style of the institution seem to be reasonable. However, major weaknesses were evident in other critical areas. 12. An organization structure is usually designed to reflect two main objectives: to cover all essential functions with an appropriate combination of specialists and generalists; and to secure a suitable hierarchy which provides a framework for decision –making and authority, and which meets the career aspirations of the individuals working in the organization. Current organization structure doesn’t appear to meet these twin requirements. 13. A major feature of staffing is the deployment of senior staff in managerial positions including the chairman who are deputed from the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) –General Education Cadre. This deputation system is an established practice of the Government cadre service. Other staff are directly recruited by the Board following its recruitment rules. The latter category staff have limited prospects of promotion or upward mobility and their careers are thus stagnated at certain levels. This condition may have a negative impact on BMEB’s strategic and operational functions. 14. There is no clear evidence that staff in the organization have a “shared value in search of excellence”. However, the deployment of appropriately qualified staff and

34

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education increased interaction and communication will go some way to foster a shared perception and value. BMEB needs to improve its communication with Zonal staff, who are inadequate in numbers and are often remote, and without adequate professional support. 15. Partly due to organizational weaknesses and shortage of qualified staff some of the key functions are currently not being well articulated. The core functions of the BMEB are identified in the context of overall generic functions. 16. There seems to be an urgent need to revamp BMEB through restructuring and by recruiting additional staff with a mandate to be engaged in strategic planning and management of madrasah education as a step toward modernizing and mainstreaming the subsector. The organization structure needs to be redesigned to reflect BMEB’s new priorities and programs and the consideration of economy and efficiency. Good practices of other countries may also be considered. 17. Almost all madrasah, including those for girls, are predominantly staffed by male teachers. Similarly BMEB’s mid level to senior staff positions are all occupied by male professionals. Measures should be adopted to recruit and retain female teachers in madrasahs and female professionals at BMEB through direct recruitment or secondment from BCS Education cadre service. Capacity Development Plan 18. Bangladesh’s experience in capacity development in education sector was analyzed in the context of large-scale infusion of external inputs for the past several decades including on-going support provided in particular by ADB and the World Bank in primary and secondary education as well as the government’s capacity development plan for the public sector including education. 19. On the basis of a needs assessment, validated by the stakeholders, an indicative capacity development plan (CDP) for BMEB and allied institutions including DSHE is designed to address the urgent staff development needs in strategic areas of madrasah education and to install appropriate systems and processes over a medium- term time horizon. 20. The CDP has three components: (i) an initial short-term staff development program through training workshops and study visits under the present TA2, (ii) a medium-term capacity development plan that includes comprehensive staff training and fellowships program and installation of appropriate systems and practices that will be supported by (iii) a technical assistance package. The medium-term CDP will be tightly structured, executed and monitored to realize maximum benefits. The estimated cost of the medium-term CDP will be established during the second phase3 of this TA in conjunction with other development inputs within the overall resource envelope envisaged for a medium –term investment package to be developed by the TA. Conclusion and Recommendation for the Medium Term 21. Lack of institutional and staff capacity in policy analysis, planning and management of madrasah education are the major bottlenecks to build and deliver effective madrasah education services across the country. Restructuring the central BMEB, developing staff and institutional capacity and empowering the zonal 2 3

This component was completed in June 2011. The costs of this package are given in the Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal, Section 5.1.

35

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education education offices and madrasah should become a major focus in the reforms’ agenda for madrasah education. 22. Principal interventions will include: capacity building for policy formulation, planning and managing education at the central and zonal levels; human resource development program for managerial, supervisory and professional staff including recruitment and training of female staff; and developing effective logistics and physical inputs to support improved management capacity.

36


I. INTRODUCTION 23. Bangladesh has achieved considerable success in expanding the base of primary and secondary education and moving closer to the goals of Education for All (EFA).Since Liberation from Pakistan in 1971 substantial investments were made in education sector through various projects and programs aided by development partners. As a result gross enrollment ratios including those for girls in primary, secondary and higher secondary levels have increased. But various challenges remain for the sector in particular improving the quality of education and making education more relevant for the challenges of a competitive and increasingly knowledge based economy. 24. Although madrasah education is considered as an integral part of national education system this sub-sector lags far behind the mainstream primary and secondary education in terms of learning outcomes, teacher qualifications and training, physical infrastructure and participation of its graduates in labor markets. According to BMEB, over 20 percent of primary and secondary level students attend 4 Aliya madrasahs across Bangladesh.5 Improving the capacity of the subsector will be a major challenge in education planning and finance.

II. MADRASAH EDUCATION SUB-SECTOR 25. The following section provides a brief synopsis of the government’s education policy and strategy for the medium term. Overall Education Policy Framework 6

26. In 2009 the government released a draft National Education Policy that sets out the following vision, mission, and main policy thrusts for the education sector. These are summarized as follows: Vision • a well educated, democratic and highly productive society; • education for all, particularly the poor, the disabled and women; • creating a literate and skilled population to build the nation; • building a knowledge and information based digital Bangladesh; Mission • deliver quality education at all levels; • regulate standards of education by all providers; • seek and coordinate inputs by all stakeholders; and 4 There are two types of Madrasah in Bangladesh. These are the Aliyah and Qoumi madrasah both of which offer courses from primary to university levels with varying proportions of religious and secular subjects. Aliyah madrasah, modeled on the “Calcutta”4 model, are recognised by the government whereas the Qoumi, modeled on the “Deoband”4 madrasah, are independent of the state. The BMEB and DSHE deal with the Aliyah system. The Ministry of Education, BMEB and DSHE do not routinely collect any information about Aliya Madrasah though there are intermittent surveys. Data on Qoumi madrasah are expected to be generated under the on-going madrasah mapping study of the current CDTA. 5 Enrolment and institutional data for 2008 are given in the Madrasah Sector Study, Annex 2 of the Report. 6 National Education Policy 2009 (Final Draft), Ministry of Education, Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh, September 2009.

37


monitor and report progress to all interested parties.

Broad Policy Thrusts • develop creative, practical and production-oriented education for the economic and social development of the country. • reduce socio-economic disparity and male- female discrimination irrespective of race, religion, sect etc. and create world fraternity, secularism, friendship and fellow-feeling and make the students respectful to human rights. • make equal opportunities for education for all irrespective of spatial, social and economic position based on intellect and aptitude, for building a society free from disparities and discriminations. • help create an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and to develop life-oriented, realistic and positive thinking among the students. • ensure successful participation in various fields of the world for creating high quality skills at all the levels of education. • put proper emphasis on information technology (ICT) and other related subjects (Mathematics, Science and English) for building a knowledge and Information Technology based (Digital) Bangladesh. • put emphasis on primary and secondary education for making education broadbased; to make students respectful to and interested in work, and to support them acquire skills and vocational education for self employment. • make common curriculum, syllabus and text book in basic subjects for all streams of the primary education subsector. • develop a favorable, congenial, creative and joyful atmosphere for the protection and appropriate development of the child/student at primary and secondary levels of education. • ensure appropriate quality at all levels of education and make consistency of the acquired knowledge and skills (in agreement with various objectives and goals of education) of proceeding level with the following one. • increased spending on education as a proportion of GDP. Objectives and Goals of Madrasah Education • Madrasah education is an inseparable part of the National Education System. • Measures will be taken to modernize madrasah education keeping its own identity, so that this education system develops with new life-blood. • Alongside the teachings of Islam, arrangements will be made for the students to acquire appropriate knowledge in science and other modern disciplines to prepare them in various professions. • The Madrasah education will be reorganized so that students are able to compete equally with mainstream general education or English medium students. Strategies for Madrasah Education 27. Currently madrasah education is offered as: Ibtedaye (grade 1-5), Dakhil (grade 6-10), Alim (grade 11-12), Fazil (grade13-14), and Kamil (grade15-16). In order to establish similarity with proposed mainstream courses, these will be restructured as Ibtedaye for eight years (grade 1-8) and Dakhil for four years (9-12) course7. Likewise, Fazil will be offered for three/four years course and Kamil for one / two years. 7

Dakhil classes will comprise four grades 9-12 similar to the proposed secondary education grades 912 under the Education Policy 2009 (Final draft).

38

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 28. Consistent with mainstream education, selected subjects like Bangla, English, Moral Education, Bangladesh Studies, Mathematics, Environment and Climatic changes, ICT and Science will be compulsory courses of study at Ibtedaye level. From grade six to eight, students will be taught pre-vocational and information technology courses. At the Dakhil level (up to grade 10) Bangla, English, Mathematics Information Technology and Vocational education will be made compulsory subject. 29. Bangladesh Madrasah Teachers Training Institute (BMTTI) will be upgraded and strengthened to provide opportunities for further training of madrasah teachers at different levels. 30. Emphasis will be given to the teaching of English, Science, Information Technology and vocational education so that the students can get opportunity to equip themselves to meet the economic demands both within and outside the country. Necessary infrastructure for such training opportunities will be established in the madrasah. 31. The Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board will be strengthened and restructured in the light of needs to accomplish activities like, providing registration and renewal of registration of Ibtedaye, Dakhil and Alim levels of madrasah education, developing curriculum and textbooks of religious education, conducting various public examinations and issuing certificates etc. 32. Student assessment methods, used in general education stream, including terminal assessment in non-religious subjects English, Bangla, Mathematics, Science and Social Science, Arts, Technical education etc will be done by the Secondary Education Board and the Technical Education Board. Assessment of religious subjects will be the responsibility of Madrasah Board. 33. Measures will be adopted for conducting improved inspection, supervision and monitoring of madrasah education and to encourage local community participation.

III. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT OF MADRASAH 34. Education governance exists within a legal, political and policy environment unique to the country. To a considerable extent this also depends on the policy and planning capacity, level of commitment to change, openness and transparency of policy and administrative decisions, and the extent of participation in decision making. An attempt is made here to analyze the current governance and management of madrasah education in Bangladesh at central, zonal and school levels. This report essentially focuses on Aliyah madrasah which is recognized and funded by the Government. Information on Qoumi madrasah is scanty and often not reliable and is therefore outside the purview of this CDP.8 The survey of Qoumi Madrasah, commissioned under the CDTA, will involve discussions with Qoumi Boards and collection of data from a sample of Qoumi Madrasah. It may be then possible to comment on the management of the Qoumi system of madrasah.

8

During interview with Joint Secretary (Madrasah)/MOE Director General/DSHE and Chairman/BMEB it was confirmed that MOE, DSHE and BMEB have no formal contact with the Qoumi madrasahs and that their respective agencies do not collect data on Qoumi madrasahs.

39

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Central Level Management 35. At the central level a number of government institutions are involved in policy making, management and operation of madrasah education with BMEB at the center of all these activities. The Ministry of Education(MOE) is responsible for developing policies for madrasah education (MOE’s madrasah wing is headed by a Joint Secretary); its Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) administers the government subvention known as Monthly Payment Order (MPO) system through 9 which government funds for madrasah teachers are channeled. MOE also decides policy on free textbooks; it distributes free text books to Ibtedaye madrasah through the network of District Education Officers (DEO). BMEB develops madrasah curriculum and designs textbooks for madrasah education with the assistance of the National Curriculum and Textbooks Board (NCTB).The Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) carries out financial inspection and audit of government funds for the madrasahs. The Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) and Education Management Information System (EMIS) Wing of DSHE compile and analyze information and statistics for madrasah (primarily registered or government funded madrasahs). The management relationship is shown in the following diagram:

Diagram 1: Management of Madrasah

36. Under the 1978 Ordinance, BMEB was envisaged as an autonomous institution and empowered for the organization, regulation, supervision, control, development and improvement of madrasah education in Bangladesh (for BMEB’s organogram see Appendix 3). The ordinance assigned the following authority/functions to BMEB: • To design, adapt and prescribe courses of instruction at Ibtedaye, Dakhil and Alim (primary, secondary and higher secondary levels) of madrasah education; 9

In addition to administering MPO, DSHE performs other functions such as granting time scale to teachers, meeting audit objections from DIA, correcting date of birth of beneficiaries, and taking disciplinary actions.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education • • • • • • • • • • • •

To hold and conduct and regulate public examinations at the end of Dakhil (equivalent to SSC) and Alim (equivalent to HSC) madrasah education; To publish public examination results of Dakhil and Alim; To confer, withhold or withdraw recognition for Ibtedaye, Dakhil and Alim madrasah based on inspection reports conducted by DSHE, BMEB or any authorized inspectors; To cause inspection, and prescribe the mode and manner of such inspection of madrasah; To prescribe conditions governing the admission of student to and transfer of students from Dakhil and Alim Madrasah; To award certificates to students who have passed the examinations held by the Board and withdraws the certificates from them; and to arbitrate or arrange arbitration in disputes between teachers and managing committees of Madrasah. To fix demand and receive such fees as may be prescribed; To hold and manage endowments and to institute and award scholarships, stipends and prizes; To regulate administrative matters including the creation and abolition of posts; To make provisions for buildings, premises, furniture, equipment, books and other materials to effectively perform its tasks; To enter into and carry out contracts in exercise of the power and responsibility assigned to it by the Ordinance; and To submit to the Government views on any matter with which the Board is concerned.

37. BMEB is headed by a Chairman and comprises 12 other members some of whom are ex-officio while the rest are nominated members.

10

•

The Chairman is a fulltime officer of BMEB and is appointed by the President of the Republic on such terms and conditions as the President may determine.

•

The Chairman, the Registrar, the Controller of Examinations and the Inspector of Madrasah are designated as the officers of the Board and form the management of the Board.10 Other staffs are appointed by the Board following its recruitment policy.

•

The Board conducts its business through committee system such as finance committee; staff selection and recruitment committee; academic committee; curricula and courses of studies committee etc (17 committees are mentioned in the original ordinance authorizing the Board to create further committees on need basis).

•

The members of the committee are appointed for limited tenure and are either reappointed or replaced by new members. However all committees are not functioning effectively. There is a need to revamp the committee system and make it a sound mechanism for decision making in all policy and management issues.

•

Under the Chairman who is the chief executive (CEO) there are four functional departments/units: (i) Administration, Registration and Accounts; (ii) Inspection, (iii) Examinations; and (iv) Curriculum and Textbook Wing.

In this report BMEB and Board are used interchangeably.

41

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 38. All professional and support staff are assigned to the above mentioned departments/wing. For example, Administration, Registration and Accounts department has been allocated 62 staff, Examinations department has been assigned 66 staff, and Inspection department has been given 46 staff including the zonal office staff. The Curriculum and Textbook Wing is the smallest unit comprising only one professional staff and two support staff. This is despite the priority on curriculum and textbook development of madrasah education. 39. Over the past years BMEB attempted to recruit new staff and upgrade its physical facilities but was prevented by the new regulations imposed by the Ministry of Establishment and Ministry of Finance curtailing its autonomy as originally envisaged. For example in April 2008 BMEB submitted a proposal for the creation of 75 new positions to be funded by BMEB’s own resources. In May 2009 the Ministry of Establishment approved the creation of only 12 positions and rejected the rest. However, this approval further needed the concurrence of the Ministry of Finance before BMEB could select and recruit new staff. 40. Lack of adequate number of qualified staff has further lessened its capacity to develop expertise in some of the critical areas such as human resources planning, education management system, research and development, monitoring and evaluation and curriculum and textbook development. Substantial restructuring and provision of critical staff and physical resources, supported by some measures of flexibility will be needed to develop BMEB as a sound educational institution capable of meeting the challenges envisaged in Government’s new Education Policy. Zonal Level Management 41. There are nine education zones in the country where Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has offices. BMEB has established its zonal offices, generally in the same premises of DSHE with shared facilities, albeit extremely inadequate support. The BMEB zonal offices are located in Barisal, Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Rangpur The zonal education office acts as the agent of BMEB. 42. The zonal office usually has a complement of 3 staff including one Assistant Inspector, a data entry operator and one Menial Level Subordinate Staff (MLSS). The Assistant Inspector heads the zonal office and is tasked with a wide range of functions but in practice his current role is essentially limited to collecting and remitting all fees and collectables from madrasah, distribution of transcripts, and inspection for the purpose of registration or renewal of registration. 43. A recent job description (see Box 1 below) issued by BMEB entails specific functions in madrasah supervision and inspection. However, the zonal Assistant Inspectors need both the professional training and logistics to fully accomplish the assigned responsibility. For example, inspection of Dakhil and Alim madrasah for the purpose of renewal of registration is currently one of the major tasks of the zonal Assistant inspectors. (New registrations have been halted for some years). However, they do not undertake routine supervision of madrasah as mentioned in the job description. 44. Discussions with the group of zonal Assistant Inspectors further suggest that they are not only isolated from the central offices of BMEB in terms of professional support but are handicapped due to lack of logistics, office equipment and expenditures for day to day operation. The Assistant Inspectors urgently need training to develop appropriate skills and knowledge in inspection and supervision of madrasah. The art of school inspection and supervision has embraced major reforms

42

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education and changes in the region. Lessons learned in this area and best practices can be adapted for Bangladesh as appropriate. Although there is a data entry operator in the zonal office there is no dedicated IT hard or software facility for madrasah education. There is also a need to equip each of the zonal offices with a complement of ICT package including a desk computer, printer, UPS, fax machine and internet connectivity to make these offices adequately functional. In addition, all data entry operators need to have a refresher course in ICT. Box 1. Job description of newly appointed Assistant Inspectors of BMEB 1. Monitoring and Inspection of all categories of madrasah under the jurisdiction of respective regional office. 2. Supervision for ensuring time table of daily class routine (from 10 am to 4 pm) of madrasah. 3. Inspection and preparation of reports for recognition; renewal of recognition, and reports on stipend program. Inspection and preparation of reports for giving permission to open science and computer sections. In the context of these activities, will collect relevant papers from the Board, create files and send them to the Chairman of the Board after obtaining comments of the district education officer and regional deputy director of DSHE. 4. Sudden and unscheduled visits to all categories of madrasahs under the jurisdiction of the Board and send reports of such visits to the Board. 5. Visit examination centers of Dakhil and Alim, examinations and scholarship examinations to ensure smooth conduct of such examinations. 6. Supervise Ibtedaye madrasah for its proper operation. 7. Report to the Board for appropriate action after proper investigation of alleged irregularities and corruption. 8. Distribute various Board documents and papers including SIF forms, transcripts, original certificates, tabulation sheets, computer printouts, etc. 9. Distribute various notifications/orders issued by the MOE and Board and take necessary action. 10. Take necessary action as directed by the Board in the interest of the Board’s operation.

Madrasah Level Management 45. There are three variants of madrasah at primary to upper secondary levels: independent Ibtedaye madrasah (primary level), Dakhil madrasah (secondary level including Ibtedaye madrasah) and Alim madrasah (upper secondary level including Ibtedaye, and Dakhil madrasah). An independent or free-standing Ibtedaye usually comprises four teachers including a head master but with no support staff, a dakhil madrasah has an average of 16 teachers including a superintendent, and 3 support staff, and an Alim madrasah comprises 21 teachers including principal, and 3 support staff.11 All teachers and support staff are graded according to government salary scales. 46. Each madrasah is required to be managed by a madrasah managing committee (MMC) comprising 13 members including the chairman and vice-chairman based on government regulation governing the formation of MMC. The MMC decides the policy and management of the individual madrasah. Of the 13 members the 11

Even within schools and madrasahs that are enlisted for MPO not all teachers and other staff are given MPO. See MSS, Chapter 7.

43

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education chairman is nominated by the member of national Parliament and approved by BMEB. Two members are ex-officio and one member is nominated by the Deputy Director of DSHE. Others are elected by interested groups such as teachers, donor group, founder group etc. Women’s membership in the MMC is known to be low despite most Aliyah madrasah being co-educational. Even in girls only madrasah female membership of MMCs is very low, see MSS Chapter 5 where it is reported that only 7.1% of the membership of MMCs are female. There is opportunity to activate the MMC to be more broad based by including women, similar to SMCs at primary and secondary level (although much remains to be done in these schools also) and to engage the MMCs in Madrasah based management (MBM) similar to the on-going efforts for school based management (SBM) in primary and secondary schools as a tool to improve the quality and efficiency of education. Many countries in the region are attempting to establish SBM as part of the strategy for decentralized education management and financing by empowering schools through the provision of block grants. There are lessons to be learned from these experiences. IV. INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF BMEB Conceptual Approach 47. In conceptualizing the structure of organization a model is employed that was first developed within McKinsey, the well-known management consultancy and then popularized in the management field. It is called the Seven - S framework.12 Rather than thinking in terms of strategy and systems or structures, one must think comprehensively about a strategy and how it works in conjunction with a variety of other elements that comprise an organization. This approach provides a holistic framework to determine the organizational effectiveness of an institution like BMEB where all the elements are identifiable. The seven Ss are: • Structure • Strategy • Systems • Skills • Staff • Style • Shared values 48. Structure refers to the organizational structure, hierarchy and coordination, including division and integration of tasks or activities down to lower units, i.e. education zones and madrasah. 49. Systems are the primary and secondary processes that the organization employs to get things done, such as planning and implementation of madrasah education including registration and renewal, financial management and conduct and publishing of public examinations by BMEB. 50. Strategy is the organization’s objectives and deliberate choices it makes to achieve them, such as prioritizing the curriculum and textbooks implementation, holding and publishing the public examinations and deploying resources to them. 51. Staff is the quality of human resources comprising people in different salary or position levels in the BMEB and in particular their collective presence in the organization. 12 See Pascale, R.T. and Athos, A. (1981) The Art of Japanese Management: Applications for American Executives, New York: Simon and Schuster

44

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 52. Skills are organizational capabilities and competencies that contribute to effective performance of the organization toward achieving its goals and objectives. The key skills in the BMEB are those that are required to plan and manage the madrasah education; registration, renewal and deregistration of madrasah; timely conduct and publishing of public examinations or specifically skills and competencies in policy analysis, macro and micro planning, project design and implementation, education management at central and field levels, human resources and financial management etc. 53. Style is the way management of the BMEB sets its priorities, prepares business plan and conducts its business. It also refers how the senior staff of the BMEB is perceived by other agencies of the government and the society at large. 54. Shared values, also known as “shared values in search of excellence” are the vision, mission and long-term goals and objectives that underlie the existence of the organization. They include core beliefs, functions and expectations that the staff have of their organization. Analysis 55. Thus, the seven -S framework can be used as robust checklist to define and analyze the most important elements or dimension of an organization. This framework can be used as a means of assessing the viability of a strategic plan from the perspective of the organization’s ability to succeed at the given strategy. When used with discipline, the 7-S framework can help make a strategy more ‘wholesome’. In the following sections we will analyze the institutional strengths and weaknesses including any gaps that may permeate the BMEB.

Structure

Strategy

System

SHARED VALUES

Skills

Style

Staff Diagram 2: Seven-S Framework 56. An examination of the current structural arrangement of divisions/units shows that this is essentially based on functional responsibility viz. (i) administration,

45

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education registration, finance and accounts; (ii) examinations, issuance of certificates and transcripts; (iii) inspection; and (iv) curriculum and textbooks etc. There is no specific reference or “organizational home” for quality assurance and control, maintenance of standards, human resource development and management, evaluation and monitoring, and research and development. BMEB is no different from other government departments in Bangladesh in that authority is vested in the highest level. The apex is heavily overburdened with routine work since files flow upwards for decisions on even the most routine matter. Lower levels have little authority, their role being limited to drafting and providing file comments. In a static situation, such an arrangement may suffice. When innovation and new thinking are required the bureaucratic approach cannot offer the speed and innovative responses required. 57. The organizational structure needs to be revised to reflect the government’s educational priority and achieve efficiency and economy in the execution and delivery of all its key functions and services. The restructured organization will also need to be supported by new business practices. There is much to be done in the way business is conducted in BMEB by adopting best practices from similar organizations and through innovations. 58. BMEB was established rapidly in 1978 almost from scratch with little developed systems and processes to organize and manage the educational needs of the madrasah. Although substantial investments were made and some important reforms took place or are underway in the mainstream primary, secondary and technical education no significant efforts were made at BMEB to improving the overall management, in particular human resources management; financial management, budget preparation and execution; audit and control; educational soft and hardware development viz. curriculum and textbooks, quality assurance and accreditation system etc. These should now be developed in a systematic and sustainable way. In this context modern technology is available to aid the development and operation of appropriate systems and processes for BMEB in all key areas of its work. Staffing Pattern and Skills Mix 59. BMEB has an authorized workforce of 182 personnel comprising management, professional/technical, clerical and support staff. However, the principal weakness is the gross imbalance in the staffing of mid to senior level technical/professional staff versus lower level sub-professional/support staff. Of the 182 positions only 4 are senior level staff, 5 are deputies, 32 mid-level technicalprofessional staff and the rest 141 are lower-level support staff. Even the unit-wise distribution is uneven, for example the curriculum and textbooks development wing has only one professional staff and the newly established IT/MIS unit is staffed by one junior IT professional staff only. 60. Just as most madrasah are predominantly staffed by male teachers so also is BMEB itself with all mid to senior staff positions occupied by men. Another feature in staffing is that all senior staff are seconded from the BCS Education service (excepting the Accounts Officer who is seconded from Audit and Accounts Service) whose members serve the organization with limited tenure and return to their parent organization. However, this practice is standard within Bangladesh civil service organizations and cannot be changed within one organization. Whereas the deputed staff is generally well educated, the latter category staff, BMEB’s regular staff, may lack the experience and intellectual depth to foster shared values within their organization.

46

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 61. Other factors in limiting the capacity of BMEB’s regular staff are the lack of opportunity to move upwards in their careers and the absence of a professional development program within the organization. All these factors may act against attracting higher caliber professionals into BMEB. In addition, current shortage of critical skills is further exacerbated by BMEB’s lack of authority to recruit new or additional staff with competitive salary and benefits. 62. Reforms of madrasah education through decentralization, and mainstreaming have been given high priority by the Government and it is reflected both in public pronouncements as well as in the draft National Education Policy. Despite the shortage of staff and lack of strong institutional support there is an apparent commitment of the senior management of BMEB to push through educational reforms agenda with the assistance of the development partners. Working through revitalized committees and with related agencies would be a good style of management. 63. Shared values, or the shared values in search of excellence, are essentially a corporate culture that binds all its employees with the vision and objectives of the organization and provides the intellectual stimuli. BMEB’s sub-sector wide goals, objectives, and strategy do not appear to be adequately internalized by all personnel. 64. There are reasons for that. First; BMEB was established to control and regulate madrasah education from scratch when there was no credible government entity to undertake the responsibility adequately. Since its establishment there was no major effort to develop professional excellence and prepare staff to deal with the complexities of modern education; secondly staff resources are of mixed origin some are seconded from the BCS Education cadre and others are the BMEB’s own staff whose careers are stagnated and have little stimulus to embrace shared values; and finally, perhaps because of the above reasons decision making is highly centralized in the hands of senior management. As BMEB develops professionally, and qualified staff are in position, it is expected that there would be increased interaction and enhanced communication between staff leading to shared perception and values. 65. In this context, it has to be remembered that more than half the enrolments in Dahkil Madrasah consist of girls. Female teachers are scarce at 10% of the total. In the BMEB no female members of staff exist above the level of MLSS. In moving to a more balanced staffing pattern women should be represented at the mid- and senior levels. Recruitment and retention of female staff at BMEB including deputation of female officers from BCS Education cadre should receive priority in the plans for human resource development. Appropriate representation of female staff in all training and staff development programs should be ensured. Matrix of BMEB’s Core Functions 66. On the basis of BMEB’s mandated functions, goals, objectives, operational strategy and the need to develop the required level of professional capacity a matrix of core competencies has been developed. This should be reflected in BMEB’s reworked structure and serve as a reference point for developing staff competencies and for designing any staff development upgrading program. This is presented below.

47

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Table 1: Suggested performance assessment of core functions of BMEB Cross-cutting/core functions Policy analysis and coordination

Indicative performance parameters • • • • •

Organizational development

• •

General administration and management

• •

Financial management and internal audit

• • • • •

Examinations ,publications of examination results and issuance of transcripts Human resources management

• • • • • •

Academic Inspection and Supervision

• •

Information and communication technology Monitoring and evaluation

• • •

Capacity to prepare analyses of issues related to policy. Capacity to devise short, medium and long-range subsector sector development plans and to prioritize investment options Capacity to prepare projects suitable for funding. Participatory involvement of key stakeholders in planning process. Appropriate system in place to coordinate domestic and external resources for education Organizational structuring is in accordance with efficiency requirements and BMEB’s redefined functions Existence of institutional job descriptions based on study of what roles need to be done and is done. Rationalization to ensure efficiency in utilization of staff and resources Administrative procedures implemented within prescribed time frame Administration is clean, transparent and accountable Recommended financial management systems are working efficiently Financial management is transparent and accountable Efficient financial management Internal audit and control is maintained adequately is transparent Modern systems of assessment and evaluation are adopted Efficient record keeping and databases formulated. Efficient use of technology in place Modern human resources development tools are being applied Critical mass of human resources is identified and in place Institutional job descriptions, in accordance with organizational efficiency Academic Inspection and supervision are performed on a regular basis Inspector’s recommendations are implemented and monitored Modern information communication systems including a MIS is established to support planning and decision making Citizens’ services supported Capacity to develop and apply appropriate methodology and indicators to evaluate and monitor

48

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Cross-cutting/core functions

Indicative performance parameters

• Procurement of goods and services Curriculum and Textbooks development and implementation

• • • •

on a regular basis the performance of madrasah education including learning outcomes. Capacity to implement projects efficiently with regard to resources and time Transparent and clean procurement procedures adopted and in practice Time and cost efficient procedures in place Modern system and process of curriculum and textbook development are in place Efficient use of technology is in place

Proposed Directorate of Madrasah Education 67. Given the rapidly increasing size of the madrasah sub-sector, which has almost quadrupled since 1978, and the need to support and better regulate the future development of the madrasah education in parallel with mainstream education successive education commission reports recommended the establishment of a separate directorate for madrasah education as a development parallel to the existing directorates for primary(DPE); secondary and higher (DSHE); and technical education (DTE) as well as bureau of non-formal education (BNFE). The 2010 National Education Policy is silent on the subject of a Directorate of Madrasah Education. 68. Recently the MOE has established a committee to prepare a proposal for the establishment of a separate Directorate of Madrasah Education (DME). The committee developed a tentative organogram and staffing pattern for the proposed DME to be located in the same premises as DSHE (see Appendix 4). However, an analysis of the organogram and staffing pattern shows a number of obvious weaknesses. For example it doesn’t define the strategic relationship with BMEB or the division of work between the two institutions. In addition the staffing pattern needs to reflect the characteristics of the subsector and its goals and objectives and how to meet the challenges of modernization and mainstreaming madrasah education. Another weakness is lack of balance in staffing: one deputy director’s position is proposed to cover only 3 existing government madrasah in the country whereas to cover nearly 16,000 non-government (but MPO supported) madrasah it also proposes only one position of deputy director. The Committee may like to review the proposed organogram including staffing and develop specific job descriptions in the light of above observations.

V. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Background and Analysis 69. In the previous chapters analysis of the organizational structure of BMEB, its component units, and their functions and inter-relationships was made with a view to establish management systems and structure that will ensure the delivery of its services in an efficient and cost effective manner. The analysis identified the core functions of BMEB, its existing systems and staff capacity, the institutional gaps and skill shortages. On the basis of this analysis and in consultation with the stakeholders an initial short-term and an indicative medium-term Capacity Development Plan

49

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education (CDP) is proposed to overcome the institutional gaps and shortages of skills in critical areas. The proposed CDP is consistent with government’s overall CDP articulated in the first and revised PRSP13. Currently in the education sector capacity development inputs are embedded in the externally funded programs and projects such as ADB funded PEDPII, SESDP and TQIP where capacity development inputs are targeted mainly at primary and secondary education subsectors and allied organizations. Of these SESDP includes some inputs for developing selected model madrasah and undertake madrasah development studies. This review has taken into consideration the work undertaken by SESDP team14. 70. Capacity development is understood here as the need to adjust policies and regulations to: reform institutions; modify working procedures and coordination mechanisms; increase the skills and qualifications of personnel; and change the value systems and attitudes in a way that meets the demands and needs of the madrasah education sector’s priority policies, programs and services- as a new approach towards governing and administering mechanisms to meet the needs of a democratic society. In brief, the capacity development agenda of BMEB is consistent with national capacity building approach15 and is based on the following: (i) management training to foster institutional development, (ii) training key professional skills; and (iii) development of a service oriented bureaucracy that is flexible, demand-driven and responsive to the needs of the society and economy. Capacity Needs Assessment: 71. In undertaking the needs assessment of BMEB the following approach was adopted: 72. Review of Documents: Following documents were analyzed / reviewed to understand the issues and problems of madrasah education in particular its capacity constraints. - Past and new Education Commission Report - Madrasah Education Ordinance 1978 - Various GOB reports on Madrasah education - External agencies funded reports viz. DFID, EC, USAID etc 73. Stakeholders Engagement: Staff from following agencies were consulted to share and receive feedback on madrasah sector and assessing the needs for capacity development. - BMEB - BMTTI DIA - DPE - DSHE 13 Planning Commission, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), Oct.2005 and Revised PRSP, August 2009 14 SESDP: Draft Madrasah Education Development Strategy, January 2009. The MOE is yet to give its views on the draft Strategy.

50

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education -

NAEM NCTB NTRCA MOE

74. Business Meetings with BMEB: In order to gain an insight into BMEB’s work- its strengths and weaknesses and challenges faced several meetings were held with following BMEB staff: - Chairman - Registrar - Controller of Examinations - Inspector - Head of Curriculum and Textbook Wing - IT manager 75. Focus Group Discussion process at BMEB: To carry out more comprehensive and in-depth discussions on the BMEB’s role and functions and constraints that impede its functioning at desired level a Focus Group was established headed by the Registrar and comprising Controller of Examinations, Inspector, Head of Curriculum and Textbook Wing and IT manager. Other BMEB staff also joined in some of the FGD as needed. Following themes/issues were covered: - Review of documents, regulatory frame work, legislation etc. - Business process - Knowledge Management - Resources (budget, human resources etc) - Accountability - Preparation and administration of questionnaires targeted at BMEB staff 76. Field Visits: Field visits were organized by DSHE and BMEB to visit their regional offices and local madrasah and interviews were held with regional BMEB and DSHE staff, and madrasah principals and teachers. This included - Visits to selected regional education offices of BMEB and DSHE - Visits to several madrasah (Ibtedaye, Dakhil and Alim) in selected education zones 77. Needs Assessment Consultation and Validation Workshop: A capacity development needs’ assessment consultation workshop was conducted on 6 December 2009 at BMEB participated by key stakeholders. The Workshop was chaired by Chairman of BMEB and a presentation was made by the international Consultant on Organization and Institutional Capacity. The objective was to summarize and interpret the results of needs assessment and obtain further feedback and validate the results in order to develop an initial short and indicative medium-term capacity development action plan. Details of the workshop activities are provided in Appendix 5.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Capacity Development Plan 78. On the basis of the above (i-vi) and the suggestions and recommendations made by the participants an initial short-term CDP and an indicative medium-term CD plan (2011-2015) are formulated for the consideration of the government and ADB.

CD Formulation & Implementation Process

Implement and evaluate the CD plan

Engage stakeholders & assess the needs

Formulate CD plan to address the needs

Diagram 3: CD formulation and implementation process 79. While formulating the above approach the success of capacity development will not be measured in number of trainees or management systems installed, but rather on the improvement in the service delivery performance. A benchmarking of the core functions /competencies of staff will be undertaken at the entry of the CDP and appropriate indicators will be developed to track the progress of capacity development exercise. The following tables present: (I)

a targeted initial short -term CD plan through training workshops and regional study visits envisaged in the Madrasah CDTA16,

(II)

an indicative medium-term CD Plan through short and long-term training, and fellowships program 2011-2015, and

(III)

an indicative technical assistance package to support the medium-term CD plan.

16

The last local training workshop was held in mid June 2011. The overseas study visits to India (West Bengal and Indonesia) were completed in the last quarter of 2010.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education A. Short-term CD Plan through Training Workshops Training Workshop 1: Madrasah subsector Assessment 1.

Objectives of the workshop

2.

Contents

•

To introduce the tools of sector analysis in education with specific reference to the madrasah education sector.

y y y y y y y

Policy context, Issues for sector, Structure, Trends in enrolment and institutions, Analysis of internal efficiency, access and equity Costs and financing Suggestions for the content for the Madrasah Sector Study 2010.

3.

Participants

Number of participants: 15 to 20 comprising senior and midlevel staff from MOE, BMEB, DSHE, BANBEIS. MOPME, DIA, NCTB and Planning Commission who are involved in madrasah education.

4.

Resource persons

Dr. Christopher E. Cumming, Policy, Strategy, Planning and system development specialist/ Team leader of the CDTA .Assisted by Prof. Harun and Prof SM Haider

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Duration Estimated cost Date Venue Report of the workshop

one day TBD Early June, 2010 TBD. A report of the workshop will be prepared with participants’ feedback including any follow-up action proposed.

53

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Training Workshop 2: Monitoring and Evaluation 1.

Objective of the workshop

2.

Content

3.

Participants

4.

Resource persons

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

The participants will be provided hands-on experience on the use of the tools and techniques and processes of monitoring and evaluation including compilation, analysis, retrieval and use of data for madrasah education. A structured format will be presented on M & E including the background and current status in Bangladesh education sector drawing lessons from past activities and how a viable M& E system can be developed for the Madrasah subsector. The consultants will also share experience of M&E from the task on hand under the current TA Number of participants 15 to 20 comprising senior and mid-level officers from MOE, BMEB, DSHE, BANBEIS, DIA, NCTB and IMED. Mr. John Wood, International EMIS and M&E specialist, and Mr. Rouf Akhand, National EMIS and M&E specialist of CDTA project for Madrasah

Education. 1.5 days. Duration TBD Estimated cost Week 4 of May or Week 1 of June. Date TBD Venue Report of the workshop A Workshop Report with feedback from the participants will be prepared including any follow-up action proposed and submitted to the government and ADB

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Training Workshop 3: Inspection and Supervision of Madrasah

1.

Objective of the workshop

2.

Content/Participants

3.

Participants

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Resource persons Duration Estimated cost Date Venue Report of the workshop

The participants will learn the techniques and methodology of carrying out Inspection and Supervision in the context of Bangladesh and will be able to use the skills in their professional work. Review the present status of Inspection and Supervision of madrasah and ways to upgrade it by applying modern tools and techniques consistent with the best practices in primary and secondary education under the MOPME and MOE as well as in the region Number of participants 15 to 20 comprising all Assistant Inspectors of zonal offices; Inspector BMEB; and related officers of DSHE and BMTTI. NAEM Faculty. 3 days. TBD 2nd week of October, 2010. NAEM class rooms. A Workshop Report with participants’ feedback including any recommended follow-up action will be prepared and submitted to the Government and ADB.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Regional Study Visit – I 1.

Objectives of the visit

To gain first hand experience on madrasah management, supervision and inspection in

2. 3. 4. 5.

Duration of the visit Time of visit Estimated cost Participants

6.

Report of the visit

Indonesia and India (West Bengal) 2.5 weeks TBD by MOE TBD Approximately 10 persons --- Inspector of BMEB and some Zonal Assistant Inspectors, Assistant Inspector (curriculum & text books).The participants’ list will be approved by MOE. The participants will be required to submit a study visit report using the following format: a) Legal basis of inspection and supervision (I & S), b) Agencies responsible for I & S, c) Methodology & procedure used, d) Type and frequency of I & S e) Use of I & S report, f) Evaluation of report and follow up, g) Relevance of the above (a-i) with Bangladesh, h) Conclusion and recommendations.

7.

Dissemination of the

The study team will share their experience in a post

report

study visit dissemination workshop at BMEB and apply the knowledge in their professional work as relevant in Bangladesh.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Regional Study Visit – II 1.

Objectives of the visit

To learn from the experience of Indonesia and Malaysia in modernizing and mainstreaming madrasah education. This will include lessons learned in the context of national education system; resource allocations and utilization; private and public partnership; teacher development and management; equivalence and quality assurance mechanisms.

2. 3.

Participants Duration of the visit Time of visit Estimated cost Report of the visit

Senior staff from BMEB, DSHE, NCTB and MOE 2.5 Weeks

4. 5. 6.

7.

Dissemination of the report

TBD by MOE. TBD The participants will be required to submit a study visit report to the government and ADB using the following format (with at least one or two paragraphs on each of the following ): i) Legal basis of madrasah education, j) System and structures of madrasah education from the central ministry down to the institutional level, k) Planning & development: policy and practice, l) Share in the national budget, m) Role of agencies related to madrasah education including private sector and the community, n) Quality assurance measures, o) Equivalence with other streams p) Governance and accountability, q) Relevance of the above (a-p) with Bangladesh, r) Conclusion and recommendations. Upon their return the study team members will share their findings and experience gained in a dissemination workshop of key agencies to be held in Dhaka and what Bangladesh can learn from the regional countries to modernize its madrasah sub-sector.

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Table 2: Work Plan for short-term capacity development No.

Particulars

1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3

Training / Workshop On:

2.0 2.1 2.2

Regional Field Visits Study Visit – I Study Visit – II

2009 Oct

Nov

2010 Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

2011 Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Madrasah Sector Assessment

Monitoring and Evaluation Inspection and Supervision

Note: This is subject to MOE’s confirmation of timing and participants

58

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education B. Tentative Medium-Term Capacity Development Plan, 2011-2015 1. Supporting the establishment of proposed Directorate of Madrasah Education (DME) 80. Given that MOE may establish the Directorate of Madrasah Education; this will need considerable inputs to make the new organization functional. The anticipated inputs will mean recurrent costs for staff salary and allowances, operation of facilities and plants, capital costs in accommodation, equipment, fixtures and furnishings, setting up new systems and processes as well as costs of in-country and overseas training and fellowships for the newly recruited staff. There will also be a need to rationalize and streamline some functions between BMEB and DME to achieve greater efficiency and economy. This may also require amendments in the existing Madrasah Ordinance 1978. Within these broad parameters provisions have been made for both DME and BMEB to benefit from the medium-term capacity development plan. Therefore the two allied organizations will be expected to play their strategic role in modernizing and mainstreaming madrasah education. 2. Capacity Development of BMEB A. Enhancing staff capacity through creating additional positions 81. The review indicates that the existing staff cannot cope with the present work load of the BMEB. Through needs’ assessment, Focus Group discussions, and workshop meeting BMEB officials informed that a number of proposed positions had been lying vacant for years; and additional new posts should be created to increase the effectiveness of BMEB. BMEB already identified a list of such positions that should be filled in with speed and urgency. B. Strengthening of BMEB’s Regional Offices 82. With one Assistant Inspector, one data entry operator and a MLSS staff, the nine zonal offices are extremely inadequate to undertake meaningful professional work let alone meet the official job description set by BMEB and MOE. The regional office should be headed by a Regional Deputy Inspector/ Deputy Director supported by at least two Assistant Inspectors/Assistant Directors and two other support staff. In addition adequate logistic support including furnished office accommodation, equipment including ICT facilities, service vehicles and budgetary provision for recurrent costs should be provided to the zonal offices. The strengthened zonal offices should be able to act as testing grounds for effective supervision of madrasah. C. Strengthening of BMEB through restructuring 83. In order to meet the challenges of improved service delivery and enhance the strategic leadership BMEB needs to reposition itself through organizational readjustment and restructuring. Currently the tasks of conducting public examinations and publishing the results are reasonably well managed by BMEB. However, there are other important functions which need to be upgraded for enhancing BMEB’s capacity and effectiveness. For example in addition to developing the curriculum and textbooks for ‘religious subjects’ the Curriculum and Textbooks Wing of BMEB may be given the new mandate of monitoring and evaluation of curriculum and textbooks program in madrasah. This is consistent with the draft education policy initiative which proposes transferring the responsibility of non-religious curriculum and textbooks development to NCTB. Likewise there should be new units for

59

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education EMIS, human resources planning and management, monitoring and evaluation and research & development. These new units should be staffed through redeployment of existing staff, new recruitment and newly trained professional staff. In all these new units and staff positions recruitment of women professionals should get adequate consideration. 84. On the basis of institutional analysis carried out by the TA team and consultations held between the TA team and BMEB during needs assessment process BMEB developed a new organization structure and staffing pattern (see Appendix 4).This will be examined during the next field work of the TA consultants scheduled for September- October 2010. D. Revision of Madrasah Education Ordinance 1978 85. Since 1978 major changes took place in madrasah education as well as in the overall education scenario in the country. There are new challenges being faced to modernize and mainstream madrasah education in the national education system. In order to meet these challenges successfully BMEB will need to reposition itself as a sound professional organization. This means that the 1978 ordinance will need to be revised to reflect the present and future demands of madrasah education. The establishment of new Directorate of Madrasah Education will further necessitate the amendment of the ordinance. E. Strengthening of Inter agency linkages 86. BMEB should aim at developing a robust professional relationship with the related ministries and other agencies to strengthen madrasah education in particular the following: 87. NCTB: Curriculum and Text books of madrasah education will be developed by the National Curriculum and Text Book Board in the light of the NEP 2010. The curriculum & textbooks wing of BMEB may be mandated to be responsible for monitoring the impact of curriculum and text books on madrasah and children’s learning outcome. This wing will be involved in the selection committee for preparation of curriculum and text books on Islamic subjects. In addition it will develop strong professional relationship with NCTB at Members’ level on aspects of madrasah education. Curricula and textbooks in Islamic subjects will be designed and developed by BMEB in association with NCTB, the kind of association to be determined later. 88. DHSE: BMEB will need to strengthen its interaction with DSHE in particular with the Madrasah wing of DSHE. In the event there is delay in the establishment of DME, a new position of Director (Madrasah) with associated staff positions including. Deputy Director for madrasah education may be established under the DSHE by upgrading the existing Madrasah unit whose primary task is currently administration of the monthly pay order (MPO) for madrasahs. The new Director of Madrasah may be linked to Zonal offices for madrasah education. This arrangement could provide the first step towards a full-fledged Directorate of Madrasah Education. 89. MOE: Madrasah wing of MOE should be manned by qualified officers with adequate background of madrasah education who would be involved in strategic policy analysis and formulation. BMEB should develop a robust relationship with MOE on policy and development issues and BMEB’s proposed new research and development unit should provide ‘think tank’ support to MOE in the field of madrasah education. 90. MOPME and DPE: With the implementation of new national Education Policy 2009 the overall planning and management responsibility of Ibtedaye level madrasah is likely to 60

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education be transferred to the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME). This means that BMEB will need to establish close professional and administrative linkages with both MOPME and DPE 91. DIA: At present the Directorate of Inspection and Audit only undertakes financial audit. It is likely that DIA will be mandated to undertake technical audit of government funded educational institutions including madrasah. BMEB especially its Inspection and Supervision Wing will need to develop professional linkages with DIA. 92. NAEM: National Academy for Educational Administration trains education managers at secondary and higher secondary levels. However, NAEM’s main training program is the long-term foundation training for BCS-Education cadre officers. NAEM conducts training for Principals of Madrasahs and has shown interest to continue this program on a regular basis. BMEB will need to coordinate this activity with NAEM to benefit the subsector. 93. BMTTI: Bangladesh Madrasah Teachers Training Institute is the only institute for inservice training of madrasah teachers in the country. BMTTI may be further upgraded and its capacity enhanced as part of the overall capacity development of the sub-sector. There seems little justification for additional and separate teacher training institutes for madrasah education until a study is undertaken of the entire teacher training sector including that of the capacity of the Primary Teachers Training Institutes (PTI), the Upazila Resource Centres, Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) and Higher Teacher Training Institutes (HTTI). Prospective madrasah teachers should have the opportunity to gain B.Ed. /M. Ed qualifications from the TTCs colleges. BMEB, as the principal sector institution, may play a strategic role to facilitate an information-based policy for teacher training for madrasah teachers and educational leaders. 94. NTRCA. In 2005 through an act of the parliament the Government established the Non-government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) for registering and certifying teachers and head teachers including madrasah teachers. Without the registration and certification of NTRCA no new teacher can teach in secondary schools and recognized madrasah. With a view to strengthen coordination, set standards, and ensure quality of secondary teacher education, MOE is in the process of setting up an apex body, National Teachers' Accreditation and Registration Authority (NTEARA), by amending the NTRCA Act 2005. Like the NTRCA, the amended NTEARA will also cover the madrsah teachers under MPO system.

F. Capacity Development through Training and Fellowships program 95. Staff of various levels and professional category of BMEB, proposed DME/DSHE’s madrasah unit, BMTTI, MOE’s madrasah wing, NCTB, and selected madrasahs will benefit from the CD plan. In the selection of candidates adequate number of female staff should be nominated. Following table summarizes the plan activities.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Table 3: Summary of staff capacity development through training & fellowships Competency/ skills requirements Education Policy & Planning

Clientele

Number

Training Mode*

Duration**

Location

Senior staff

6

Management retreat &

Regular weekly sessions 2-3 months training

In-country

short-term strategic training

Regional /International

Professional Staff

10

Education Administration (Central/System level

Senior to Mid-level staff

5 5

Education Administration (Zonal/district level) Inspection and Supervision

Zonal/district education officers

30

Short-term

2-3 months

Senior to Mid level Field level staff

6

Long-term

30

Short-term

6 months 2-3 months

Senior to mid-level

5

Short-term

3-6 months

Senior to mid-level staff

5

Long-term

6-9 months

Regional/international

Senior to mid-level staff Mid-level staff

6

Long-term

6-9 months

Regional

6

Long-term

6-9 months

In-country/Regional

Mid-level staff Zonal& district officers

5

Long-term

25

Short-term

6-9 months 3 weeks

In-country/ regional In-country

Clerical & support staff Junior professional staff

40

Short-term

In-country

35

Long-term

2-3 months 9-18 months (part-time basis)

Curriculum & Textbook development Quality Assurance Financial management & budgeting Human resources planning Monitoring & Evaluation EMIS Community mobilization & Public- private cooperation Office management/ General professional skills upgrading program

Long-term

Regional

Short-term Long-term Diploma/Graduate Program

6-9 months 3-6 months 9-12 months

Regional /International Regional /International In-country /regional

Regional /international In-country/ Regional Regional

In-country

Notes: * appropriate training modes will be determined during implementation based on bench-marking. ** Duration can be varied during implementation based on bench-marking of skills requirements and availability of training/course slots in the host institutions.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education G. Supporting capacity development through medium-term technical assistance 96. Based on BMEB’s institutional analysis and core competency and skills needs assessment above a medium-term technical assistance program has been devised which is summarized in the following table. This takes into account the regional experience as well as experience gained in Bangladesh17. Table 4: Summary table for medium-term technical assistance support to capacity development

Areas of Expertise * Education Planning & Management Institutional development Human resources planning & management Financial management & monitoring Curriculum development Teacher training &staff development Competency-based education Textbook development and publishing Quality assurance EMIS Monitoring & evaluation Community mobilization & public-private collaboration

Person-months (International)* 36 person-months staggered over 5 years 18 person-months staggered over 5 years 12 person-months staggered over 3 years 12 person- months 15 persons-months staggered over 3 years 12 person-months 12 person-months 6 person-months 6 person- months 12 person-months staggered over 5 years 15 person-months staggered over 5 years 6 person months

Notes: * The expertise and person-months are based on international experience. Terms of reference of consultants will be articulated in consultation with the CDTA Team members and counterpart staff covering other aspects of madrasah subsector during second phase of TA implementation. In addition, it is proposed that national consultants will be recruited for the same duration to work as counterparts in respective areas with international experts and to facilitate the transfer of skills and expertise.

H. Cost Estimates of Fellowship Program and TA 97. Cost estimates of the staff development program through training and fellowships program and specialist services will be worked out in the second phase during the preparation of overall investment package for the medium-term development of madrasah education. I. Training Needs and Training Plan: A simplified Model 98. Usually organizations analyze training needs in response to operational weaknesses reported to by line managers, or to meet the demands of change. The former case suggests that there is a ‘fire-fighting’ element in training needs analysis. The latter suggest that Training Needs Analysis can be deployed as an element of planned change in the organization. 99. What is a training need? Basically, it is any shortfall in employee performance, or potential performance, which can be remedied by appropriate training. There are many methods and means of overcoming deficiencies in human performance at work, and training is only one of them. For example, improving salary and benefits or service conditions etc

17

The TORs and the proposed duration of the assignments for both international and national consultants were finalised in October 2010 and incorporated within the Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal. The durations of assignments differ to a limited extent from those drafted here.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education (although valid in some sense) are not within the remit of training and need to be addressed in different ways. 100. The following is an illustration of the nature of training need as viewed from the perspective of an individual employee.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Table 5: Suggested staff training process

Demands of the Job: • Knowledge • Understanding • Skills A i d

less

Existing Staff Capacity • Level of Knowledge • Understanding, etc.

Training Needs

equal

&

101. The diagram shows that the demands of the job will be made up of appropriate proportions of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes. Add to these factors the demands for change, and you will have a picture of what is required to perform the job in the context concerned. Against these requirements you set the existing employee’s level of knowledge and skills and, let us say, his/her attitude or willingness to adapt/change. If the two match there is no skill and knowledge gap and therefore no need for training. However, as it usually happens there is a mismatch between what is needed and what is required to perform the job to certain standards, then a training need has been identified. 102. In the needs assessment questionnaire for BMEB, academic qualifications and current staff profile were used as a proxy for knowledge and skills level against the specific job requirements in such areas as education policy analysis, human resource management, financial management, management information system, curriculum and textbook development, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation of education programs, and the use of ICT. This was supplemented by interviews conducted with staff and focus group discussions. The skills identified are deemed to be critical skills and competencies required to operate a nation- wide madrasah education system. It appears that only limited number of individuals possess these skills at the needed level. 103. One way to overcome this problem to some extent is to design and deliver a professional education and knowledge upgrading program for most of the staff at junior to midlevel through long-term module-based programs conducted locally at NAEM and other institutions, for instance, BRAC University- IED or Dhaka university- IER Those who are graduates may be targeted to undertake longer-term diploma and non-diploma programs (on part-time basis) in core areas of work of BMEB or likely work program of proposed DME when established. While new and better-qualified staff should be recruited to fill in the critical positions existing staff will need to be redeployed based on qualifications and competence. J. Key Staff Development: A Suggested Approach 104. The concept of key persons’ development comes when the organization needs to develop urgently a critical mass of skilled professional who will take the leadership role in executing the organization’s goals and objectives18. This requires a careful review of its human resources as well as recruitment and succession planning measures. Performance of the key persons is formally appraised, in terms of present and potential level of achievement. Improvements in performance can be dealt with through a variety of training and development activities, which are evaluated individually, or may also be subjected to a key staff development audit. The ultimate objective of this approach is to foster the following attributes:

18

Gerald Cole, Personal and Human Resource Management, Continuum, London, 2002

65


Knowledge-what the job-holder needs to know about the organization, the job, procedures etc.

•

Skills - the job holder’s problem solving, social and other skills etc.

•

Attitudes - the job holder is required to cope with stress and dealing with people etc.

•

Style - expectation of the society the way the key jobholder exercises the leadership.

105. The following is a schematic presentation of the key staff development plan. It sets out the steps involved and work to be carried out at different stages leading up to the training per se which can be conducted both within the institution (on the job) and outside the institution(off the job) such as overseas or in another settings.

66


KEY BMEB/ DME STAFF DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Review Managerial / Key Staff Positions

Present Requirements

Key Staff Requirements

Future Requirements

Present Performance

Performance Appraisals

Potential Performance

On-the-Job

Training / Staff Development

Off-the-Job

Recruitment

Evaluation / Review

Key Staff Development Audit

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VI. CONCLUSION 106. The institutional review of BMEB established that the organization structures, staff skills mix and competency do not appear to be in tune to plan, manage and deliver the key products and services of madrasah education subsector. Not only are there organizational gaps and weaknesses, the BMEB is constrained by shortages of critical skills. These have been identified and analyzed, and suggestions made to restructure/realign the organization, and upgrade staff capacity through training and fellowships program in the medium-term framework. The medium-term Capacity Development Plan 2011-2015 has two elements :(i) institutional reforms and restructuring of BMEB with a targeted staff upgrading program to develop specific skills and competencies, and (ii) a technical assistance package to provide specialized inputs and establish appropriate systems and processes at BMEB and proposed DME. It is envisaged that DSHE as one of the leading agencies for madrasah education will also benefit from both sets of activities.

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APPENDIX 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE Institutional and Organizational Capacity Development Specialist •

Assess the roles and responsibilities of different levels of education organizations for effective delivery of quality madrasah education.

•

Assess the capacity and skills mix of staff at different levels and their training needs.

•

Prepare an action plan for implementation of capacity development activities including seminars, workshops, short training programs in strategy formulation, policy reform and planning and study tours.

•

Contribute to the sector study, road map and investment proposal as required by the team leader.

APPENDIX 2: REFERENCES (i) (ii) (iii)

ADB, Technical Assistance Report to the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh: Capacity Development for Bangladesh, December 2008 Asadullah, Niaz Mohammad, madrasah Education: The Bangladesh Experience, October 2007 Banu, Masuda, Allowing for Diversity; State –Madrasah Relation in Bangladesh, Oxford, 2007

(iv)

Chowdhury, S A: Invitation to Education Planning, University Press Ltd, Dhaka, 1986.

(v)

DPE, School Survey Report 2006

(vi)

Gerald Cole: Personal and Human Resource Management, Continuum, London, 2002

(vii)

Government of Bangladesh: Constitution of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

(viii)

Mercer, Malcolm et el, Madras ahs in Bangladesh and Pakistan- An Analysis, EU funded study, 2005

(ix)

Ministry of Education: National Education Policy (final draft), 2009.

(x)

Ministry of Planning, PRSP Oct 2005 and Revised PRSP II August. 2009

(xi)

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Human Resource Development and Management (HRDM) Strategy, December 2005

(xii)

SESDP Project, Madrasah Education Development Strategy, January 2009

(xiii)

Tom Lambert: Key Management Questions, FT Prentice Hall, London, 2003.

(xiv)

UNDP, Capacity Development Practice Note, 2008

(xv)

USAID,2002, Bangladesh Education Sector Review, Working with Government Agencies in Education, Paper commissioned from Ground Work Inc for USAID

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APPENDIX 3: PRESENT ORGANOGRAM OF BMEB Chairman Total sanctioned post-182

Dy.Registrar(Amn.

Registrar

Controller of Examination

Manpower-62

Manpower-66

Curriculum and Text book wing

Accounts Officer

Dy. Registrar(common Service)

Programmer(Comp uter section)

Dy.Controller(Exami nation.)

Assistant Controller (Sch0olarship)

Dy.Controller(Confi dential)

System Analyst

Physical Education officer

Dy.Inspector (Manpower)

Asstt. Inspectors (eight Zones)

Manpower-14

Manpower-33

Manpower-1

Manpower-19

Manpower-5

Manpower-20

Manpower-19

Manpower-03

Manpower-16

Manpower-24

Asstt. Inspector (Publication)

Manpower-03 Man power-7

Administrative officer

Asstt.Accounts Officer

Asstt Registrar

Asstt. Controller(Exam.)

Asstt.Controller (Confidential)

Programmer

Asstt.Programmer Asstt/SubAssitt. Engineer

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Existing Staffing Pattern

1.

Registrar Steno Typist (PA)-1 MLSS-1 1.1 Deputy Registrar (Admin) Administrative Officer-1 Section Offcer-2 UDA-1 Office Assistant-1 MLSS-1 1.2 Deputy Registrar (Comm. Service) Asst. Registrar-1 Asst. / Sub Asst. Engr.-1 Section Officer-1 UDA-2 Office Assistant-4 Store Keeper-1 Electrician-1 Record Keeper-1 Duplicate Matching Operetor-1 Driver-3 Guard-6 MLSS-1 Gardener-1 Sweeper-2 1.2. R & I Section UDA-1 Office Assistant-1 Messenger-1 MLSS-2 1.3 Accounts Officer Asst. Accounts Officer-1 Section Officer/Accountant-2 Asst. Accountant-4 Cashier-1 Office Assistant-2 Cash Sarker-1 MLSS-2 1.4 Computer Section Programmar-1

2.

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

Chairman Stenographer (PA)-1 UDA (Confidential)-1 MLSS-2 3. Inspector Steno Typist (PA)-1 MLSS-1 3.1 Physical Education Officer-1 Office Assistant-1 MLSS-1 3.2 Dy. Inspector Asst. Inspector-4 Section Officer-1 UDA-2 Office Assistnat-4 Record Keeper-1 MLSS-2 3.3 Zone Offices Asst. Inspector-8 Office Assistant cum CO-8 MLSS-8

Controller of Examination Steno Typist (PA)-1 MLSS-1 Dy. Controller of Exam. Asst. Controller of Exam.-1 Section Offcer-2 Chief Assistant-1 UDA-3 Office Assistant-9 Duplicate Matching Operetor-1 MLSS-2 Dy. Controller of Exam.(Confidential) Asst. Controller of Exam.(Confidential)-1 Section Officer-1 UDA-4 Office Assistant-8 Record Keeper-1 Binder-2 MLSS-2 Asst. Controller of Scholarship and Exam. Section Offcer-1 Office Assistant-3 System Analyst (Board Computer Center) Programmer-2 Asst. Programmer-4 Asst. Maintenance Engr.-1 Data entry/computer-4 Computer Attendant-2 Driver(Contact-wise)-1 MLSS-4

4. Curriculum & Text Book Wing Asst. Inspector (Publication)-1 Section Officer-1 UDA-1

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APPENDIX 4: PROPOSED ORGANOGRAM OF BMEB19 Chairman Manpower-374

Controller of Examination Manpower-80

Registrar Manpower-95

Chief Accounts Officer Manpower-25

19

Dy. Registrar (Committee) Manpower-30

Dy. Registrar (Registration) Manpower-27

Dy. Registrar (Establishment) Manpower-13

Dy. Controller of (Dakhil) Manpower-18

Dy. Controller of (Aliml) Manpower-14

Dy. Controller of (Confidential) Manpower-12

Curriculum and Publication officer Manpower-27

Inspector Manpowr-172

Dy. Controller of (Closing Examinations) Manpower-25

Dy. Controller of (Certificate and Record) Manpower-11

Dy. Inspector (Ibtedaye) Manpower-18

Dy. Inspector (Dakhil)

Dy. Inspector (Alim)

Dy. Inspector (8-Zone)

Evaluation Officer

Manpower-29

Manpower-29

Manpower-96

Manpower-1

Curriculum Specialist Manpower-21

Assistant Controller (Publication) Manpower-4

This organogram with nominated personnel was prepared by BMEB and provided to the TA Team in April 2010 for consideration.

72


Registrar (Manpower 95) Stenographer (PA)-1 UDA (Confidential)-1 MLSS-2 Accounts Chief Accounts Officer/DD Accounts-1 Accounts Officer-4 Section Offcer-4 UDA-4 LDA-4 Computer Operator-4 MLSS-4

Committee Deputy Registrar-4 Asst. Registrar-4 UDA-6 LDA-8 Computer Operator-4 MLSS-4

Examination (Dakhil)

Examination (Alim)

Dy. Controller of Exam-1 Asst. Controller-1 Section Offcer-2 UDA-3 Office Assistant-8 Computer Operator-1 MLSS-2


Ibtedaye

Dakhil

Dy. Inspector-1 Asst. Inspector-2 Section Officer-2 UDA-4 Office Assistnat-4 Computer Operator-1 Record Keeper-1 MLSS-3

Dy. Inspector-1 Asst. Inspector-2 Section Officer-2 UDA-8 Office Assistnat-8 Computer Operator-3 Record Keeper-2 MLSS-3

Registration Deputy Registrar-2 Asst. Registrar-4 UDA-6 LDA-8 Computer Operator-4 MLSS-3

Establishment Deputy Registrar-1 Asst. Registrar-1 UDA-3 LDA-3 Computer Operator-2 MLSS-3

Controller of Examinations (Manpower 80) Steno-typist (PA)-1 UDA (Confidential)-1 MLSS-2 Confidential Closing Examinations of class V Appointment(Examiner/H.E/Q.S & Viii & Q.M) Dy. Controller of Exam-1 Dy. Controller of Exam-1 Asst. Controller-1 Asst. Controller-2 Section Offcer-1 Section Offcer-2 UDA-2 UDA-4 Office Assistant-4 Office Assistant-12 Computer Operator-2 Computer Operator-2 MLSS-1 MLSS-2 Inspector (Manpower 172) Steno-typist (PA)-1 UDA (Confidential)-1 MLSS-2 Alim Dy. Inspector-1 Asst. Inspector-2 Section Officer-2 UDA-8 Office Assistnat-8 Computer Operator-3 Record Keeper-2 MLSS-3

Certificate and Record


8 Zonal Offices Dy. Inspector-8 Asst. Inspector-16 UDA-16 Office Assistnat-16 Computer Operator-16 Record Keeper-8 MLSS-16

73


Controller of Publication Steno-typist (PA)-1 UDA (Confidential)-1 MLSS-2 Evaluation Evaluation Officer-1

Curriculum Curriculum Specialist-8 Section Officer-2 UDA-3 Office Assistant-6 MLSS-2

Publication Assistant Controller,Publication-1 Office Assistant-2 MLSS-1

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APPENDIX 5: ORGANOGRAM OF PROPOSED DME20 Director General

Director (P & D)

Deputy Director

Deputy Director

Programmer

DD (Admin)

DD (Finance)

Data Entry Operator

Admin. Officer

Accounts Officer

1 x Head Assistant / UD 2 x Auditor 4 x Office Assistant cum Computer Operator 1 x Care taker cum store keeper 4 x Driver 1 x Dispatch Rider 1 x Photo copy machine operator 4xMLSS 3 x Guard / Night Guard 1 x Gardener 2 x Cleaner

20

Director (Fin & Admin)

1 x Cashier 1 x Accounts Asst.

Director (Madrasah & Training)

Deputy Director Non Govt. Madrasah

Asst. Dir. - 6

Research Officer - 4

Deputy Director Govt. Madrasah & Training

Inspector - 8

Asst. Dir. - 2

Law Officer

Librarian cum Doc. Officer

3 x Jeep 2 x Microbus 3 x Photocopier 20 x Computer 5 x Printer 1 x Scanner 2 x Duplicating machine 1 x Fax 3 x Steno set 4 x AC 1 x Refrigerator 1 x Generator 1 x Spiral Binding machine

1 x Head Assistant / UD 2 x Auditor 4 x Office Assistant cum computer operator 1 x Driver 4 x MLSS

This organogram was prepared by the committee established by MOE and is yet to be approved by MOE.

75


APPENDIX 6: NEEDS ASSESSMENT CONSULTATION WORKSHOP 1. Power Point Presentation 2. Report of the Workshop 3. List of Participants

76

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 1. Power Point Presentation

Key Outputs of the TA

ADB TA 7206-BAN:Capacity Development for Madrasah Education

Capacity Needs Assessment Consultation Meeting,6 Dec 2009 Presentation by Dr.S A Chowdhury, International Consultant/Capacity Development

CD Planning Steps PART I I. Review of Documents

- Past and new Education Commission Reports (Final draft 2009) - Madrasah Education Ordinance 1978 - Various GOB reports on Madrasah - External agencies funded reports viz.USAID, EC etc

II. Stakeholders Engagement BMEB,BMTTI,NCTB,DSHE,DPE,NAEM,MOE,MOPME

III. Business Meetings with the BMEB

• CD Action Plan (short & medium term) • Madrasah Sector Study including comprehensive survey • Madrasah Education Road Map • Medium-Term Investment Proposal for Development of Madrasah Education

CD Planning Steps (Contd.) IV. Focus Group engagement process at BMEB - Focus Group Discussion - Interviews - Administer questionnaires (Why / What / How) - Business process - Knowledge Management - Resources( budget, human resources etc) V. Field Visits - Visits to regional education zones/ BMEB offices - Visits to madrasahs in zones: Aliya and Quomi VI. Findings - Summarize and interpret the results - Validation of the results through stakeholder/beneficiary consultation meeting on 6 December 2009.

Chairman ,Registrar, Controller of Examinations ,Inspector, Head of Curriculum and Textbook Wing, IT manager

CD Planning Steps

What is CD?

PART II I. Preparation of draft CD report/action plan : Short-Term Action Plan and Medium-Term Action Plan: January 2010 II.Revised and incorporated in Road map and Sector Investment Proposal

UNDP has defined CD as ‘the process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time’ UNDP,Capacity Development- Practice Note, October 2008

77


CD Issues • • • •

Institutional Arrangements Knowledge and Skills Leadership Accountability

CD Formulation & Implementation Process

Implement and evaluate the CD plan

Engage stakeholders & assess the needs

Formulate CD plan to address the needs

Guidelines for CD Action Plan Short-term CD Action Plan (duration: TA implementation period

Thank You!

only): Activities/inputs will include training workshops, study visits to regional countries, EMIS etc.May also include assisting the zonal offices network. Medium-term CD Action Plan (duration: 5-6 years investment period): Activities/inputs may include strengthening BMEB and linked organizations including restructuring BMEB –introducing new business processes and mechanisms .Providing physical facilities, equipment, staff development including short-term and long-term training & fellowships, incremental staff, specialist servicesinternational & national for CD, provision of incremental recurrent costs etc.In addition to strengthening BMEB and zonal offices this may also include supporting the establishment of proposed Directorate of Madrasah Education.

78

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 2. Report of the Workshop Report: Group A 1. Short-term CD Plan: activities/inputs • As per CDTA activities: • Training workshops • Study visits • Developing EMIS for Madrasah education 2. Medium-term CD Investment Plan: activities/inputs • Create additional manpower as required • Upgrade EMIS (adequate personnel including system analyst) • Strengthening nine zonal offices with creation of posts of DD,AD and assistant inspectors • Provide training, equipment, office facilities, transports etc • Provision of training : local and oversees • Create dissemination, monitoring & evaluation of curriculum capacity at BMEB • Create function of chain/linkage with DSHE field offices • TTC/HSTTI should be accessible to Madrasah teachers for which posts may be created at TTC/HSTTI in this connection • Physical facilities/ infrastructure of BMEB may be expanded • SBA/MBA needs to introduce Madrasah/ibtedaye/junior Dakhil included in the general scholarship BMTTI • CD Strengthening with all necessary facilities • Training facilities upgraded DHSE: • DD (special education) may be re-named as DD (Madrasah) • Strengthen Madrasah wing by creating additional posts of One Director, 2 DD, 4 AD & district level staff • Training of staff of Madrasah wing of DSHE • Create functional linkage between BMEB, BMTTI and DHSE

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Report: Group B 1. Short-term CD Plan: activities/inputs • Training of Madrasah Asst. Inspectors and related staff of BMEB and DSHE • Training in office management, financial management, education management and ICT. • Internet facility in the Madrasah and Zonal offices 2. Medium-term CD Investment Plan: activities/inputs • Establishment of separate Directorate of Madrasah education (DME) • Until the DME is established create on a priority basis new posts of Director/ Deputy Directors and Asst. Directors (at district level) under DSHE in the zonal offices. • Establishing pre-service training colleges for Madrasah teachers • Establishing a monitoring and evaluation wing for Madrasah in DSHE/BMEB • Activate the Madrasah curriculum branch in NCTB • Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah should be developed at per with Govt. Primary School. • Convert the Zonal offices to Deputy Inspector’s offices and create Asst. Inspector posts at district level. • Facilities should be established to introduce business streams at Dakhil and Alim levels. • Filling immediately all vacant teachers posts in Madrasah and create new posts as required. • Equity in pay status of Madrasah super/principal (Alim Madrasah) with head teacher/ principal of secondary schools and colleges. (HSC level) • There should be a public examination at the end of fifth grade (Ibtedaye). • There should be equity in number and amount of scholarship and stipend between the Madrasah and general school.

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3. List of Participants No.

Name of Participant

Designation

Office

1.

Professor Md Yousuf

Chairman

BMEB

2.

Professor Rashid Ahmed

Registrar

BMEB

3.

Mr. K M Rafiqul Islam

Deputy Director (P & D)

DSHE

4.

Mr. Abul Hossain

Deputy Director (Special)

DSHE

5.

Mr S M Bashir Ullah

Assistant Director (P & D)

DSHE

6.

Mr. Md Siddiqur Rahman

Assistant Director (Special)

DSHE

7.

Md. Nazmul Huda

Controller of Examinations

BMEB

8.

Md. Shafiul Muznabin

Inspector of Madrasah

BMEB

9.

Md. Asraf Hossain

Deputy Registrar (Admin)

BMEB

10.

Md. Hossain Ali

BMEB

11.

Md. Quamrul Hasan

12.

Md. Khorshed Alam

Deputy Inspector of Madrasah Deputy Controller of Examinations (Exam) Deputy Registrar (Common)

13.

Md. Saleh Ahmed

14.

BMEB BMEB

Shahjahan Ali Molla

Deputy Controller of Examinations (Con) Accounts Officer

BMEB BMEB

15.

Md. Amir Uddin

ICT In-Charge

BMEB

16.

Md. Rafique Ullah

Asst. Inspector of Madrasah

BMEB

17.


BMEB

18.

A. N. M. Delwar Hossain Bhuiya Md. Sohrab Hossain

Asst. Accounts Officer

BMEB

19.

Md. Abdul Matin Khan

Sub-Assistant Engineer

BMEB

20.

Md. Shafiqur Rahman

Assistant Registrar

BMEB

21.

Md. Ruhul Amin

BMEB

22.

Shekh Abu Jafar Ahmed

Asst. Controller of Examination Asst. Inspector of Madrasah

BMEB

23.

Md. Murshed Alam

Physical Education Officer

BMEB

24.

Mir Md. Anwar Hossain

Administrative Officer

BMEB

25.

Md. Shafiqul Alam

BMEB

26.

Md. Abu Hanif

27.

Md. Ruhul Amin

Asst. Controller of Examination Asst. Controller of Examination Asst. Inspector of Madrasah

BMEB Comilla Zone

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No.

Name of Participant

Designation

Office

27.

Mr. Mosharaf Hossain


Rangpur Zone

29.

Md. Shahadat Hossain Mia


Sylhet Zone

30.

Md. Zahidul Haque Siddiqe


Mymensing Zone

31.

Md. Moazzem Hossain


Chittagong Zone

32.

Md. Jahangir Alam


Khulna Zone

33.

Md. Nazrul Islam


Barisal Zone

34.

Md. Muzahidul Islam


Rajshahi Zone

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ANNEX 2: MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY REPORT

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ANNEX 2 MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY [VOLUME – 1]

ADB TA 7206-BAN

BANGLADESH: CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR MADRASAH EDUCATION

PREPARED FOR

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK & GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH

PREPARED BY MAXWELL STAMP LIMITED, BAN

In association with: EDUCATION FOR CHANGE, UK

JULY 2011


TABLE OF CONTENTS METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES FOR THE MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY..................................... 89 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 89 SOURCES .......................................................................................................................................................... 89 THE IBTEDAYE SAMPLE SURVEY .................................................................................................................... 91 THE QOUMI MADRASAH SAMPLE SURVEY .................................................................................................... 91 THE QUALITATIVE STUDY .............................................................................................................................. 92 FOREWORD ...................................................................................................................................................... 94 ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................................................. 95 LEXICON OF TERMS...................................................................................................................................... 98 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 100 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 100 FINDINGS........................................................................................................................................................ 100 ACCESS .......................................................................................................................................................... 101 INDEPENDENT IBTEDAYE MADRASAHS ........................................................................................................ 101 QOUMI MADRASAHS ..................................................................................................................................... 102 QUALITY ........................................................................................................................................................ 102 INTERNAL EFFICIENCY ................................................................................................................................. 103 EQUITY........................................................................................................................................................... 103 SYSTEM PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT ....................................................................................................... 104 FINANCE ......................................................................................................................................................... 105 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................... 105 CHAPTER 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 107 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5.1 1.5.2 1.5.3 1.6 1.7

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 107 WHY STUDY BANGLADESH MADRASAH EDUCATION NOW? ........................................................... 107 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MADRASAH EDUCATION .............................................................. 107 THE ORIGIN OF MADRASAHS IN THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT ...................................................... 108 MADRASAHS IN BENGAL AND BANGLADESH ................................................................................... 108 MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF ALIYA AND QOUMI MADRASAHS ..................................................... 109 Aliya ................................................................................................................................................. 109 Qoumi............................................................................................................................................... 110 Outcomes From Two Systems........................................................................................................ 110 GROWTH OF ALIYA MADRASAHS AND THE REASONS FOR THAT GROWTH ................................... 111 MADRASAHS PAST AND PRESENT .................................................................................................... 113

CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................................................................................................... 114 ACCESS ............................................................................................................................................................ 114 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 114 2.1 ACCESS IN THE SCHOOL SECTOR.................................................................................................... 114 2.3 Access in the primary sector ...................................................................................................... 115 2.4 Ibtedaye Madrasahs ................................................................................................................... 115 2.5 Qoumi Madrasahs ...................................................................................................................... 115 2.6 SECONDARY LEVEL ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION ......................................................................... 116 2.6.1 Institutions and enrolments ....................................................................................................... 116 2.6.2 Divisional Disparities.................................................................................................................. 118 2.6.3 Gender Disparities ...................................................................................................................... 119 2.6.4 Factors affecting Access ............................................................................................................. 119 2.6.4.1 Private Costs of Schooling and Stipends.............................................................................. 120 2.6.4.2 Stipends ................................................................................................................................ 121 2.6.4.3 Scholarships......................................................................................................................... 121 2.6.4.4 Availability of resources ...................................................................................................... 122 2.6.4.5 Funding Status (The MPO issue) ......................................................................................... 123 2.6.4.6 Physical Facilities................................................................................................................ 123

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2.7

2.6.4.7 Enrolment Features.............................................................................................................. 125 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 126

CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................................................................................................... 128 QUALITY ......................................................................................................................................................... 128 3.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 128 3.1 CURRICULUM.................................................................................................................................... 129 3.1.1 Schooling Organization .............................................................................................................. 129 3.1.1.1 Organization of the Aliya Madrasahs .................................................................................. 129 3.1.1.2 Organization of the Qoumi Madrasahs................................................................................ 130 3.1.1.3 Correspondence among the Three Systems.......................................................................... 130 3.1.2 Curriculum Organization .......................................................................................................... 131 3.1.2.1 Curriculum Subjects of the Primary General Education and Aliya Ibtedaye Madrasahs ... 131 3.1.2.2 Curriculum Subjects of Aliya Dakhil Madrasahs................................................................. 132 3.1.2.3 Curriculum Subjects of the Qoumi Madrasahs .................................................................... 132 3.1.3 Business Education and Information and Communication Technology................................ 133 3.1.4 Comparison of Curricula ........................................................................................................... 134 3.2 TEXTBOOKS ...................................................................................................................................... 135 3.2.1 Textbook Availability for Students ........................................................................................... 135 3.2.2 Textbook Comparison by Grade Level..................................................................................... 135 3.2.3 Curriculum and Textbook Development Capacity at the BMEB........................................... 137 3.2.3.1 Curriculum and Textbook Development at the BMEB ......................................................... 137 3.2.3.2 The NCTB’s View of the BMEB’s Curriculum Development Process ................................. 138 3.2.3.3 Education Watch’s Observations on the Curriculum Development Process ....................... 138 3.3 TEACHER TRAINING ......................................................................................................................... 138 3.3.1 Pre-service Teacher Training Requirements and Profiles ...................................................... 138 3.3.2 In-service Teacher Training for Aliya Madrasah Teachers.................................................... 140 3.3.3 In-service Supervision of Teachers............................................................................................ 142 3.3.4 Certification of Teachers by NTRCA ....................................................................................... 142 3.3.5 Pre-service and In-service Teacher Training in Qoumi Madrasahs ...................................... 143 3.3.6 Classroom Practices of Teachers in Aliya Madrasahs............................................................. 143 3.3.7 Classroom Practices of Teachers in Qoumi Madrasahs .......................................................... 145 3.4 LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT ............................................................................................................... 146 3.4.1 Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Madrasah Students’ Achievements.......................................... 146 3.4.2 Different Strategies Adopted by Parents to Avail Good Education and Incentives ............. 147 3.4.3 Education Watch Conclusions about Student Learning in the Aliya Madrasahs and General Education Schools .................................................................................................................................... 147 3.4.4 Aliya Madrasahs Leavers’ Further Education and Work Opportunities ............................. 148 3.4.5 Findings from Interviews and Field Studies about Employment and Educational Opportunities for Qoumi Students......................................................................................................... 148 3.5 ANALYSIS OF THE ASSESSMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS USED IN THE MADRASAHS........................ 148 3.5.1 Madrasah-Based Assessment Implementation......................................................................... 148 3.5.2 Capacity of the Madrasahs to Implement MBA ...................................................................... 149 3.5.3 Organization of the BMEB Examinations ................................................................................ 149 3.5.3.1 Examination Policy for Aliya Madrasahs ............................................................................ 149 3.5.3.2 Quality of Examinations from BMEB and NCTB................................................................. 150 3.5.3.3 New Examination Policy for Aliya Madrasahs .................................................................... 151 3.5.4 Quality of the Dakhil Examination Questions.......................................................................... 151 3.5.5 Pass Rates for SSC and Dakhil Examinations.......................................................................... 152 3.5.6 Explanations for Lower Achievement of Madrasahs............................................................... 153 3.6 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 154 CHAPTER 4 ..................................................................................................................................................... 157 INTERNAL EFFICIENCY ............................................................................................................................. 157 4.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 157 4.1 CYCLE COMPLETION, REPETITION, DROP-OUT.............................................................................. 157 4.1.1 Repetition and Dropout at Secondary Level ............................................................................ 157

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 4.1.2 Cycle Completion Rates at Secondary Level............................................................................ 158 4.1.3 Internal Efficiency in Ibtedaye and Qoumi Madrasahs .............................................................. 159 4.2 EXAMINATION PASS RATES .............................................................................................................. 159 4.3 DISTRIBUTION OF TEACHERS (STUDENT: TEACHER RATIO) ........................................................... 161 4.4 UNIT COST OF A GRADUATE ............................................................................................................. 161 4.5 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 161 CHAPTER 5 ..................................................................................................................................................... 163 EQUITY ............................................................................................................................................................ 163 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 163 ACCESS IN CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................ 163 ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION, AND COMPLETION........................................................................ 165 QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, AND OUTCOMES ................................................................................... 167 TEACHERS AND MANAGERS ............................................................................................................. 170 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 171

CHAPTER 6 ..................................................................................................................................................... 172 PLANNING, MANAGEMENT, INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY............................................................... 172 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 172 6.1 SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORTS ........................................................ 172 6.1.1 Kudrat-e-Khuda Commission Report, 1974............................................................................. 172 6.1.2 Mofiz Uddin Commission Report 1988..................................................................................... 173 6.1.3 National Committee on Education Policy 1997 ........................................................................ 173 6.1.4 Education Reform Expert Committee headed by Professor MA Bari................................... 174 6.1.5 National Education Commission Report 2003 ......................................................................... 174 6.2 EDUCATION POLICY AND PLANNING ............................................................................................... 175 6.2.1 Planning Capacity....................................................................................................................... 175 6.2.2 National Education Policy (NEP), 2010 .................................................................................... 176 6.2.3 Analysis of the Implications for Aliya Madrasah education of the NEP ............................... 177 6.3 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION FOR THE MADRASAH SECTOR IN BANGLADESH................................................................................................................................................. 178 6.3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 178 6.3.2 Terminology ................................................................................................................................ 178 6.3.3 Management information........................................................................................................... 179 6.3.3.1 Registration of schools/madrasahs ...................................................................................... 180 6.3.3.2 Monthly payment orders ...................................................................................................... 180 6.3.3.3 Examinations........................................................................................................................ 181 6.3.3.4 Teacher qualification and career management.................................................................... 181 6.3.3.5 Surveys ................................................................................................................................. 182 6.3.4 The proposed integrated EMIS ................................................................................................. 182 6.3.4.1 Unique identifiers................................................................................................................. 183 6.3.5 Issues ............................................................................................................................................ 183 6.3.5.1 Ibtedaye Madrasah .............................................................................................................. 183 6.3.5.2 Qoumi................................................................................................................................... 184 6.3.6 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) .......................................................................................... 184 6.3.6.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 184 6.3.6.2 School/ madrasah performance based management (PBM) ................................................ 185 6.3.6.3 Systemic M and E................................................................................................................. 185 6.4.6.4 Evaluation questions for madrasahs .................................................................................... 185 6.3.6.5 Capacity for information management ................................................................................ 186 6.5 BMEB: INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY ................................................................................................. 187 6.5.1 Context and analysis of institutional role ................................................................................. 187 6.5.2 BMEB’s Staffing and Structure ................................................................................................ 189 6.5.3 Key Findings................................................................................................................................ 190 6.5.4 Road Map for BMEB ................................................................................................................. 191 6.5.5 Capacity Development Plan ....................................................................................................... 191 6.6 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 192

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education CHAPTER 7 ..................................................................................................................................................... 194 FINANCE.......................................................................................................................................................... 194 7.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 194 7.1 THE MACRO-ECONOMIC SETTING................................................................................................... 194 7.1.1 Performance of Bangladesh in FY 2010.................................................................................... 194 7.1.2 Macroeconomic Forecast ........................................................................................................... 195 7.1.3 Poverty and Millennium Development Goals........................................................................... 195 7.1.4 Prospects for Education Spending ............................................................................................ 195 7.2 EDUCATION WITHIN PUBLIC SECTOR EXPENDITURE ..................................................................... 196 7.2.1 Education Expenditures compared to Neighbouring Countries............................................. 197 7.2.2 Inter-country Comparisons ....................................................................................................... 197 7.2.3 Education within Total Government Revenue and Development Expenditures................... 198 7.2.3.1 Revenue ................................................................................................................................ 198 7.2.3.2 Development Expenditure .................................................................................................... 198 7.2.4 Government Revenue and Development Budgets on Education Sub-Sectors ....................... 199 7.2.4.1 Revenue Budget for Education............................................................................................. 199 7.2.4.2 Development Budget for Education ..................................................................................... 200 7.3 EXPENDITURES PER STUDENT (“UNIT COSTS”) IN VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS........................................................................................................................................... 202 7.4 PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND MADRASAHS RECEIVING MPO SUPPORT .......................... 204 7.4.1 Private Costs................................................................................................................................ 205 7.5 OUTPUT OF MADRASAH EDUCATION EXTERNAL EFFICIENCY .............................................. 206 7.6 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 206 CHAPTER 8 ..................................................................................................................................................... 208 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................... 208 8.1

SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 208 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 208 Main Findings ....................................................................................................................................... 208 8.2 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 211 Overview................................................................................................................................................ 211 OBSTACLES TO QUALITY MADRASAH EDUCATION AND HOW THESE MAY BE OVERCOME. ....................... 211 8.3 THE WAY AHEAD ........................................................................................................................ 214

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METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES FOR THE MADRASAH SECTOR STUDY SUMMARY The Terms of Reference for the TA required sample surveys of madrasahs, including Independent Ibtedaye and Qoumi Madrasahs, with a particular focus on comparison of the secondary madrasahs – the Dakhil Madrasahs – with the general education stream secondary schools. To prepare for analyzing the data from various databases and for formulating the surveys and qualitative study, the TA team visited madrasahs all over the country; discussed madrasahs with officials in the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB), and many agencies and projects that had knowledge of madrasahs; and read the available literature on madrasahs in Bangladesh and in other countries. In addition to collecting its own data, the TA team was able to go beyond the TOR requirements because data were available from the 2008 national census survey of postprimary education institutions that Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) conducted. That survey included Dakhil Madrasahs and secondary schools. Below we set out the sources of the primary data that we refer to throughout this document. This is followed by a more detailed account of the two surveys we conducted and a note clarifying the approach used in the qualitative study. SOURCES The primary data for the Madrasah Sector Study (MSS) come from four sources that are denoted in the text as follows: “BANBEIS, 2010a” This source consists of 41 data summary tables from the 2008 database of post-primary educational institutions developed by the BANBEIS. The data summary tables were designed by the TA team and the TA commissioned the BANBEIS to prepare them. The BANBEIS itself published the National Education Survey (PostPrimary) - 2008 Statistical Report in 2009, but it was not available till May 2010. This latter publication is referred to as “BANBEIS, 2009”, to distinguish it from the 41 tables we used and was the main source for our earlier report: the Interim Madrasah Sector Study of July 2010. This BANBEIS, 2010a source includes 100% of the nation and hence there are no sampling errors1.

1

This is not to say that there are no errors whatsoever. The BANBEIS may possibly have made errors in recording data, in analyzing data, or in reporting data. Since the TA did not conduct this census, we did not have control over these possible errors, if they exist at all.

89

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education “BANBEIS, 2010b” This source consists of 35 data tables created from the 2010 survey of 1104 Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs. The survey is based on a sample of 25% of the districts. The TA team designed the tables. Most of them were produced by the BANBEIS but the TA Team prepared some. The database resulting from this survey is held by both the BANBEIS and MSL. The report on the analysis of the summary tables is given in Appendix 10. The 25% sample is a large sample drawn randomly on the basis of districts. With care, generalizations from these data can be made to the national population of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs. “BANBEIS, 2010c” This source consists of 60 data tables drawn from the 2010 census of 544 Qoumi Madrasahs. The TA team and the BANBIES staff designed the tables. The census was conducted within a 10% sample of districts in Bangladesh. However, the seven districts were not chosen randomly for reasons of time and resources. This technical shortcoming means that the results, although useful in understanding Qoumi Madrasahs in these seven districts, cannot be used to estimate with precision the Qoumi Madrasah situation in the nation because of possible sampling bias. For example, this study does not allow us to accurately estimate the total number of Qoumi Madrasahs in Bangladesh from the number found in the seven districts included in our census. Nevertheless, the findings are indicative of Qoumi Madrasahs in the large number found in the seven districts. Our census is the first such survey of Qoumi Madrasahs and, hence, holds significant interest in its own right. The database resulting from this census is also held by both BANBEIS and MSL. The report on the analysis of the summary tables is given in Appendix 11. “BANBEIS, 2010d” This source is the report of a qualitative study of 10 madrasahs. The qualitative study is not of course “representative” of the vast range of types, locations, and sizes of madrasahs. Its purpose was to conduct in depth interviews that would enhance the meaning of the quantitative surveys. References to this study and quotations from it, are found in several chapters. The full report is given as Appendix 10.9 to this report.

Mini-Studies In addition, the TA team conducted 11 mini-studies of issues related to curriculum, textbooks, teacher training, and assessment that affect the quality of madrasah education. These studies were based on intensive study of, curriculum documents, textbooks, examination questions, interviews of key persons involved in all areas of the quality of madrasah education, Dakhil and SSC examination results available on the Internet, and published and unpublished articles and books. The TA team conducted studies of Dakhil Examinations and SSC Examinations based on random samples of 100 examinees from each group from the 2009 results. Evidence from these 11 studies is one of the bases of the findings reported in Chapter 3 in particular. The findings have also shaped the proposals for the Road Map for Madrasah Education. Nine of the mini-studies’ titles and brief descriptions of those are given in Appendix 3.1. The reports of the Dakhil and SSC studies are in Appendices 3.11 and 3.12.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education THE IBTEDAYE SAMPLE SURVEY The Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah survey was conducted using a sample of 25% of all districts in the country. Statistically, it followed a single stage stratified cluster sampling design, where the four greater (old) administrative divisions were considered as strata. Four districts were randomly selected from each of these strata. However, one district (Rangamati) from Chittagong Division was later dropped and replaced by Gopalganj from Dhaka Division because there is a very low incidence of madrasahs in this Hill Tracts district and because Dhaka is the largest division. Thus, 16 districts were selected randomly as the primary sampling units from the total of 64 districts in the country. All Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs in all 116 upazilas within the selected districts were included in sample. (A list of all upazilas sampled within the selected districts is attached to Appendix 10 of this report). To conduct the survey of the madrasahs within the sampled districts, the survey planners began with a list of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs that was prepared by the DPE and the BMEB in 2002, and later updated by the BANBES during 2002-2005. The list was subsequently updated during the initial period of the survey fieldwork. As mentioned above, there were 1104 Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs found to be active in the selected districts at the time of survey; all were included in this survey. However, three metropolitan thanas amongst the 119 upazilas/thanas do not have any Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs and hence the total number of upazila/thanas included in the survey is 116. One hundred sixteen enumerators under the supervision of 16 District Education Officers conducted the survey after training by the BANBEIS staff. The enumerators physically visited each Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah in the sample to collect data using a structured questionnaire. The timing of the survey was May-July, 2010. THE QOUMI MADRASAH SAMPLE SURVEY The Qoumi Madrasah Sample Survey was originally designed and budgeted to cover a 10% sample of all of the Qoumi Madrasahs in Bangladesh. However, there is no reliable source containing a list of all Qoumi Madrasahs in Bangladesh, nothing is available about the number of such institutions, and nothing is available about the number of Qoumi Madrasahs in different parts of the country. Hence, the population size and the sampling frame are unknown. The sampling frame must be known in order to design a sampling design from which sound scientific generalization may be made to the population sampled2. It is recognised that there are important regional variations reflecting, for example, the different religious traditions and/or presence of long-standing and influential religious institutions (including prominent madrasahs and/or mosques). This is likely to influence the types and the number of madrasahs in any area and lead to wide variations across the country. However, the numbers and types in various districts is only a guess. In these circumstances, it is not possible to design a meaningful stratified random sample from the national population of Qoumi Madrasahs. Instead the TA team chose to undertake a full survey (census) of the Qoumi Madrasahs in seven selected districts. These seven districts are more than 10% of the 64 districts in the country. The seven districts have roughly 12% of 2

Retzer, K. F. (2003) Introduction to Survey Sampling. Chicago: Survey Research Laboratory, University of Illinios at Chicago. Downloaded from http://www.srl.uic.edu/seminars/Spr03_UIUC/samplingS03.PDF.

91

ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education the all-age population of Bangladesh. Thus, this survey includes is significantly large in scope and can be used to confidently describe the Qoumi Madrasahs in these seven districts. The Befaqul Board played a part in helping the TA team prepare for the survey. It also helped to secure acceptance of the survey amongst the Qoumi Madrasah community that is, to a greater or lesser extent, wary of government involvement. This board collaborated with the TA team and the BANBEIS in designing the survey data collection instrument and provided the survey enumerators who visited the madrasahs. The BANBEIS staff supervised this enumeration work and did follow-up enquiries where needed. The seven districts were selected in consultation with the BANBEIS and the representatives of the Befaqul Board. They were: Brahmanbaria (Chittagong Division), Jhenaidah (Khulna), Madaripur (Dhaka), Maulavibazar (Sylhet), Mymensingh (Dhaka), Pirojpur (Barisal), Rajshahi (Rajshahi). Districts were chosen to facilitate the survey logistics and organisation, and to keep within budget. The survey was undertaken during June through August 2010 following piloting of the instruments and training of the enumerators. During the survey the BANBEIS and the CDTA representatives joined enumerators to monitor the work. Data were cleaned and entered by the BANBEIS into Access software. Tables were created using STATA, Excel, and SPSS. THE QUALITATIVE STUDY Qualitative evidence elicited from in-depth interviewing captures the perspectives and experiences of participants in madrasah schooling processes. The results derived from an analysis of these interviews complement the statistical evidence upon which the bulk of the Madrasah Sector Study is based. Careful attention to insiders’ perspectives and experiences help us generate a more detailed and layered understanding of what goes on inside madrasahs. The interview results also provide concrete and context-specific information that allowed us to better interpret and give substance to information obtained from our other investigations and our statistical data. Sixty students were interviewed for this study; twenty-one of the students were girls. The students were aged between 7 and 22 and enrolled in Class 1 to Fajil 3rd year and Post Graduation (for Quomi madrasahs). Five Aliya, three Ibtedaye, and two Qoumi Madrasahs were included in the Study. In addition to students, 40 guardians, 40 teachers, 10 educational administrators, and 10 members of Madrasah Managing Committees were interviewed. In all, 157 usable interviews were collected from the ten madrasahs. While this is a fairly large sample of interviews as far as qualitative studies are concerned, and while we tried to cover a wide range of institutions, we must be clear from the outset that this cannot (and should not) be read as a representative random sample of all madrasahs in Bangladesh. Our research strategy was to use purposeful sampling, which enabled an indepth analysis of ten madrasahs.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Under the guidance of an international qualitative research specialist, a core team of the BANBEIS staff developed the study questions, which then were piloted and revised. Research assistants were recruited and trained to carry out the actual interviews under the supervision of the core the BANBEIS team. The international consultant and the core BANBEIS team jointly conducted the data analysis.

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FOREWORD The CDTA is required to produce a series of reports. In addition to an Inception Report and a Capacity Development Plan for Madrasah Education, both of which have already been produced, these reports are: •

A Madrasah Sector Study (the present document)

•

A Road Map and Investment Program

•

Draft Final and Final Reports

The final report has benefitted from comments made on the draft final report at three meetings of stakeholders held on March 8 and 29 and on May 28, 2011. The Honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid, was present at the latter two meetings. Written comments were also submitted by the Bangladesh Jamiatul Mudarreseen and by the Asian Development Bank. Observations on an “Interim Madrasah Sector Study” were made at a meeting with representatives of civil society on January 10, 2011. The observations and recommendations of the members of the three study tours of Indonesia and West Bengal have also been influential in the thinking of the technical assistance team as they constructed the final report of the project and the final version of the Madrasah Sector Study.

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ABBREVIATIONS ADB

Asian Development Bank

AI

Assistant Inspector

BANBEIS

Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics

BE

Budget Estimate

B Ed

Bachelor of Education

BEDU

Bangladesh Examination Development Unit

BMEB

Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board

BMTTI

Bangladesh Madrasah Teacher Training Institute

BNFE

Bureau of Non-Formal Education

BNP

Bangladesh Nationalist Party

BRAC

Building Resources Across Communities (Formerly Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee)

BSCE

Bangladesh Central Service Examination

CAMPE

Campaign for Popular Education

CDP

Capacity Development Plan

CDTA

Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Technical Assistance

C in Ed

Certificate in Education

CQ

Creative Questions

DC

Deputy Commissioner

DEO

District Education Office

DIA

Directorate of Inspection and Audit

DME

Directorate of Madrasah Education (proposed)

DPE

Directorate of Primary Education

DSHE

Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education

DTE

Directorate of Technical Education

EFA

Education for All

EIIN

Educational Institution Identification Number

EMIS

Education Management Information System

FGD

Focus Group Discussion

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GER

Gross Enrolment Ratio

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education GPS

Government Primary School

HRP

Human Resource Planning

HSC

Higher Education Certificate

HSTTI

Higher Secondary Teacher Training Institute

ICT

Information and Communication Technology

JCE

Junior Certificate Examination

MBA

Madrasah Based Assessment

M&E

Monitoring and Evaluation

MCQ

Multiple Choice Question

MLSS

Menial Level and Subordinate Staff

MMC

Madrasah Management Committee

MOE

Ministry of Education

MOPME

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education

MPO

Monthly Pay Order

NAEM

National Academy for Education Management

NCTB

National Curriculum and Textbook Board

NCCC

National Curriculum Coordination Committee

NEP

National Education Policy

NER

Net Enrolment Ratio

NGO

Non Government Organization

NTRCA

Non-government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority

OMR

Optical Mark Recognition

PBM

Performance Based Management

PEDP II

Primary Education Development Program II

PROG 3

Program 3 (for Primary Education Development)

PRSP

Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper

PTI

Primary Teacher Training Institute

RE

Revised (Budget) Estimate

RNGPS

Registered Non-Government Primary School

SBM

School Based Management

SEQAEP

Secondary Education Quality Access Enhancement Project

SESDP

Secondary Education Sector Development Project

SSC

Secondary School Certificate

STR

Student Teacher Ratio

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education TA

Technical Assistance

TQIP

Teaching Quality Improvement Project

TTC

Teacher Training College

TVET

Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UEO

Upazila Education Officer

UNDP

United Nations Development Program

UNICEF

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund

UNO

Upazila Nirbahi Officer

WB

World Bank

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LEXICON OF TERMS Alim madrasah: higher secondary equivalent (classes XI- XII). Aliya madrasah: modeled on the “Calcutta” model3, and recognised by the government. Dakhil madrasah: secondary school equivalent (classes VI- X). Dawra-E-Hadith: a 2-year academic programme at the tertiary level of a Qoumi Madrasah that is said to be equivalent of Master’ Degree. A person who has passed Dawra-e-Hadith is considered to have expert knowledge in Qur’an and Hadith. Furqania/Hafizia and Nurani: Pre-primary elementary education with the goal of attaining basic knowledge of Islam and of memorizing the Qur’an. Fazil madrasah: equivalent to bachelors’ programmes (classes XIII-XV). Fiqh: Islamic Jurisprudence that is taught in Dakhil level. Forkania Madrasah: There are mosque-based non-formal madrasahs which disseminate regular Islamic teachings to children. These are also known as Maktab or Hafezia/Qiratia Madrasahs. Mujabbid: a specialization in Dakhil (secondary) level in which students study Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh and Tajwid along with general subjects. Hadith: the collected sayings of the Prophet Mohammad. Ibtedaye Madrasah: primary education equivalent (classes I- V)), Independent (unattached) Ibtedaye Madrasah: Primary level madrasah that is not attached with a Dakhil or a higher level madrasah. Kamil Madrasah: equivalent to masters programme (class XVI). Manqulat: revealed knowledge. Maqulat: rational sciences, knowledge acquired through intellectual effort.

3

The Calcutta Madrasah, founded in 1781 under colonial auspices in order to create a loyal base among Muslims and being supported by government the curriculum: included both religious and secular subjects.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Madrasah: A religious school. Madrasa is written in various ways: madrasa, madrassa, madrasha, madrasah, madrassah, etc., sometimes the plural madaris is used. We have used the term madrasah, being the version adopted by the ADB, but we retain the original spelling when quoting directly from, and in the titles of, sources. Similarly, we have adopted Aliya, Qoumi, Ibtedaye as standards rather than Alia, Qomi/ Kwami, Ebtadaye/ Ibtadayee etc. Majlish-e-Sura: It is one of two committees that manage Qoumi Madrasahs. Majlishe Sura is the decision making body or advisory council that gives directives to the Majlishe Amela to carry out its decisions. Majlish-e-Amela: It is one of two committees that manage Qoumi Madrasahs. Majlishe Amela is the executive body responsible for implementing decisions taken in the Majlishe Sura. Maktabs: Islamic institutions that offer pre-primary elementary education with basic knowledge of Islam and memorising the Qur’an. Moulavi: Generally means any religious cleric or teacher who teaches Islam preferably in a school or a madrasah. It is sometimes used as a honorific religious title for a Muslim man. Mawlanas: Islamic religious expert/ madrasah teacher. Muzabbid: Agroup in Dakhil (secondary) level in which students study Qu’ran, Hadith, Fiqh and Tajwid along with general subjects. Qari: This is a position of a teacher in a madrasah who usually teaches correct pronunciation of Quranic verses. Qoumi or Khariji: madrasahs modeled on the “Deoband”4 madrasah and independent of the state. Sunnah: The sayings and acts of the Prophet Mohammad. Upazila: the sub-district in the Bangladesh administrative machinery.

4

The Dar-ul Uloom Madrasah, founded in 1867, at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, emphasised the study of manqulat or revealed knowledge.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION 1. The Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Technical Assistance Project had its origins before the election of the present government and before the rapid formulation and adoption of a National Education Policy in December 2010 (NEP 2010), the first comprehensive education policy since Liberation. The NEP 2010 presents a vision of a “unified” school system with a strong common core of subjects in the curriculum; a restructuring from a 5+5+2 system to a 8+4 system with the eight years being free and compulsory; and comparable standards in schools and madrasahs with students being assessed in the core general subjects with the same examination questions. 2. While this Madrasah Sector Study presents a report of the current status of madrasah education, what we can be reasonably certain of is that the future for most madrasahs may be quite different from the past. The reforming proposals in the NEP 2010 change the context for planning the future of madrasah education. That being said, the present document sets out to describe the access to and quality of madrasah education, particularly at secondary level, as it was in the period before the NEP 2010. It addresses issues of access, internal efficiency, equity, quality, management, and finance. It attempts to identify the most pressing needs for madrasah education and points the way towards a Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal. This substantial documentation is timely because recognition of the existing state of madrasah education is necessary for the successful implementation of the NEP 2010. 3. The present report has been prepared on the basis of commissioned surveys, project-initiated studies, document reviews and analyses, through visits by the Technical Assistance team to almost 50 madrasahs of all types, and through interviews and discussions, both formal and informal, with key stakeholders. An Interim Madrasah Sector Study was presented in June 2010, and further drafts were shared with stakeholders in December 2010, March and May 2011. Feedback from stakeholders has further sharpened the current sector study. FINDINGS 4. Among the several reasons for studying madrasah education at the present time are that the number of madrasahs has grown rapidly since Liberation, while it is widely perceived that the quality of madrasah education falls short of general education in preparing students for a very competitive job market. Two discrete types of madrasahs exist: one type, the Aliya, is partly funded and supervised by government, and the other, the Qoumi, is privately funded and stands outside government control.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education ACCESS5 5. Access to forms of secondary education in Bangladesh is almost exclusively through non-government schools and Aliya-Dakhil Madrasahs. The reason is that there are only 317 government secondary schools and 3 government madrasahs in a total of almost 33,000 secondary level institutions. There is also a tiny Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) stream. Madrasahs are more common in rural areas than urban areas. Just under one fifth (18%) of all students at secondary level are studying in a madrasah, 2% in TVET, and the remaining 80% in the general education stream that includes government and nongovernment schools. The growth of Aliya Madrasahs since 1970 has been twice as fast as that of general education secondary schools. In 2008 there were approximately 1.7 million students studying in classes 6–10 in 9384 Dakhil madrasahs. 6. Gross and net participation rates at the secondary level are quite close – averaging 44% and 42%, respectively, for boys, and 56% and 55.8%, respectively, for girls. Most students fall within the accepted age range of 11-16 years. The participation rates ignore students attending Qoumi Madrasahs because these are not included in BANBEIS surveys. National and divisional averages are summaries and do not reveal the wide variations in participation rates that exist at the district and the upazila levels. Gender parity has been achieved within both general education schools and Aliya madrasahs. Participation of students from higher income groups is more common in general education secondary schools than in madrasahs. Stipend schemes, which have long targeted girls, seem to be achieving their goals since girls have higher participation in both schools and madrasahs. The administration of the two scholarship schemes – open to both school and madrasah students – seems to favour greatly male school students. There are very few children with various disabilities in schools and even fewer in madrasahs. Dakhil Madrasahs have lower student-teacher ratios than general education secondary schools. Although Dakhil Madrasahs have lower class sizes, only 29% of their teachers are trained. Few madrasah teachers have had in-service training and the Bangladesh Madrasah Teacher Training Institute has only a small capacity to offer in-service training. Approximately three quarters of all Dakhil Madrasah buildings are of poor or temporary construction. INDEPENDENT IBTEDAYE MADRASAHS 7. Some 94% of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are in rural areas. Although their numbers are declining, their numbers are still significant. We estimate that there are more than 4200 nationally. They provide education to an estimated 655,000 students. However, based on the survey of a random sample of 25% of the districts, 40% of the officially listed Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs within those districts had disappeared between 2002 and 2010. Some of them have been converted to Dakhil Madrasahs, some to Qoumi Madrasahs, and a small number to kindergartens. Most Ibtedaye Madrasahs are small with average enrolment of 153 students, an average of 4.5 rooms, and an average of 4 teachers. There is gender equity in enrolments, with girls accounting for 39% to 75% of enrolments in the sampled upazilas. There is considerable variation, however, between upazilas, Girls and boys benefit equally from stipends though there are significantly fewer stipend-receiving students in Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs (less than 13% of all students) than would be

5

Documentation and details of our study of access can be found in Chapter 2.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education found in a comparable sample of primary schools (where 40% has been the recent norm). Only 11% of the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah teachers have had any teacher training. The madrasahs are in poor condition, with only 5% of rural Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs having pucca buildings. Most have water supplies and 63% of the water supplies have tested negative for arsenic (i.e., 37% of the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs either have not been tested and/or do not have safe water). Electricity is installed in 18% of the madrasahs. QOUMI MADRASAHS 8. The specially commissioned census of all Qoumi Madrasahs in 10% of the districts revealed the complexity of the Qoumi sector. The census findings cannot be used to scientifically estimate the national situation of Qoumi Madrasahs because the districts included in the census were not randomly sampled from the whole of Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the census of these seven districts does provide interesting and useful findings about Qoumi Madrasahs. (In addition, the research approach and data collection format used can form the basis for a future national survey of Qoumi Madrasahs.) The census revealed a wide range of Qoumi Madrasah sizes, age coverage, educational programmes, and physical facilities. Nine Qoumi boards were identified in the seven districts included in the census, but the overwhelming majority (355 of 544) of board-registered Qoumi Madrasahs are registered with the Befaqul Qoumi Madrasah Board (BEFAQ). Surprisingly, 35% are not registered. About 85% of students are boys but about 25% of the institutions accept girls. There is wide variation in the student-teacher ratio between madrasahs in rural, municipal and metropolitan areas. About half of the students attending Qoumi madrasahs are residential, with a substantial number benefiting from free boarding. The quality of the Qoumi Madrasahs’ facilities varies widely but over 90% of them have water, toilets, and electricity. This compares very favourably with Aliya Madrasahs. QUALITY6 9. A wide gap has existed in the curricula used in general education schools and in Aliya Madrasahs. Based on a careful study of curricula and textbooks it is concluded that the amount of content included in general education subjects has been less in Aliya Madrasahs’ textbooks than in the general education schools’ textbooks. Curricula, syllabi, and textbooks of the general subjects prescribed by the BMEB did not contain the same number of teaching units as those prescribed by the NCTB. These differences in the textbooks are especially important because it is the textbook that defines the differences in the content and amount of material taught to students in the two systems. This is because teachers use the textbooks as their primary teaching resources. Recent developments in the national educational policy have attempted to close the gap between the two systems. In the coming years, a common core of general education subjects will be taught in the two systems using the same textbooks and common examinations will be instituted for general education subjects. Once this policy is fully implemented, it will give a measure of comparability between secondary schools and Dakhil Madrasahs.

6

Documentation and details of our study of quality can be found in Chapter 3.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 10. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are supposed to follow the general education subjects’ curriculum similar to that used in government primary schools with the addition of religious education. Study of the general education subjects’ curricula and textbooks prescribed by NCTB and BMEB show that they are not the same. The BMEB prescribed curricula and textbooks include less content, have fewer teaching units, and have different approaches to gender equity. These differences along with poorly qualified and untrained teachers, with a general neglect of physical and learning resources, and with no instructional supervision or inspection, lead one to conclude that students in the Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs have not experienced a curriculum comparable to that of students in government primary schools, and probably also not comparable to students in non-government primary schools. Generalizations concerning Qoumi curricula cannot be easily made since there is no single umbrella body for prescribing curricula and many Qoumi madrasahs are independent of any board. 11. The pass rates for the general education stream’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and the Dakhil Examination for ten years show Dakhil leavers to have a higher rate of passing their examination than the general education secondary school leavers have of passing the SSC. However, the curriculum, textbooks, and examination questions of the BMEB and NCTB were found to be so different that these examination results cannot be validly or meaningfully compared. In addition, because of the low requirements for students to be certified as “passing” an examination in either system, the reported pass rates are not indicators of the quality of student learning. INTERNAL EFFICIENCY7 12. Dropout at the secondary level is disturbingly high. The rates of cycle completion in the general secondary education stream are 42% for boys and 34% for girls; in the madrasahs the rates are slightly better – 50% for boys and 36% for girls. These low completion rates for both systems represent a huge loss of money to the country and to the families who have invested for the future of their children. Although no data were collected in the survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs on dropout and repetition, they exhibit pattern of heavy enrolments in the early grades with a sharp decline in enrolment by Class 5 that is so typical of primary schools in Bangladesh. This suggests significant attrition in the course of the 5-years cycle. Dropout in Qoumi Madrasahs is thought to be very low perhaps because they are predominantly residential institutions and many students receive free board and some get free food. EQUITY8 13. Availability, proximity, and affordability have made madrasah education attractive to rural and poor parents who cannot afford the costs associated with other types of education. Madrasahs are particularly appealing where girls are concerned, when the benefits of moral and religious issues are added to lower household costs and stipends. Although girls are being enrolled in greater numbers, their wastage rate is higher than that of boys. Girls do not fare as well as boys in terms of performance, retention, and completion rates. Moreover, in the case of madrasahs, girls are being educated in a context where women’s rights and 7 8

Documentation and details of our study of internal efficiency can be found in Chapter 4. Documentation and details of our study of equity can be found in Chapter 5.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education access to full citizenship are not always fully supported. Girls’ educational achievements do not translate as well as boys into post-secondary education opportunities or higher salaries on graduation. Equity analysis shows that in Aliya Madrasahs, female teachers are rare and female education managers even rarer. Approximately 10% of all madrasah teachers are female and less than 3% of Dakhil Madrasahs have female superintendents or assistant superintendents. Vulnerable groups are not well represented either with very few madrasahs having recorded students with disabilities. Orphans are roughly 3% of all students in Dakhil Madrasahs. SYSTEM PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT9 14. The National Education Policy 2010 displays a commitment to bringing the Aliya Madrasahs, but not the Qoumi, into the framework of an overall education policy and plan. However, the implementation strategy is not yet fully developed. The capacity of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board for policy analysis and technical planning is at present non-existent. Education policy and planning suffers when there is a dearth of reliable and up-to-date information. At present, the secondary sector, including the Aliya Madrasah sub-sector, has a somewhat disjointed system of information collection, processing, retrieval, and reporting. Although an integrated EMIS covering the main administrative, management, monitoring, and evaluation functions was specified in 2006/7, only one part, the management of the Monthly Payment Only (MPO), is functioning. Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are not included in the annual census of primary schools nor are they surveyed during the irregular BANBEIS surveys of post-primary education institutions. Qoumi Madrasahs also fall outside the existing and proposed systems for data collection and analysis. 15. Implementation of the National Education Policy, along with the restructuring of schooling to an eight years primary cycle and four years secondary phase, will require substantial additional planning capacity and reliable up-to-date information. 16. Institutional analysis of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB) showed that, although decisions are in principle “autonomous”, the BMEB frequently refers decisions to the Ministry of Education. Like other government organizations, a strict hierarchy in the BMEB inhibits lower level staff from contributing to institutional performance. Moreover, while almost all senior staff members are seconded from the Bangladesh Civil Service (education cadre), the BMEB’s own staff members have no route for professional development and promotion. Human resource management is neglected. Overall, BMEB has inadequate numbers of high level and mid-level technical staff members who can plan, manage, monitor, and evaluate the more than 13,500 Aliya Madrasahs. A total absence within the BMEB of female professional staff members is noted. The TA has prepared a Capacity Development Plan (CDP) for madrasah education sector. The CDP is a medium-term proposal focusing on developing human resources and institutional capacity for the madrasah sector. The Road Map for madrasah education contains detailed proposals, also.

9

Documentation and details of our study of system planning and management can be found in Chapter 6.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education FINANCE10 17. Against a backdrop of a respectable growth rates in the GDP, the country over the past few years has consistently allocated only 2.0% – 2.3% of the GDP to education. Education’s share of the government’s revenue budget has been in the range 15 – 19% during the period 2000 – 2008. Within the education revenue budget, madrasahs have held their share at about 11%. However, primary education took the lion’s share of the education development budget over the period 2000 – 2008. Secondary education, including madrasah education, fared poorly with steadily decreasing allocations from the development budget: when the effects of inflation are removed, the allocations in 2006/07 were less than in 2001/02. 18. Relative unit recurrent expenditures in non-government secondary schools and madrasahs have improved in the period 2005/6 to 2008/9. However, these recurrent expenditures are still significantly below the internationally accepted norm of recurrent expenditures per secondary level student: The norm is is to spend on secondary students twice that spent on primary students. The significance of low inputs per student, taken in the context of very high wastage through low completion rates of the secondary cycle, indicates that the secondary schools and madrasahs are possibly receiving insufficient resources to operate effectively or to produce their potential output. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS11 19. On the whole, students attending Aliya Madrasahs experience a lower quality of education. They have insufficient inputs provided by the government and the communities that manage those madrasahs. Moreover, with rare exceptions the perception of the public is also that madrasahs offer an inferior education. The MSS has identified six main obstacles that Aliya Madrasahs face in improving quality. These are A. The lack of adequate training in teaching methodology of the majority of madrasah teachers B. Failure to use the same textbooks and examination questions as general education schools for non-religious subjects at all levels of madrasah education C. The lack of capacity of the BMEB to plan, manage, monitor, and evaluate Aliya Madrasah education D. Failure of students to complete their education cycles E. Failure to teach Dakhil Madrasah students in good facilities that are equipped for learning F. Failure to teach Independent Ibtedaye Madrasah student in good facilities that are equipped for learning 20. The Road Map and Indicative Investment Proposal for Madrasah Education have detailed recommendations for each of these obstacles. Hence, we recommend

10

Documentation and details of our study of finance can be found in Chapter 7.

11

Additional details of our conclusions and recommendations are found in Chapter 8, The Road Map document, and the Indicative Investment Proposal document. The latter two documents are included with the Final Report.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education a) A massive teacher-training program for 50,000 teachers over 6 years b) Adoption by madrasahs, after vetting, of the curriculum and textbooks of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board for general subjects, and revision of the textbooks for religious subjects c) A capacity development plan for the BMEB involving substantial local, international, and on-the-job training d) Conditional cash transfers for the poorest students in the poorest upazilas to encourage sustained attendance and to prevent dropout e) A re-building program at 120 Dakhil Madrasahs in the poorest areas to provide pucca facilities that can act as “flagships” to other communities 21. A package of improvements to some 200 Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs, including enhancement of facilities and materials, and teacher and head teacher training.

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CHAPTER 1 1.0

INTRODUCTION

“There is no way we can understand the logic, strategy, and dynamics of civil society anywhere in the Third World unless we bring the transcendental back into our analysis. Religious devotion is a fundamental motive for many social movements in the South from Latin America to Africa and South Asia.” Glasius and Kaldor, Global Civil Society Report, 2004, page 45, Quoted in Bano and Mair, 2007. 1.1

WHY STUDY BANGLADESH MADRASAH EDUCATION NOW?

22. A study of madrasah education in Bangladesh is timely for a number of reasons of which the following are pre-eminent: •

The number of madrasahs has mushroomed since Liberation.

•

It is generally perceived that the quality of madrasah education falls short of that in general education.

•

Whereas general education, especially at the primary level, has had substantial investments over the last two decades madrasah education has received little development aid.

•

Recent deliberations of official education commissions have again raised the issue of mainstreaming of madrasah education.

•

There is suspicion among segments of civil society that some madrasahs are the source of Islamic fundamentalist teaching.

23. The Terms of Reference agreed between the Bank and the Government of Bangladesh included activities intended to throw light on the first four of the above. The last factor is one which requires an altogether different methodology from that required by the other factors. Hence, the report is silent on the subject of the degree to which some madrasahs may be associated with fundamentalism. In the course of visits to almost 50 madrasahs no evidence emerged of fundamentalist teaching. 1.2

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MADRASAH EDUCATION

24. Madrasah education is more than a thousand years old originating from Egypt (Anzar 2003: 3) and spreading over the Middle East, and South Asian countries making significant impacts while also evolving. It has also spread in Spain and African countries marking important developments of Islamic knowledge and philosophy. In 1067, Nizam-ul-Mulk established numerous madrasahs in Iraq where, in addition to providing Islamic knowledge, secular subjects including astronomy, architecture, philosophy, public administration, governance and many other fields of sciences were taught.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 25. In Bangladesh, madrasah education mainly offers conservative Islamic education preparing students for a rigorous religious life, and a preparation for life beyond this world. Despite its focus on Islamic education, however, this stream of learning, in the past and continuing today, has included some secular disciplines like jurisprudence, medicine, science, literature, and art. 1.3

THE ORIGIN OF MADRASAHS IN THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT

26. Madrasahs, as formal institutions for Islamic education came to India during the Delhi Sultanate (the 13th to 16th centuries in the Christian calendar). During that period no single model of madrasah pre-dominated, there being autonomy to decide what the curriculum should be. Generally, however, students were exposed to both “rational sciences” and “revealed” knowledge since they were intended for posts in the courts of rulers and in the practice of Islamic law. The colonial period (1757- 1947) saw a transformation in the institutions of Islamic education in the undivided Bengal. Under the East India Company the policy was not to interfere with local religious practices, though Christian missionaries were tolerated. In 1780, the Governor of Bengal, Warren Hastings, set up, initially from his own pocket, the Calcutta Madrasah that he intended for the sons of the elite so as to prepare them for positions in the evolving colonial administration. The curriculum adopted was Darsi-Nizami which made the rational sciences central to education and placed emphasis on students thinking for themselves. The Calcutta Madrasah was replicated at Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Hughli in the 1870s. At first, the Calcutta Madrasah was supported by government funds. A change of colonial education policy in the 1830s led to the discontinuance of that support, Western education institutions were established officially, and English was made the language of instruction. Around the same time English replaced Persian in the courts. 27. While the British encouraged one kind of Madrasah their actions had the unintended consequence of catalysing the creation of a wholly distinct form of madrasah – the Darul Uloom or Deoband Madrasah. This madrasah was founded some 10 years after the Indian Mutiny in Deoband, a small town in Northern India. The founding mawlanas were reputed to have taken part in the mutiny. The core of the curriculum was and continues to be “revealed knowledge”, although a version of the Dars-i-Nizami curriculum was adopted. The Deoband Madrasah was set up in opposition to the colonially inspired Calcutta model and later followers of the Deoband Madrasah model became active in the struggle for Indian independence. The Deoband model spread over time and drew students from as far away as Bengal12. A point worth noting is that, since the aim of madrasah education was to define true Muslimness that could be achieved by following the true path, there were significant differences among the leadership of what constituted the true path. Hence, the movement, if we can term it that, was not uniform and differences still remain to be reconciled. 1.4

MADRASAHS IN BENGAL AND BANGLADESH

28. In 1915, a major change in curriculum was made to the Calcutta Madrasahs, by now numbering some hundreds, through supplanting Persian by English and introducing modern subjects such as mathematics, history, geography, and physical education. Madrasahs that adopted the “new scheme” curriculum were supported financially by the State while those 12

Riaz 2007 page 74.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education institutions that continued with the “old scheme” were left unsupported. At Independence of India in 1947 there were some five kinds of Islamic educational institution: old-scheme and new scheme madrasahs of the Calcutta tradition; madrasahs of the Deoband tradition; maktabs or pre-primary institutions, and Hafizia madrasahs which teach the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an. By the time of Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, old scheme and new scheme madrasahs became the government-supported Aliya system; the privately supported Qoumi Madrasahs followed the Deoband tradition, and the Hafizia and maktabs continued. The present set of Aliya Madrasahs are therefore quite varied in their origins, some having been “old scheme” but now reformed while others have been established in the post-Liberation period when the growth, as we shall see below, has been explosive. As late as 1967, official figures showed that there were many more “old scheme” than new scheme madrasahs – 1265 of the former and only 86 “reformed” madrasahs (Riaz, 2007, p 215). At the same time there were 3328 Deoband-style madrasahs of which the authorities knew little or nothing. 29. The madrasah system continued to be attached to the Islamic aspects of the Bangladeshi identity; so much so that it became synonymous with anti-westernization, and later with pro-Pakistani tendencies. Further, the neglect of the madrasah system during the time of colonization created an aura of backwardness about it compared to the modern educational system. This had a strong influence on the negative views of the educated middle class and elites of Bangladesh. They adopted the view, and for the most part continue to believe, that the madrasah system is a backward one, and that it must be replaced by the modern educational system. (Abdalla, Raisuddin, and Hussein, 2004: 7). 30. Soon after Liberation in 1971 the issue of madrasah education became a subject of political debate between those who wanted to assert Bangladeshi identity and those who wanted to assert a Muslim one. While generalisations are to be avoided when commenting on madrasahs in Bangladesh, the accepted position is that Qoumi Madrasahs are more attached to Muslim identity, with less regard for Bangladeshi identity. Their teaching is mainly in Urdu and Farsi (Persian) because those languages are perceived to assert the Indian-subcontinent Muslim identity. Madrasahs that seem to embrace a more Bangladeshi identity are most Aliya Madrasahs that teach in Bengali (Abdulla et al 2004). 1.5

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF ALIYA AND QOUMI MADRASAHS

1.5.1

ALIYA

31. The Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board (BMEB) oversees the Aliya system. There are five recognised levels that have their general education stream equivalents. Ibtedaye or primary level is a course of 5 years; Dakhil is a 5 year course of secondary level; Alim is a two years course at the higher secondary level, while the two-year Fazil and Kamil levels are equivalent to bachelor’s and master’s programmes. BMEB examines candidates at Dahkil and Alim levels while the Islamic University examines at the higher levels. Transfer to the general stream is possible after Dahkil and Alim. Change is happening, however. For instance from 2010, Ibtedaye students began to sit for the primary leaving examination. The curriculum is an amalgam of secular and religious subjects13. All Aliya Madrasahs, except for 13

Chapter 3, Quality deals with the content of the curriculum at the Dakhil level.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education three, are managed by communities. Most teachers and some non-teaching staff receive monthly salary support (called MPO) from the government. Teachers are appointed by madrasah managing committees though they must now be certified by the Non-government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA). (Details of institutions, enrolments, teacher numbers, and salary support are provided under Chapter 2, Access). 32. An important aspect of Aliya Madrasahs is that, in general, they are day institutions and operate on a calendar similar to secondary schools in terms of hours per day, days per week, and numbers of holidays. 1.5.2

QOUMI

33. The Qoumi Madrasahs do not form a “system”; rather the term is an umbrella for madrasahs of various kinds which adhere in part to the Deoband tradition. Since Independence both Pakistan and Bangladesh Governments have in effect left them to their own devices. As yet, their numbers are unknown, their student enrolments and yearly outputs of graduates uncounted, their sources of funds unidentified except in most general terms. Yet, they are not unchanging: the majority are now registered with one or other Qoumi Boards of which the main one, the Befakul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh (Bangladesh Qoumi Madrasah Education Board), publishes textbooks which are widely used in the Qoumi Madrasahs and offers examinations. The Qoumi Madrasah curriculum can be characterised as subject-based rather than grade-based. The aim is to make the student proficient in fields of study that will ensure a graduate’s authority on Islamic life style. The pace and sequence of learning depend on both the institution and the learner’s ability. Students can be admitted as young as age six and graduate finally with a high level qualification at age 22 or later. There is a great deal of variety in how studies are conducted in Qoumi Madrasahs making generalisation difficult. What is clear is that, besides the aim of instilling a clear sense of morality and Islamic spirituality in their students, the Qoumis are, like Christian seminaries of old, in the business of training future spiritual leaders, that is they are vocational institutions. 34. In sharp contrast to the operations of the Aliya Madrasahs, Qoumi are generally boarding institutions, operate a whole day programme for 7 days per week, and are closed only for religious holidays at the two Eid celebrations. Many have orphanages attached. Some students, 18% in the survey commissioned by the CDTA Project, receive free food. 1.5.3

OUTCOMES FROM TWO SYSTEMS

35. Gupta (2010)14, writing of madrasahs in West Bengal, argues that debates about the usefulness of madrasah education in terms of its ability to train students for the job market continue to rage even today, reflecting, at root, “two very different conceptions of education, and indeed of life and its very purpose”. The situation in Bangladesh is that while Aliya Madrasahs prepare students in both secular and religious subjects, their outputs may not be able, because of lack of depth of knowledge, to compete with those of Qoumi Madrasahs in the religious education job market. On the other hand, Aliya students, boys and girls, 14

Gupta Nilanjana. Reading with Allah; Madrassas in West Bengal. New Delhi: Routledge, 2010. See http://madrasareforms.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-review-reading-with-allahmadrasas.html

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education generally, have the edge over Qoumi outputs when competing for positions in the modern labour market. Their main competition comes from those emerging from the general education stream. (See Chapter 3 on Quality.) A recent study carried out by World Bank (2010) reveals how student performance in both of Aliya and Qoumi system is poor in general subjects like Math and English. This finding obviously raises the issue of teacher quality. Most madrasah teachers are not included in an effective training network as will be documented in Chapter3. 1.6

GROWTH OF ALIYA MADRASAHS AND THE REASONS FOR THAT GROWTH

Figure 1.1: Growth of Aliya Madrasahs

2008

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1995

1992

1990

1985

1981

1980

1978

1977

1975

1972

10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1970

Number of Madrasahs

Number of Madrasahs, 1970 to 2008

Year

Source: Riaz, Ali (2007, Table 4.3) up to 2005, remaining years from BANBEIS pocket book statistics.

36. The total number of Aliya madrasahs15 increased from 1,518 in 1970 to 9,384 by 2008 – a six-fold increase. The 1980s experienced the steepest rise in the growth rate of madrasahs with the number of madrasahs more than doubling from 1981 to 1990 reaching a total of 5,793 institutions towards the end of 1990 from 2,466 in 1981. Enrolments of course, also expanded significantly. Appendix 1.1 shows the upward trends in madrasah institutions and enrolments over almost a period of 40 years.

15

Since Qoumi Madrasahs have no single umbrella body and do not need to register, there are no comparable statistics for Qoumi Madrasahs. The Government has not attempted to count or survey them. As part of this Bank TA a survey of 10% sample of the Qoumi Madrasahs was conducted. On the basis of the data thus generated, a essential characteristics of Qoumi Madrasahs are known. See Appendix 11.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Table 1.1 Summarises the status of enrolments in Aliya Madrasahs as at 2008. Table 1.1 Consolidated Data for Enrolments in Aliya Madrasahs 2008. Section of Madrasah

Boys

Girls

Total

892,014

771,353

1,663,367

771,112

897,316

1,668,508

146,519

81,084

Enrolments 1 – 10

1,663,126

1,668,749

3,331,875

Enrolments 1 – 16

1,809,645

1,749,833

3,559,478

Attached Ibtedaye * Classes 1-5, in 9275 madrasahs Dakhil** Classes 6-10, in 9384 madrasahs Alim, Fazil and Kamil** Classes 11- 16

227,603

Source: *BANBEIS 2009 Table 4.1.2. ** BANBEIS 2010 a Table 11 “Enrolments by Class”. 37. When the estimated enrolments in 2010 for Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are taken into account – see Chapter 2 and Annex 10 – a further 600,000 may be confidently added bringing the number of students in all Aliya Madrasahs to more than 4.1 million and in Classes 1 – 10 to more than 3.9 million. 38. Several reasons can be proposed for the very marked expansion of the Aliya Madrasah system since Liberation. First, a major, though unstated education policy, was in the period since Liberation, to freeze in the number of fully government education institutions at levels more or less as they were at Liberation in 1971. For instance, the number of Government Primary Schools (GPS) is today almost the same as in 1971. Soon after Liberation, the primary schools were “nationalized” and all teachers enjoyed the same conditions as other public servants. Similarly, there are only 317 Government Secondary Schools and 3 Government Aliya Madrasahs while there are almost 19,000 registered nongovernment secondary schools and approaching 9400 non-government Aliya Secondary Madrasahs. The effect of this education policy has been to hold down education charges on the public budget. Demand for education at all levels has been met by allowing communities to set up and manage schools and madrasahs as well as allowing NGOs to become education providers. Many of the non-government education institutions have government cash support for the payment of teachers’ salaries and, sometimes also, for meeting some investment costs. Student fees and community contributions expand the pool of resources at least in secondary schools. The education system of Bangladesh is a mosaic of types of schools, particularly at the primary level. As we will describe in Chapter 7 Bangladesh allocate a lower proportion of GDP to education than comparable regional states. 39. Another aspect of the policy of encouraging community or private development of pre-higher education is that, the demand for secondary school places in rural areas has to be met almost entirely by community efforts because 80% of the population lives in rural areas, whereas the old-established secondary schools are in urban and peri-urban areas.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Since all villages have mosques and most mosques have a maktab for preparing young children in the rituals of Islam, there is a ready route for development of madrasahs from pre-schools through the primary or Ibtedaye stage to Dakhil and beyond. 40. A second factor that encouraged the growth of madrasahs has been the steady move towards Islamization of Bangladesh. While it was not until 1988 that the initially secular state constitution was altered to make Islam the state religion, the process of making Islam the basis of socio-cultural life had been set in train only a few years after Liberation. The military regimes of Generals Zia and Ershad both embraced Islam for political and other ends. As will be reported in Chapter 2, almost half of the existing Aliya Madrasahs were founded in the period 1971- 1990. There was in that period the environment for the growth of madrasahs – both Aliya and Qoumi. Very recently the present government reinstated that policy of Bangladesh as a secular state. 41. A third factor, which probably applies to both types of madrasah is parental choice: many parents prefer their children to be educated in madrasahs on the grounds that their children will be more securely grounded in Islam and will grow up to be good Muslims. For some parents the Muslim identity is perceived to be under threat by invading “immoral” and Western influences. 1.7

MADRASAHS’ PAST AND PRESENT

42. Madrasahs, faith-based educational institutions, have a long and complex history in Bangladesh. For some time there has been a bifurcation with one type, the Aliya, being partly funded and supervised by government and the other, the Qoumi, standing outside state control. The following chapters will attempt to portray the features of the Aliya Madrasah system, operating under the BMEB. Issues of access, quality, equity, internal efficiency, management, and finance will be addressed. Through surveying a 25% random sample of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs, also part of the Aliya Madrasah tradition, insights have been gained on some of the feeder institutions to Dakhil Madrasahs. In addition, information on Qoumi Madrasahs has been compiled mainly through a 10% survey of Qoumi Madrasahs, the inclusion of a few Qoumi Madrasahs in the Qualitative Study and through visits to some Qoumi Madrasahs, observation and discussion with informed sources.

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CHAPTER 2

ACCESS INTRODUCTION 43. Access and participation go together. Access has close links to the supply of places in educational institutions, whereas participation measures the expressed demand, through actual enrolment in education. Access will influence participation, for instance, when new or improved facilities come on stream. This chapter to a considerable extent takes a secondary school sector-wise view of access; then focuses on madrasah education as one of the three streams of secondary education, the others being general secondary and TVET. Material from the 25% survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs and from the survey of Qoumi Madrasahs is also presented where appropriate. However, the main focus is on the factors affecting access at the secondary level (classes 6–10) in the context of provision for the entire age group 11 – 16 in Bangladesh. While participation at primary level (Classes 1- 5) is nearly universal, the secondary education sector, including madrasah education and TVET, has a long way to go to catch up. The 2010 National Education Policy has a goal of universalising education up to Class 8. Secondary education will cover Classes 9 – 12. However, in this chapter where secondary education is mentioned, it is as presently conceived, i.e., Classes 6 - 10. The data on secondary schools and Dakhil madrasahs comes from the 2008 survey of all post-primary education instiututions undertaken by BANBIES on behalf of the Ministry of Education. No samples are involved. 2.1

ACCESS IN THE SCHOOL SECTOR

44. Taking the school sector to mean all classes from pre-school to Class 12, Bangladesh has a rich array of possibilities for parents and guardians looking for school places. Pre-school classes are found in primary schools, in Ibtedaye Madrasahs as well as in the NGO and private sectors. At the primary level there are 10 main types of primary schooling, including primary schooling within the Aliya Madrasah system, as well as in NGO schools. Qoumi Madrasahs are not one of the 10 recognised types of primary school though primary level of education is offered there, though not providing the broad national curriculum. At secondary level there is a narrower range of institutions: government secondary schools, non-government secondary schools, government madrasahs, nongovernment madrasahs (of which there are more than 9000), and an unknown number of Qoumi madrasahs. It is essential to consider briefly participation at the primary level since the flow of students from the final class of primary/ Ibtedaye provide the inputs to secondary education. In 2008, the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) calculated the transition rate from primary to secondary as 97.5%, DPE 2010 Table 3.15. However, completion of the primary cycle is of the order of 60%: hence, the numbers who make the move to the present secondary cycle have considerable potential to grow.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 2.3

ACCESS IN THE PRIMARY SECTOR

45. When the participation rates at primary level are calculated, an estimate of Ibtedaye enrolments is included16. The Gross Enrolment Rate at primary level was given for 2009 as 103.5% and the net enrolment as 93.9, DPE, 2010 Table 1. As a result of our sample survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs, DPE will be able to update their calculations of gross and net enrolment rates for 2010 using the estimates from the 2010 sample survey of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs. 2.4

IBTEDAYE MADRASAHS

46. There are two types of Ibtedaye Madrasah. First, in 2008 there were 9279 attached Ibtedayes with 1,663,367 students (BANBEIS 2009, Table 4.1.2). Almost all higher madrasahs have Ibtedaye sections that deal with Classes 1- 5 i.e., they are equivalent to primary classes17. Second, there are the Independent Ibtedaye18 Madrasahs that are not attached to a higher madrasah. The CDTA commissioned a sample of 25% of those Ibtedaye Madrasahs. Based on this 25% sample, we estimate that, in Bangladesh, there are in 2010 some 427819 Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs with 655,250 students20. Full details of the results of the 2010 sample survey are given in Appendix 10. 47. The present bifurcation of ministerial authority in the education sector places all (Aliya) madrasahs under the Ministry of Education (MOE). Responsibility for the Ibtedaye Madrasahs rests with the MOE21. However, Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs are neither surveyed nor routinely supervised by the MOE. Until the CDTA sample survey, statistics for Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs were projected by BANBEIS from data collected in the early part of the decade by the DPE, working under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. 2.5

QOUMI MADRASAHS

48. Until now there has been no reliable data available on the Qoumi Madrasahs that do not have formal links to the government and have no regulatory framework as do Aliya Madrasahs. Hence, reliable estimates of how many institutions are there, and how many students of what ages study there, have not been available. The leading, but independent board, Befaqul Madarasil Arabia Bangladesh, known also as the Qoumi Board, claims to have 80% of all Qoumi Madrasahs registered. Were the Qoumi enrolments at primary and secondary levels to be included in the calculation of participation rates the rates would, of course, be higher. Hence, participation rates for both primary and secondary education have 16

The number of Independent Ibtedaye Madrasahs is given in DPE, 2010, Table 1.1 as 6744. On the basis of the sample survey done in 2010 that estimate is about 50% too high. Many madrasahs listed by official sources no longer exist. On the other hand, the estimated number of students in 2009 – 636,984 is only 6% lower than the estimate made on the basis of the 2010 sample survey. There is also a discrepancy in the numbers of Ibtedaye Madrasahs attached to higher madrasahs- DPE Table 1.1 shows 9233 whereas BANBEIS, 2009 shows 9279; enrolments are given as 1,352,831 in the former and 1,663,667 in the latter, 23% higher. DPE figures are for 2009 and BANBEIS for 2008. But the quoted source of DPE figures is BANBEIS. 17 There were 9381 higher madrasahs in 2008 of which 9279 had attached Ibtedaye sections. 18 Also called “Unattached” Ibtedaye Madrasahs. 19 Standard error of 77. 20 Standard error 12203. 21 It is understood that no decision has been taken on whether Ibtedaye Madrasahs will be transferred to MOPME.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education to be interpreted with caution. There are at least 9 identified Boards in the seven Districts of the Qoumi survey areas: but, the overwhelming majority (355 of 544) of institutions that are registered with a Board are with Befaqul and, surprisingly, many are not registered: they may be lower level institutions that do not offer formal examinations. Some institutions use another more local board for regular tests but use Befaqul for terminal examinations. 49. Based on our sample, about 85% of students in the Qoumi Madrasahs are boys but about 25% of the institutions accept girls, either for single sex provision or in mixed institutions in which they are normally taught separately. Girls-only Madrasahs have a slightly better overall student-teacher ratio than boys-only or mixed madrasahs. But there is wider variation of student-teacher ratio in all types between institutions in rural, municipal and metropolitan areas. 50. The “attached” sections of Quomi Madrasahs provide a mix of pre-school and additional education with almost as many boys attending these sections (and a rather lower proportion of girls) than are formally enrolled. These may be students, who are also enrolled in other institutions, or in the case of pre-school students, proceed to other types of institutions subsequently. In such cases Quomis may essentially be providing the religious education that students and their parents seek as complementary to their learning in other institutions.. About half of the students on Quomi madrasahs are residential, with a substantial number benefiting from free boarding. Facilities vary widely: but, over 90% of the Quomis have water, toilets and electricity, a situation which compares very favourably that in Aliya Madrasahs. Full details of the Qoumi survey are found in Appendix 11. 2.6

SECONDARY LEVEL ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION

2.6.1

INSTITUTIONS AND ENROLMENTS

51. In 2008 there were some 22,033 schools and colleges offering general secondary education including 317 schools and 252 colleges that are government-managed, 9384 madrasahs of which three are government-managed, and 3116 TVET institutions of which 335 are government-managed. Enrolments at the secondary level, i.e., Classes 6 to 10, are approximately 8.6 millions in general secondary of which 6.8 millions are in secondary schools, 1.7 million in madrasahs, and 71,000 in TVET institutions (BANBEIS, 2010a, Table 10) In both general secondary schools and madrasahs there is gender parity in enrolments: in fact girls outnumber boys in both streams. Of the total enrolments at the secondary level some 19% are in Dakhil classes, less than 1% in TVET, and the remaining 80% are in the general secondary stream. Table 2.1 summarises the key data on enrolments. 52. In order to estimate the participation rates at secondary level, enrolments in secondary schools, madrasahs, and in TVET institutions have to be considered. Moreover, in the case of secondary schools and madrasahs, those enrolments in primary grades (1 - 5) have to be excluded, while in all three types of institution enrolments in post-secondary classes have also to be excluded. Table 2.2 summarises data on participation rates.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education Table 2.1: Percentage Enrolments in the Three Streams of Secondary Education, 2008 Stream

Girls

Boys

Both

General

80.0

79.3

79.7

Madrasah

19.6

19.4

19.5

TVET

0.4

1.4

0.9

Source: BANBEIS, 2010a Table 10

The outstanding feature of this table is the low proportion of girls in TVET. Table 2.2 Gross and Net Enrolment Rates for Boys and Girls in Secondary Schools and Madrasahs, 2008 All Students

Girls

Boys

Gross Enrolment Ratio, GER

49.8%

56.0%

44.2%

Net Enrolment Ratio, NER

48.5%

55.8%

42.0%

Source: BANBEIS, 2010a, Table 10. Note: Only enrolments in the secondary level equivalent classes are measured here.

53. In 2008 the estimated school age population (11- 16 year olds) was 17.19 millions the gross enrolment rate for all students was almost 50% and the net enrolment rate was 48.5% (see Table 2.2). If enrolments in Qoumi Madrasahs were added to those in the three “official” streams of secondary education, then the GER and NER would, of course, be higher. Noteworthy are the gross and net enrolments of girls which stand at 57% and 55.8%, respectively, and therefore well in advance of boys’ enrolment which lags behind at only 42% for the net enrolment ratio and 44.2% for the gross enrolment ratio. There are, therefore, just 2 percentage point difference for boys and no difference in the GER and NER for girls. When one compares these with the same ratio for primary education, one can infer that generally the secondary students are within the correct age group of 11- 16 years. In primary, there is a 10 percentage point difference between the GER (103.5%) and NER (93.9%) indicating many students who are younger or older than the specified official age range of 6 – 10 years (DPE, 2010, Table 1.1). 54. There are striking variations in participation rates between the six administrative divisions with Barisal having the highest and Sylhet having the lowest participation rates at approximately 70% and 42% for the GER respectively (see Section 2.2.2 below). 55. Access to both secondary schools and Dakhil Madrasahs has increased markedly in the last quarter of a century. If we separate junior secondary schools (Classes 6 - 8) from secondary schools (Classes 6 - 10) the compound growth rates over the period 1983 – 2008 have been 2.7% and 3.33% per year respectively for junior secondary and secondary schools. In the same period, the number of Dakhil Madrasahs has expanded at a compound rate of 5.83%. (Appendix 2.2). However, non-government secondary schools have higher

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education average enrolments than madrasahs: junior secondary schools average 143 and secondary schools average 399 (BANBEIS 2009, Table 1.1). The average enrolment in a madrasah is 202 of whom 104 are girls (Ibid Table 4.3.2). Hence, while there has been more growth of madrasahs than of secondary schools, madrasahs have roughly half the enrolment of secondary schools, the number of extra “seats” in both sectors has been of a similar order of magnitude. Madrasahs are overwhelmingly rural institutions and may fill gaps in provision of secondary schooling in areas where communications are difficult, population less dense than in areas covered by secondary schools and where there are more very poor households. More is said on access factors below, Section 2.6.4. 2.6.2

DIVISIONAL DISPARITIES

56. To compare more objectively the possibility of access to secondary level institutions in different Divisions, a ratio was created of the number of secondary level institutions per 100,000 of population. While nationally there are 15 general secondary institutions and 6 Dakhil level madrasahs per 100,000 of population, at the divisional level there are variations of 11 to 20 for general secondary institutions and 4 – 13 for Dakhil Madrasahs. The larger variation of madrasahs is worth noting since it is evidence of clustering of Aliya madrasahs in certain areas. Barisal has the largest concentration of both secondary schools and madrasahs and this factor must explain at least in part, why Barisal Division has a high participation rate. Table 2.3 shows the key data participation for three of the six administrative divisions. 57. If we use enrolments instead of institutions, nationally for every 100,000 of population 6004 persons have access to a secondary education, 1312 persons have access to madrasahs, and only 162 persons have access to TVET (Appendix 2.3). Again the divisional disparities are large and interesting. The range for general secondary is from 7137 persons per 100,000 of population in Khulna to 4783 persons per 100,000 of population in Sylhet. For access to madrasahs, the range is much greater with Barisal having 2483 persons and Sylhet at 858 persons about two-thirds less per 100,000 respectively. Dhaka division has 930 persons per 100,000 in madrasahs, perhaps reflecting easier access to general secondary education in Dhaka Division. Table 2.3: Comparison of Indicators for Selected Divisions, 2008 Indicators

Three Divisions Barisal

Dhaka

Sylhet

GER, All Students

62%

44%

38%

GER, Girls

70%

50%

42%

Ratio of Secondary Schools per 100,000 of population

20

11

12

Ratio of Madrasahs per 100,000 of population

13

4

4

Source: BANBEIS, 2010a, Tables 1 and 10.

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ADB TA 7206-BAN: Capacity Development for Madrasah Education 58. The above table shows that the high participation rate in secondary level education in Barisal is associated with an even higher female participation rate and high availability of secondary schools and madrasahs. There are even more madrasahs per 100,000 of population in Barisal than secondary schools in both Dhaka and Sylhet. A disaggregation of both institutional access and enrolment by district may suggest why Dhaka Division has such poor performance ratios. It may be that the Dhaka average is decreased by the high incidence of institutions that are not “counted,” e.g., the English medium and other “private” schools and Qoumi Madrasahs. Barisal is pre-dominantly rural and may not have the concentration of households that aspire to an English medium of instruction such as to encourage providers to set up such schools. Sylhet has the reputation of being relatively wealthy with many communities benefitting from overseas remittances. The low participation rate there is another puzzle: enrolments in Qoumi Madrasahs may be larger relative to other Divisions, though our survey cannot provide evidence. 2.6.3

GENDER DISPARITIES

59. Gender parity has been achieved and slightly surpassed in the general stream with 53.7% of all secondary level enrolments in junior secondary schools, secondary schools, and secondary sections of colleges being female (BANBEIS 2008. Table 2.1.1.). However, disparities in access for girls across divisions are observed. There are divisional variations, with Rajshahi having the lowest representation of girls – 50.5% - and Chittagong the highest at 55.5%. In junior secondary schools, girls account for more than 61% of enrolments. In Dakhil Madrasahs girls account for 58% of all enrolments.22 Of all secondary schools, 19% are girls-only institutions, and 2% for boys, with the remainder co-educational23. Perhaps surprisingly the vast majority, 84%, of Dakhil Madrasahs are co-educational with 15% for girls-only and less than 0.5% for boys only. Hence access for girls is varied and may be catering to parents and guardians who prefer single sex institutions as well as those who are content with co-education. In contrast, 75% of Qoumi madrasahs are for boys only, 22 % for girls only and 3% are “mixed” in the sense of both boys and girls are enrolled but taught separately. See Appendix 11 for details of enrolment in Qoumi Madrasahs. 2.6.4

FACTORS AFFECTING ACCESS

Table 2.4: Date of Establishment of Secondary Schools and Madrasahs Dates of Establishment of Institutions