World Bank to lend Bangladesh $300 million to improve primary education

The World Bank is lending Bangladesh 300 million US dollars to improve the quality of primary education and address children's learning gaps. The money will fund programmes to raise the standard of education for 26 million children from pre-primary through grade five.

On Friday (6 November), the World Bank's Executive Board approved the financing under the 'Learning Enhancement and Acceleration in Primary Education' programme and announced it in a statement.

In the statement, the World Bank said the funds will be spent on implementing Bangladesh's fifth Primary Education Development Programme. The money will support efforts to improve the quality of pre-primary and primary education, train teachers and strengthen school management.

The new financing will place special emphasis on building children's foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics, and on giving extra support to students who have fallen behind. Teaching materials, a structured curriculum and teacher training are planned to strengthen the foundations of literacy and numeracy.

According to the World Bank, Bangladesh has achieved near-universal access to primary education, but the quality of learning has not yet reached the expected level. About half of the country's 10-year-old children cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text.

The World Bank said the comparable rate is 42 percent in Malaysia and 47 percent in Brazil. Closing this learning gap is the central aim of the new programme.

Jean Pesme, the World Bank's Division Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, said quality primary education is crucial to building a workforce capable of competing globally. He said the World Bank has helped bring nearly all of Bangladesh's children into school over the past two decades.

He said the new financing will help accelerate students' learning progress and also help keep them in school.

Under the programme, head teachers of 90 percent of government primary schools in the country will receive leadership training. School governance and management systems will also be strengthened.

Tashmina Rahman, the World Bank's Senior Education Specialist and task team leader of the programme, said remedial learning will be provided for students who have fallen behind, with priority given to lagging districts.

Support will also be provided for building teachers' skills, developing leadership at the school level, accountability in budget use and evidence-based decision-making. Steps will also be taken to raise the quality of pre-primary education in government primary schools.

The World Bank estimates that implementing the programme could create 843,000 new employment opportunities in government primary schools, with the prospect of comparatively better pay.

The 25-year loan will be provided through the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessional lending arm, with a five-year grace period for repayment.