Home ›› 04 Jun 2022 ›› Front
Farhan Sheikh came to Dhaka in 2019 with his father to get admitted into a pre-primary educational institute.
Back then Farhan’s father Babul Sheikh used to run a vocational training institute in the capital’s Mohakhali. Farhan was admitted into a school at Dalipara, Uttara, with a hope of bright future.
As the corona pandemic struck the country, the school was closed. They waited for a few months for the school to resume classes. But as the pandemic raged around the globe like a wildfire they had to return to their home district.
School closure for eighteen months dashed their hopes forcing Babul to sell his business accessories at a lower cost to pay off the office rent, house rent and others.
He started doing a business at his upazila with the money borrowed from others and he was unable to spend on his child’s education compelling him to get his son admitted into a Qawmi madrasa where cost of education was almost free.
Like Farhan, many children were forced to switch from general education to Qawmi madrasa education during the Covid-19 period as their families were rendered helpless and unable to bear the expense of general education.
The real names of the characters are not used in this news as the father did not want to expose his weakness.
To ensure proper education at a general school students need private tutors or coaching and have to pay different types of hidden costs while there is no such cost at Qawmi madrasa, said Babul. Even there is no living cost or service charge at madrasa.
As per Annual Primary School Census (APSC 2021), the Gross Intake Rate (GIR) and the Net Intake Rate (NIR) of enrolment in primary education are lower than 2020 and 2018.
The GIR and NIR of 2020 and 2018 are being considered as the baseline benchmark of the Fourth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP4).
According to the census, 2,00,90,057 children were enrolled in all grades of primary section in 2021, 2,15,51,691 in 2020, 2,01,22,337 children in 2019 and 2,09,16,484 in 2018.
Apparently, the enrolment of last year was lower than that of last three years.
In a recent visit to three madrasas in Dhaka and its surrounding areas this correspondent found 20 children shifted to Qawmi madrasas from schools.
Afrin whose father is working at an engineering workshop had been a student at a school till Class Six and she is now studying at a girls’ madrasa at Matuail. Her mother Sumu Akter said, “We are ultra-poor and suffered a lot during the Covid-19 period.”
“We cannot bear high school cost and additional expenses. Here we spend only Tk300 monthly. It is very difficult to maintain a six-member family including four children. One of them is adult while the rest three are children,” she added.
The daily expenditure has increased due to the rise in the prices of daily essentials and again Covid-19 has reduced the earnings. “My one daughter is now studying at class three and the youngest boy at pre-primary level.”
An orphan of twelve-year-old Rifat Hasan was brought up at his uncle’s home. As the Covid-19 dented his uncle’s pocket Rifat was put at a Qawmi madrasa. The home district of Rifat is Mymensingh and he was admitted into the madrasa around four months back this year.
Junayet enrolled in a Qawmi madrasa last year. Before enrollment Junayet studied at a school till Class Five in his home district Habiganj. During the Covid-19 period, his education was hampered.
“As my family couldn’t cope with my education expenditure along with my siblings they just left me here at the madrasa,” said Junayed.
Rakib Hossain switched to Qawmi madrasa eight months back. He came from Gaibandha district to Gopibagh madrasa.
He said, “I quit my school education during Covid-19 and I was not interested to study. Later my father and mother decided to put me at madrasa.”
Sabiha Kamruzzaman is one of them who studied at school till Class Two. Her mother said, “We enrolled our children in Qawmi madrasa when the Covid-19 hit Bangladesh and my husband’s salary was slashed.”
A factory worker’s daughter Taiba Akter moved to Qawmi madras in 2021 after completion of her fourth grade at school. Her father said his children were now studying at Qawmi madrasa nearby Dhaka after he had been hit hard by Covid-19.
Principal of Darul Ulum Hafijia Madrasa and Orphanage at Gopibagh Maolana Moazzam Hossain said, the expenditure of living and food is around Tk1,000 and they pay special attention to orphans who can study free of cost at the madrasa.
Socio-economic situation has mainly driven people to Qawmi education as its expenditure is very low and it provides accommodation, food and education simultaneously, said Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
The government has to give budgetary allocation to drop-out students and those who have been shifted to madrasas to ensure mid-day meal, one-time stipend at MPO and non-MPO schools and free online services such as free gigabyte to get standard education from open sources, Debapriya included.
The budgetary allocation will reduce pressures on families to spend on their children and the children will grow as resource for the economy of Bangladesh after certain period of time, he pointed out.
There are drop-out students and those who are studying at Qawmi madrasas. “We are planning to take up effective programmes to reduce the number of drop-out students hit hard by Covid-19 pandemic to ensure appropriate education,” said Primary and Mass Education State Minister Zakir Hossen.
“We are thinking of providing dry food banana, egg, biscuit and singara etc. as mid-day meal for students. Now the work of draft project plan (DPP) is going on. Once approved, children will be benefited in many different ways,” he said.
