Humanity first encountered the term “tabula rasa,” which was used to describe the initial state of the human mind, in the late 17th century. The English philosopher John Locke believed that all people are born with a blank slate, or tabula rasa, which is subsequently filled with the experiences they accumulate as they mature. Pre-primary education is crucial in shaping a child’s childhood experiences, as it determines whether the slate will be filled with insignificant scratches and scars or vivid illustrations of a meaningful life drawn in colorful chalks.
Pre-primary Education & Its Benefits
Pre-primary education is the term for educational services provided to children under the age of five. This is considered the most critical phase for brain development since the human brain develops and learns new information at its fastest rate during this time, according to medical science (Heckman, 2006). Evans et al. (2000) defined early childhood care and education as providing all the supports required for every child to realize his or her right to survival, protection, care, and education that will ensure optimal development from birth to age six. This definition was later adopted in the Operational Framework for Pre-Primary Education (2008).
Pre-primary education has both tangible as well as intangible effects on kids’ emotional, mental, and physical development. First of all, pre-primary education teaches kids a variety of subjects, such as study guides, reading comprehension, languages, alphabets, numbers, and more. Secondly, it provides kids with their first opportunity to connect with peers of the same age, ensuring that their social development is appropriate for their age. Thirdly, it makes primary education easier and less intimidating in later years for children because they already know how to communicate with classmates and teachers. Fourth, pre-primary education ensures early childhood development and has a significant influence on academic ability. Children who received pre-primary education (BRAC) outperformed those who did not when it came to primary school tests (Ahsan & Haque, 2011). Last but not the least, pre-school activities can also assist minimize social inequality by compensating for disadvantage stemming from characteristics such as poverty, gender, race, caste or religion (UNESCO, 2007).
Introduction of Two years of Pre-primary Education
For a very long time, pre-primary education has been regarded as a high priority area globally. In lights of the Jomtien Convention (1990), the Dakar Framework for Action (2000), the recommendations of the National Education Commissions of 1972, 1988 and 1997, Bangladesh made one year of pre-primary education compulsory before enrolling into class-1 in the National Education Policy 2010. The govt. is now implementing two-years of pre-primary education, with a pilot program that began in 2023, in accordance with the New Curriculum Framework 2021. 3214 selected government primary schools nationwide, two years of pre-primary education will be introduced in 2024.
2 years
of pre-primary education
3214 Schools
throughout the country
3-6 Years
aged children
Nonetheless, extending the pre-primary schooling period is not a snap decision. While improving a child’s developmental potential prior to entering primary school is the main goal of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Pre-Primary Education programs, Bangladesh’s long-term vision for pre-primary education includes providing preschool programs for all children aged 3 to less than 6 years with the immediate goal to provide pre-school education to all children aged 5 to less than 6 years, as stated in the Operational Framework for Pre-Primary Education published in 2008. While Bangladesh took almost ten years to start implementing two years of pre-primary education, other developed nations have been doing it for an extensive period of time. Even our neighboring countries—China, Japan, Thailand, etc.—are benefiting from it. While evaluating the one-year preschool programmes in Australia, Fox & Geddes (2016) stated,
Benefits of Two years of Pre-primary Education
The realization that about 25% of kids in Australia are admitted to school with serious vulnerabilities in their knowledge and communication, social skills and mental stability, or physical health opened the door for the argument for two years of preschool. One can only speculate as to how terrible the situation is in Bangladesh if Australia, a developed country, was experiencing such difficulties. According to Fox and Geddes (2016), there is mounting evidence that providing two years of high-quality preschool education is preferable to one year of education, with the biggest advantages going to the most disadvantaged children. Assuming that Bangladesh will benefit even more from two years of pre-primary education for the same reasons would not be an exaggeration.
Many children benefit from starting early and remaining in for longer
Compared to kids who receive one year of pre-primary education or no pre-primary education at all, pupils who receive two years of pre-primary education will get the opportunity to experience school and the joy of learning from ages 4 to under 6. Studies from Europe, the US and UK reveal consistent benefits from two rather than one year of preschool (Fox & Geddes, 2016). In the UK, students who attended two to three years of preschool (either part-time or full-time) scored higher overall on final exams, received better grades in math and English, and were enrolled in more subjects than students who did not attend any pre-school, according to a longitudinal study on the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project (Sammons, Sylva, Melhuish, Siraj, Taggart, Toth, et al. 2014). Therefore, it seems apparent that receiving pre-primary education for two years is likely to be beneficial than receiving it for one year.
Disadvantaged Children Benefit the Most
Government primary schools have as one of their main target groups students from low-income households. Numerous research show that more impoverished children experience significantly larger consequences on their cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes (Fox & Geddes, 2016). Given that the majority of them lack formal education, parents from disadvantaged families may not be able to support their kids’ holistic development to the expected degree. According to the aforementioned longitudinal study carried out in the UK, students with low-qualified parents who had attended a high-quality preschool outperformed students with low-qualified parents who had not attended any pre-school in terms of math and English scores (Sammons, Sylva, Melhuish, Siraj, Taggart, Toth, et al. 2014). By guaranteeing better development of these children during their early years, two years of pre-primary education can therefore help to reduce socioeconomic inequality in Bangladesh, where government primary schools are frequently the sole source of hope for education for children from underprivileged groups.
3. Earlier Diagnosis for Children with Disabilities
There is a severe dearth of awareness about various impairments and their symptoms in Bangladesh. If a disability is identified early on, it can be better managed with the right care and intervention. However, because of their ignorance and fear of social stigma, parents frequently neglect to take such action. However, with the introduction of two years of pre-primary schooling, teachers will be able to recognize the symptoms of a student’s disability and take the appropriate action to get an official diagnosis with the student’s family. Children with disabilities for whom even tiniest fractions of time is regarded as precious for diagnosis, the advantage of an entire year might be miraculous.
Equivalence with Private Schools
In Bangladesh’s private schools, the notion of preschool is not new. Pre-primary education lasts two to three years in the majority of the private institutions in this area. A World Bank survey indicates that about one-third of kids attend private schools in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal. According to Kraushaar (1972), parents choose private schools because they think that the education these institutions provide is better and they offer more amenities to their kids. One of the primary reasons for the establishment of private schools is that they offer a higher quality of education than public schools. It is clear that parents find private schools more appealing and effective than government primary schools, even with the later offering greater financial incentives and providing professional development opportunities for teachers. If govt. primary schools in this situation continue to provide a year of pre-primary education, this could be interpreted as yet more sign of the primary schools’ inadequacy, which would lead to a decline in the enrollment of pupils. On the other hand, parents will believe that government primary schools are relevant to the nation’s current educational landscape even with the introduction of two years of pre-primary education.
Additionally, pupils in the majority of private schools face a great deal of academic pressure, which frequently causes parents to get frustrated. On the other hand, play-based learning is the major method used in government primary schools to guarantee that students have a positive learning experience during their two years of pre-primary education. This could be a factor in the change in parents’ preferences when it comes to preschool for their kids.
Recommendations
One may grow optimistic and aspirational about two years of pre-primary education’s contribution to a child’s life after learning about its advantages. But in order for this program to be really successful, a number of factors need to be taken into account. These factors are as follows:
Adequate Infrastructural Facilities
In the era when Bangladesh is thriving to achieve inclusive and quality education, it is a matter of despair that an over-whelming number of govt. primary schools are still struggling with inadequate infrastructural conditions. According to Yasmin and Rumi (2020), 76% of parents and 80% of teachers are dissatisfied with the state of the infrastructure in government primary schools. Preschoolers’ school experience will never be enjoyable if they are required to learn in an almost abandoned school building with minimal or no clean restroom facilities. This will negatively impact their motivation to attend class and their ability to pay attention in class. Therefore, it is imperative to provide sufficient infrastructure facilities.
Effective Training
Since pre-primary pupils are in school for the first time, they require extra care. In order for this to occur, teachers must receive intensive training. It can also be a good idea to encourage them to form resource circles with their colleagues to talk about challenges and solutions so they do not feel alone on this journey. In addition, training is necessary for the local education officers and instructors to guarantee adequate monitoring and accountability.
Learning-friendly Classroom Environment
80% of parents and 64% of teachers said the school atmosphere was inadequate (Yasmin & Rumi, 2020). Furthermore, 39% of schools lacked any play or teaching-learning resources. There is very little possibility that two years of pre-primary education will be successful if the classes are unable to attract young minds. Hence, it is essential that all schools give priority to decorating pre-primary classrooms in accordance with preset guidelines.
Introducing Mid-day Meal Programme
Education can never take place in an empty stomach. All the preparations for a two-year pre-primary education program could go in vain if pupils are hungry. The government may ensure to it that a midday meal program is started in every school, offering children a cooked, multinutrient meal in return for attending. This will encourage their parents to take their children to school while helping to reduce malnutrition in children.
Effective Communication with Parents
Parents influence their children’s education at the pre-primary level in both overt and covert ways. If teachers want to have a deeper understanding of the preschoolers’ development, they must have effective contact with their parents. They can also provide the parents suggestions on how to make a more positive contribution to their children’s development at the same time. 70% of parents of preschoolers in Bangladesh believe that children must read at home every day to grow the habit of studying regularly (Yasmin & Rumi, 2020). Such viewpoints may lead to preschoolers feeling under pressure to perform well academically, which may be detrimental to their long-term development. When parents and teachers communicate well, these misconceptions might be lessened.
In case of two-years of pre-primary education, poor and medium quality programs produce very little short or long-term consequences, whereas the impact of high quality persists over time (Fox & Geddes, 2016). Pre-primary education lasting two years will not miraculously address all problem pertaining to quality education. However, if it is implemented effectively while paying close attention to quality, it has the potential to completely alter the current educational landscape by encouraging students to attend school out of passion rather than obligation. This will produce a generation that will be able to use their creativity and productivity to propel the country toward prosperity.
References
Ahmad, A., & Haque, I. (2011). Economic and social analysis of primary education in Bangladesh: A study of BRAC interventions and Mainstream Schools. (Research Monograph Series no. 48.) Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283351215
Evans, J. L et al. (2000). Early Childhood Counts: A programming guide on early childhood care for development. Washington D.C. The World Bank.
Fox, S and Geddes, M. (2016). Preschool – Two Years are Better Than One: Developing a Preschool Program for Australian 3 Year Olds – Evidence, Policy and Implementation, Mitchell Institute Policy Paper No. 03/2016. Mitchell Institute, Melbourne. Available from: www.mitchellinstitute.org.au
Heckman, J. (2006). The Economics of Investing in Children. In UCD Geary Institute. UCD Geary Institute.
Kraushaar, O. F. (1972). American Nonpublic Schools: Patterns of Diversity. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA00506058
Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. (2008). Operational Framework for Pre-primary Education. The People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Rashid, R., & Akkari, A. (2020). A Review of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Bangladesh: Status and impact. International Journal of Education, 12(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v12i1.16150
Sammons, P, Sylva, K, Melhuish, E, Siraj, I, Taggart, B, Smees, R & Toth, K. (2014). Effective Preschool, Primary & Secondary Education Project (EPPSE) Research Report: Influences on Students’ Social-Behavioural Development at Age 16. Department for Education, London.
The World Bank, n.d. Private Non-State Sector Engagement in the Provision of Educational Services at the Primary and Secondary Levels in South Asia. Policy Research Working Paper, p. 2014.
Yasmin, S., & Rumi, M. A. (2020). Impact of pre-primary education on children in Bangladesh: A study on government primary schools in Sylhet City. American Journal of Educational Research, 8(5), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-8-5-4
About the Author
Subah Binte Ahsan is a post-graduate student in Evaluation and Research at the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka. She has completed her B.Ed. on Special Education from IER, University of Dhaka.