A milestone in primary education

The Kamta Government Primary School among many that has adopted the Intensive District Approach to Education for All, popularly known as IDEAL. This has improved the quality of the teaching.

"The IDEAL has created great enthusiasm among students and parents due to its unique features," its headmistress Nazma Akhtar told this correspondent during a recent visit.

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The new system includes training to teachers on how to improve teacher-student relation and to attract students by using 'teaching aids'.

Teachers are now more accountable, said Abul Kasem, a senior teacher.

At classes, they have to approach every student to make lessons understandable and visit their houses in case of long absence to bring them back to school.

"Teachers need to work more and with attention to ensure proper teaching to all students in their designated areas," said the headmistress.

Teachers have to do everything from planning lessons to singing songs in classes and play with students to make classes attractive, said Assistant Upazila Education Officer Hanif Ali.

Primary school teachers are also trained in Multiple Ways of Teaching and Learning (MWTL) at Manikganj and 150 other Upzila Resource Centres (URCs) across the country.

The project has proved a success. Gross enrolment in primary schools rose to 85 per cent of children in designated areas while the rate of dropout has reduced to 30 per cent. This is a milestone in the education sector, Ali and other officials said.

Students feel more encouraged to attend schools which have introduced the IDEAL method.

"I like to come to school as class is more interesting now," said Lovely Akhtar, a student at Kamta Government Primary School.

The IDEAL will be incorporated in the Second Primary Education Development Programme (PEDPII), Unicef officials said.

The PEDPII with an estimated budget of $1.815 billion will be the biggest ever education programme in the country, aimed at raising the standard of primary education. It will be implemented by the Directorate of Primary Education under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.

The IDEAL project created enthusiasm among students and parents even in remote areas, said Unicef's head of Child Education Development James Jennings.

It has been implemented at 36,997 schools in 36 administrative districts and 1,48,405 teachers have been trained. Two more districts -- Chandpur and Sylhet -- were brought under the project recently.

"The IDEAL has taught us to take class in a planned and systematic way" said teacher Abul Kasem.

"We prepare ourselves through making lesson plan, which helps us a lot to take class confidently,"

IDEAL project helped us to make a yearly plan, taking input from teachers, students, guardians and managing committee, she said.

Nurul Islam, a guardian of a student, said, "The project has created a great enthusiasm among local people and guardians feel encouraged to be associated with the new method".