BRAC's NFPE Program: Focus on Teacher Development Issues.

Overview & Synopsis

The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee's (BRAC) Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) Program is a nongovernmental rural development organization founded, managed, and staffed by Bangladeshis. In 1985 BRAC began a primary education program for the poorest rural children untouched by the formal school system. BRAC has developed well known and effective strategies for addressing education problems of poor rural communities. These strategies are based on intensive community participation, local recruitment of teachers, an emphasis on girls' education, relevant curriculum, flexible hours, and cost effectiveness. BRAC teachers are chosen from among the more educated in the village, with preference given to women. Successful candidates receive 12 days of training covering concepts and role-playing. Training is structured, learner-centered, and participatory, designed to allow the teachers to experience the kind of learning that they will be facilitating in the classroom. Teachers are taught to stress comprehension rather than memorization. Teachers also attend 2 days of orientation before the opening of schools and refresher sessions each month. More than 90 percent of BRAC students graduate, and a large proportion of them are admitted to grade 4 or higher in the government school system. (TD)