The government of Bangladesh acknowledges the significance of families’ active involvement in their children’s education to ensure student participation, outcomes, and well-being. However, national policies and plans limit the role of families in supporting their children’s secondary education, especially in rural and remote communities where educational barriers are prominent. Family engagement in schools evolves as a child progresses through their education, and opportunities for interaction between parents/caregivers and educators often decrease as students transition into secondary school. Strong partnerships and relational trust are crucial during this phase to ensure students are not only attending school but also learning and thriving.
In Bangladesh, primary education is free and compulsory through grade five, but access to secondary education is limited. Secondary schools are predominantly private, with only 4% being public. High educational costs, the need to leave school to earn income, and early marriage are among the many barriers students face in completing their education. The school completion rate at the lower secondary grades (6 to 8) is 64%, but it drops to 20% at the upper secondary grade (9 to 12). There are significant disparities in school participation and completion rates between urban and rural communities. Of the students who do not complete lower and upper secondary school, 80% are rural students. In addition to low completion rates, secondary schools struggle to provide quality instruction, prepare young people to be active and productive in their communities, and safeguard students’ mental health and well-being. Meaningful family, school, and community engagement is essential to ensure that secondary students and their families have the support they need to learn and thrive.
This policy brief aims to inform education systems leaders on strategies and efforts to deepen family, school, and community partnerships in rural and urban secondary schools. It ensures that there are mechanisms in place to meaningfully engage families in their children’s learning and schools. Recommendations are designed for leaders in the national Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) at the national level but are also applicable across all levels of the education system, including leadership in districts, upazilas (subdistricts), and public and private schools.
An analysis of six national policies and plans was conducted to identify how education leaders envision the roles and responsibilities of families across education frameworks and the current approaches to family, school, and community engagement in the education system. In addition to policy analysis, research was conducted directly with 535 families, 225 educators, and 973 students in 14 rural and urban secondary schools in Bangladesh. The methodology used in this research was the Conversation Starter Tools, a mixed-methods participatory approach developed by the Center for Universal Education (CUE) in collaboration with global collaborating organizations, including the Education and Cultural Society (ECS). This brief begins with an analysis of how family, school, and community engagement is envisioned across the national education policies and plans in Bangladesh. This is followed by a description of the Conversation Starter Tools. Finally, five key findings from the research are presented along with key recommendations for national education leaders to implement evidence-informed strategies to promote family-centric education systems.
Key Findings and Recommendations:
1. Limited Vision of Engagement: National policies and plans envision family, school, and community engagement primarily as parental participation in school management committees. This vision does not reflect the most common forms of engagement, such as supporting learning at home and effective communication. To address this, national policies and plans should include a comprehensive definition of family, school, and community engagement, with actionable guidance for implementing and monitoring meaningful engagement.
2. Lack of Shared Vision: National education policies and plans do not require secondary schools to develop or share school plans that outline a shared vision for education with families. Current family engagement practices in schools rarely create opportunities to listen to families’ beliefs and perspectives. Schools should be supported in developing school plans with a clear shared vision for education and family engagement. These plans should include a process for consulting families and incorporating their perspectives.
3. Inadequate Training and Capacity Building: The Ministry of Education recognizes structural and situational barriers to family engagement with schools but provides limited training and capacity building on designing and implementing strategies that respond to the needs of diverse families. Family engagement should be integrated into pre- and in-service teacher professional development to ensure that school educators and education leaders have the knowledge, skills, and practices to inclusively engage with families.
4. Exclusion of Families in Curriculum Development: The National Secondary Level Curriculum does not include families as partners in their children’s education, nor does it outline strategies to consult with or inform families about what is taught in schools or how it is taught. Families should be consulted during the development of national curricula to ensure that the vision and learning strategies are aligned with students’ needs and aspirations, as well as being feasible with the available resources in schools and homes.
Bangladesh lacks school-based mechanisms like parent-teacher associations (PTAs) that represent the interests of families and ensure family partnerships. Families need a space to build relational trust and develop a collaborative voice to partner with schools. A mechanism of PTAs should be reintroduced into the national education system to ensure family leaders can champion the interests of families in school decisions, building on existing knowledge and resources from prior efforts.
Recomendaciones para fortalecer las alianzas familiares, escolares y comunitarias en Bangladesh
Estos hallazgos y recomendaciones proporcionan una guía para fortalecer las alianzas familiares, escolares y comunitarias en Bangladesh, asegurando que todos los actores estén involucrados activamente en apoyar los viajes educativos de los estudiantes.
