Official Peace Corps Programs in Bangladesh
Peace Corps Programs in Bangladesh
October 7, 2001
12:21 PM
While it remains one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh has continued to show signs of progress in a variety of key areas. The country is now self-sufficient in rice production, and the infant mortality rate has declined significantly, from 140 to 80 births per 1,000. Also, as a result of concerted government efforts, primary school enrollment has increased from 54 to 77 percent, with girls comprising two and a half times as many students as they did in 1971.
Progress in these areas has created new and important challenges. While the number of children now attending school has increased, the availability of teaching resources and the number of teachers qualified to teach critical subjects remain low. In November 1998, 25 education Volunteers arrived in Dhaka to inaugurate the first Peace Corps program in Bangladesh.
Education Recognizing the growing importance of English as the language of technology, the government of Bangladesh has re-instituted English instruction for all students, beginning in grade three. Most elementary school teachers have a tenth grade education but lack sufficient background in English to teach it well.
Volunteers work in Primary Training Institutes, helping teachers to improve their English language proficiency. Several Volunteers also are assigned to work with the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, a non-governmental organization that provides primary education for more than 1.2 million primary school-aged Bangladeshi children.
As the program expands over the next several years, Volunteers also may be placed in rural schools, where most children are educated and where ongoing professional support and training for teachers are limited.
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125,629,000
1998 - present
49 (2001 estimates)
58
Bengali
sources
