Book Description

This qualitative case study focuses on understanding the BRAG Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) model and its teacher training and development system, one of several successful community-based education programs operating today. Several studies have shown that alternative education systems are more effective than traditional schools at delivering meaningful learning opportunities to marginalized children. Understanding how these schools work is important because NFPE has the potential to serve developing nations in a significant way. In the challenging context of Bangladesh BRAG has developed some very effective strategies for addressing education problems of poor communities. BRAC's work suggests that paraprofessional teachers who are carefully yet quickly trained can become effective educators. Stakeholder interviews, classroom observations and document analysis were employed to answer one main research question: How and why do BRAG NFPE teachers learn to teach 'so quickly and so well'? According to program stakeholders and education experts, the BRAC NFPE Program is a powerful example of a community-based education system that works. In Bangladesh, it appears to work better than any other NFPE program investigated and better than the formal government primary school system. Lessons to be learned from the BRAC experience include: (1) The BRAC model shares several key elements with other education programs suggesting that perhaps there are certain 'essential elements of success' for all NFPE systems operating within a variety of contexts; (2) The transferability of the BRAC model may not be possible but the transfer of the BRAC NFPE concept is (essential elements of success). No one answer or model is suitable for all situations; and (3) Teachers must be key actors in educational quality improvement and change processes. The BRAC NFPE model and its teacher training and development system works the way it does, and can be called 'successful', because of a combination of several contextual factors and the simplicity of the model itself, its essential 'elements of success'. BRAC's teacher training and development system with its strong teacher support staff is a key component of the model. BRAC has created an effective, context-appropriate teaching and learning environment where stakeholders learn and grow together.