Quality of education is now the highest priority in preparing children for the 21st century.
We are supporting the government’s efforts in reaching the unreached, and will continue our support to create nationwide systemic change, from understanding the needs of the most marginalised communities to improving the overall quality of education for every student at every academic level.
Our low-cost, quality scalable schooling model across five countries in Asia and Africa has made us the world’s largest private secular education provider. Our schools have allowed almost 13 million children from economically disadvantaged households to grow up with learning opportunities. In 2018, 1.4 million children were enjoying learning in schools operated and supported by BRAC in Bangladesh.
We employ a holistic approach to lifelong learning, addressing educational needs from early childhood to higher academic levels. We adapt curricula and learning methods to ensure that education is accessible for all children, especially those with disabilities, including mother tongue-based curricula for children from ethnic communities.
We partner with 84 local NGOs and build their capacity. We partner with governments and provide a second chance to children living in poverty to complete primary education through a uniform quality approach, which is appreciated by communities. We support public schools through teacher training, libraries, and computer-aided learning, particularly at the secondary level.
We provide schooling for populations in especially hard-to-reach areas using boat schools in Bangladesh and the Philippines. Our adolescent and multi-purpose community learning centres create safe spaces in communities for young people to socialise and learn valuable life skills. Our learning centres in the camps in Cox’s Bazar focus on early learning, basic literacy, numeracy, life-saving information, psychosocial support, and life skills for Rohingya children and adolescents.
Many of our students pursue professional careers after graduation and work as role models in their communities. Evidence shows that they perform significantly well in these careers compared to their peers.
Students achieved 15.6% higher than average pass rate in the Secondary School Certificate examinations. Students achieved 1.81% higher than average in the Primary Education Completion Examination, with almost 72% achieving a combined ‘A’.
Students with disabilities achieved a pass rate of 99.6% and almost 60% achieved an ‘A’ grade.
Students from ethnic communities achieved a pass rate of 99.27% and more than 55% achieved an ‘A’ grade.
525,000 children and adolescents were made aware of how to identify and prevent sexual harassment with the help of 25,000 teachers and 3,000 club leaders and librarians.
319,337 children accessed early childhood and pre-primary programmes.
203,980 children accessed primary education through our non-formal primary education system.
220,952 children enrolled in Shishu Niketon, our fee-based school system.
41,348 children with special needs enrolled in our schools and centres.
364,548 children supported through their secondary education journey through our Advancing BRAC Graduates programme.
1,460,280 people across Bangladesh engaged in reading, socialising and activity-based learning in our adolescent clubs and multi-purpose community learning centres.
SCHOOLS THAT BUILD CONFIDENCE
“It’s not enough that you have learned something new today. Share your knowledge with the world. Tell your siblings and parents. Tell your friends who can’t come to school,” Munni tells her class.
Her students nod happily, and then focus intently back on their lessons.
“We focus on joyful learning, through fun, singing and dancing. Students learn faster that way,” she says.
Munni has come a long way from being a student in BRAC’s one classroom school to being the headteacher of a Shishu Niketan, one of BRAC’s multi-classroom schools in Rangpur, northern Bangladesh.
Her conservative brothers were against co-education. They wanted her to marry at an early age – girls do not need much education, they said.
In a country where 42% of girls drop out of secondary school and more than half are married before their 18th birthday, Munni fought back to take control of her own life.
Today she holds two master’s degrees and owns a beauty parlour in Rangpur town.
After her father’s death, her mother, herself a teacher at a BRAC school, single-handedly struggled to raise a six-member family. She sent Munni to a BRAC school in 1996.
Munni’s school had no tables or chairs. They sat on mats, in a half circle around their teacher, but learning was fun. She immersed herself in extra-curricular activities, winning many accolades in singing, dancing and debate competitions.
Munni grew more confident in her abilities when she joined one of BRAC’s adolescent clubs - safe spaces, especially for girls, to learn sports, life skills and social confidence. They also fight child marriage and create awareness about reproductive health and safety. Munni stopped three child marriages in her village, rallying her peers, teachers and local representatives.
She then decided to become an entrepreneur. She came to Dhaka in 2014 and had training in beauty, and opened her own beauty parlour.
Within the next three years, Munni completed two master’s degrees, and decided to become a teacher.
“A BRAC school graduate becomes a teacher! It was a dream come true,” said Munni.
Munni’s school now has 108 students, half of whom are girls.
“I want every girl in my class to believe that she can achieve everything she wants.”