The Non Formal

Primary Education Program

one of the main problems of Bangladesh is the high illiteracy rate of the country. It has been felt that all the development efforts of the country are being hindered for the low rate of illiteracy. This issue has become a prime agenda for the Governmental and Non Governmental development efforts, since our independence.

The Bangladesh YMCA right from its inception from the early Seventies emphasized on providing primary education to the destitute children who could not afford to go to school in their childhood days, priority was given to those children who had to work to meet their families needs.

Each of the local YMCAs were operating two or three Free Primary Schools in their own locality catering around 250 to 300 students in each school, until an alternative education system of primary education had been adopted in the year 2000. This education system is more effective and easy to serve the targeted hard to reach children. The NGOs and even the Government has been emphasizing on this Non Formal Primary Education Program which already has set a positive impact on irradiation of illiteracy in the country. It has been realized that the rapid augmentation of the literacy rate of the country in the last decade was due the concerted efforts of implementation of the Non Formal Primary Education Program by all concerned.

Under this one class one school system, each school caters to a maximum of 40 children for a period of three years. At present the Bangladesh YMCA is operating around 60 such schools dispersed throughout the country. All educational materials such as books, note books, pencils and uniforms are provided to the children free of cost. The cost per school is about US$1,000 per annum. The Norwegian YW-YMCAs, the YMCAs of Japan and some other overseas philanthropist organizations support the Bangladesh YMCAs to provide free education for these destitute children through this program.

Please click here for a concept paper on Non Formal Primary Education Program and for further details on this program please write to us at our email: ncyb@agni.com we shall be glad to respond to you.