Remedial education can help struggling primary students only if schools ensure dedicated class time, trained teachers, learning materials, parental support and regular monitoring, a new study has found.
The study found higher teacher motivation, lower work-related stress and stronger parental awareness in Rajarhat of Kurigram and Madarganj of Jamalpur, where the project was implemented. However, students still struggled with writing, conceptual numeracy and problem-solving.
The findings were presented at a discussion titled “Remedial Education for Struggling Learners: Challenges and Way Forward”, organised by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) with support from Save the Children.
The study evaluated the project in the two upazilas, while Ulipur in Kurigram and Melandaha in Jamalpur were used as control areas.
The project, designed by Save the Children with the Directorate of Primary Education, CAMPE and ESDO, covered 322 government primary schools.
It included baseline assessments in Bangla, mathematics and English for grades three to five, along with daily remedial classes, workbooks, teacher training, parent engagement, home visits and monitoring.
The evaluation assessed 398 students, surveyed 379 teachers and parents, and included 64 key informant interviews, eight focus group discussions and 16 classroom observations.
CAMPE’s Shaheen Islam, Tahsina Taimur and Prof Murshid Akhter presented the keynote.
They said 70 percent of third graders and 66 percent of fifth graders in project schools achieved grade-level competency in Bangla. In mathematics, the figures were 67 percent for grade three and 70 percent for grade five.
Teacher motivation scored 76.5 in Rajarhat and Madarganj, compared with 68.6 in the control areas. The enabling environment scored 77.4 against 68.3, while work-related stress was lower at 53.9 compared with 60.7.
The study said schools in the two project areas had daily remedial classes, teaching-learning materials and Teacher Learning Circles.
Parental awareness also increased significantly. Around 95.3 percent of parents in Rajarhat and Madarganj knew their children were receiving remedial support at school, compared with 27.45 percent in the control areas.
However, learning recovery remained uneven. Students showed improvement in foundational literacy and procedural numeracy but remained weak in freehand writing, conceptual understanding and solving multi-step problems.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj said the government recognises the learning gaps and has taken a special action plan for struggling students
According to the National Student Assessment, around half of primary students are lagging in basic skills, he said.
He said the ministry would review the study’s findings and recommendations.
Brac University Emeritus Professor Manzoor Ahmed said remedial education should not be seen only as a programme for children who dropped out or stayed outside school.
He added that many students fail to keep pace with the syllabus because they lack foundational skills.
CAMPE Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury chaired the discussion, while Deputy Director Tapan Kumar Dash delivered the welcome address.
