Quality Education in Bangladesh: Is Online the Future?

According to recent figures, Bangladesh currently has a literacy rate of 78%. Studies indicate that things will deteriorate if education continues at this pace. To reach an initial level of literacy in Bangladesh will take another 44 years, and getting an advanced level will take 78 years. In Bangladesh, quality education has always been a problem. Nearly 51% of people are still illiterate, some of the primary reasons for this being child labour, child marriage and the high growth rate of the population.

Talented teachers are in great supply in many urban areas, but there aren’t enough jobs, whereas, in urban areas, there’s a severe lacking of quality teachers. Besides the difficulties faced in hiring and retaining quality teachers, the lack of technological infrastructure has played a vital role in not dispensing quality education to children residing in rural areas.

JAAGO Foundation began its vivifying voyage in 2007, and its mission began with a significant emphasis on educating children from low-income families, believing it to be one of the child’s fundamental rights. With JAAGO’s blended approach to teaching, teachers can teach online to even the most remote and devastated areas of Bangladesh. Since the Coronavirus pandemic, consumers have been compelled to use smartphones to work, study, and find entertainment. As smartphone penetration nears 50%, online education has become increasingly necessary nationwide.

It is about time that Bangladesh adopts this model and elevates the education system in this country. In the face of the pandemic, we have seen how online learning could become a valuable and uninterrupted model for the future for thousands of children without access to quality education and teachers.

There are still thousands of unsponsored children in JAAGO’s 11 districts despite this effective model, which surveyed 4500 children. Through videos for online learning, students can enhance their digital competency, which is undoubtedly an essential factor to consider. There is no doubt that change is imminent; however, who does it and how it is done are but two of the crucial aspects. The change will not come if we wait for someone or another time because we’re the ones we’ve been waiting for. Through JAAGO Foundation’s “Sponsor A Child” program, you can help revitalise a child’s life. To make a positive impact on society, it is our responsibility to help those less fortunate than us.