Bangladesh - Independent Evaluation Group - World Bank

transparency in bidding for contracts (World Bank 2007a). LGED has a more favorable
reputation (World Bank 2009a). LGED has district-level offices throughout the country and
manages a large number of databases, including detailed geographic information system and
mapping data. LGED’s work in the roads sector is largely managing small contracts, and
according to audit reports it is one of the best-managed agencies in the country.
2.22 Bangladesh’s primary education is comparable to that of other nations in the region.
The expected years of schooling for children is 8.1, compared to 6.8 in Pakistan and 10.3 in
India (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2010 Human Development
Report). 9 Learning outcomes are poor, particularly for minority groups. The primary school
completion rate is only 52 percent, with only 20 percent at the secondary level (World Bank
2010b). Transition rates are also low, at 44 percent for primary to lower secondary, 27
percent from lower to upper secondary, and only 6 percent to tertiary. The opportunity costs
of schooling remain high for many families who can otherwise send their children to work or
for marriage. As a result there are many out-of-school children.
2.23 Several factors potentially contribute to poor schooling outcomes: underperforming
public sector institutions, public management constraints, participation and accountability at
the school level, and weak checks and balances. Public sector institutions for primary
education have improved in recent years, but they still perform well below their potential
(World Bank 2010c). Two ministries manage education, the Ministry of Primary and Mass
Education and the Ministry of Education. The former is responsible for primary and informal
education, and the latter handles all post-primary and university-level education. These
ministries have worked closely with development partners to improve the education
environment. However, two weaknesses persist within the ministries: poor information
management systems and low investments in workforce development. At present, the
government maintains limited information on schools and pupils, and information tracking is
weak. Although there have been investments in workforce development—setting minimum
standards for teachers—teacher training and oversight over teacher quality are limited.
2.24 Two public management constraints appear to further slow progress in primary
education: teachers’ wages and centralized decision making. In addition to little oversight,
teachers’ wages are low and teachers lack incentives for performance and attendance. As
with other sectors, development partners have tried to make headway on civil service reform
issues with little success. Teacher absenteeism and poor performance pose challenges to
school quality (Chaudhury 2006). Equally problematic, decision-making for primary
education remains highly centralized. There is little transparency in the appointment of
teachers to schools, and as a result, there is rent-seeking for teacher positions—although the
government has been working to make this process more transparent. Schools are managed
by established School Management Committees. These committees are in turn managed by
lay community members and overseen by a government official (assistant Upazila officers).
As of 2009, each Upazila officer was to manage 15 to 20 schools, but in reality they were
managing as many as 40 schools (World Bank 2010c, 57).
9 http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/69706.html
10