The relevance of formal and nonformal primary education in relation to health, well-being and environmental awareness: Bangladeshi pupils’ perspectives in the rural contexts

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This article reports part of a study focusing on young people’s transition from the nonformal to the formal education sector, and explores how the experiences of children and young people in remote formal and nonformal schools affect their awareness of issues of health, well-being and the environment. One of the main objectives of Bangladeshi extensive nonformal primary education, run by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in parallel with the formal system, is to prepare children outside schools to enter or re-enter the formal education sector. The study addresses the issue of educational relevance from pupils’ perspectives and looking at the implications for pupil transition between these two sectors.

Method: Interviews and observations of students and their classes were conducted in two contrasting rural high schools in different areas of Bangladesh, and their feeder primary schools.

Results: Where formal primary graduates focus more in high school on learning from their textbooks, nonformal primary graduates aim to put their knowledge into practice in their day-to-day life on a range of critical issues.

Conclusion: The results suggest an important contrast between nonformal and formal education sectors regarding students’ agency and knowledge of health and well-being, hygiene and environmental awareness in rural Bangladesh.

KEYWORDS:

• Relevance of education
• environmental awareness
• health and well-being
• nonformal and formal education
• school transition
• rural contexts
• Bangladesh

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

M. Mahruf C. Shohel

Dr M. Mahruf C. Shohel is a Lecturer in Education and International Development at the School of Education, Aberystwyth University, UK. He has written extensively on development issues in the context of the Global South including schooling for disadvantaged children and their transition to mainstream education, teachers’ professional development, and using technologies for enhancing teaching and learning. He carried out studies on disadvantaged children including socio-economically deprived children, street children and the children of sex workers. Currently, he is focusing on children’s education, health and wellbeing. Dr Shohel has engaged with a critical analysis of equity and social justice issues, with specific emphasis on access to education and learning for disadvantaged children.

Andrew J. Howes

Dr Andrew J. Howes is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the Manchester Institute of Education, School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, UK. He leads a secondary teacher education programme and has carried out work in inclusive education in the UK, education in the Global South and science education in areas of disadvantage, mostly using a participative research approach, and including the use of photography. He is currently involved in a critical study of participatory approaches and their effect in relation to social justice.