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1. Influence of English Language in Political Awareness of South Asian Societies: A Comparative Study of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Author:
Kamal Ud Din and Mir Waheed Akhlaq
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
South Asian Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
English language has been playing many roles in the overall social development of the subcontinent at the same time being a controversial issue in terms of a threat to the local languages. Democracy as worldwide accepted way of political structure, its basic values and principles come through English language education into South Asia. Since education system, in any country, provides the input to the political system, thus, if the democratic political system is a common desire, the first aspect to work on must be the educational institutions. However, struggle towards democracy has been an emerging phenomenon in the overall scenario of South Asia, and English language as official language and language of education has been playing its role in it, which is not well explored. On the basis of latest research studies, a comparison has been drawn between the three important countries in order to explore what and how English language plays its role in spreading and practicing the democratic principles and values in the educational institutions.
Topic:
Democratization, Education, Multiculturalism, and Language
Political Geography:
Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Asia, India, and Punjab

2. The New Southbound Policy Deepening Taiwan’s Regional Integration

Author:
Bonnie Glaser, Scott Kennedy, and Matthew Funaiole
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Abstract:
In a concerted effort to expand Taiwan’s presence across the Indo-Pacific, President Tsai Ing-wen has introduced the New Southbound Policy (NSP) to strengthen Taipei’s relationships with the 10 countries of ASEAN, six states in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan), Australia, and New Zealand. The policy is designed to leverage Taiwan’s cultural, educational, technological, agricultural, and economic assets to deepen its regional integration. This report tracks the ongoing implementation of the NSP and assesses what has been achieved since Tsai was elected in January 2016. The Guidelines for the New Southbound Policy issued by the Tsai administration detail that the policy is designed to (1) forge a “sense of economy community” by fostering links between Taiwan and the 18 NSP target countries; and (2) establish mechanisms for wide-ranging negotiations and dialogues, and to “form a consensus for cooperation” with NSP target countries. In the short and medium term, the Guidelines identify four goals: (1) use national will, policy incentives, and business opportunities to spur and expand “two-way” exchanges with NSP target countries; (2) encourage industry to adopt “a New Southbound strategy” in their planning; (3) cultivate more people with the skills needed to support the NSP; and (4) expand multilateral and bilateral negotiations and dialogues to enhance economic cooperation and resolve disputes and disagreements.1 The NSP follows from similarly named policies initiated under Presidents Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, which were aimed at diversifying Taiwan’s outbound investment away from Mainland China and into Southeast Asia. Since these prior efforts had only a limited impact, skeptics often mischaracterize the NSP as the latest iteration of a failed policy. Such naysayers fail to appreciate, however, that Tsai’s approach is both more strategic and more comprehensive than those of her predecessors. While diversifying and reinvigorating Taiwan’s economy remain fundamental to the NSP, the policy also outlines mechanisms for more effectively integrating Taiwan into the region through cultivating interpersonal connections. Moreover, the NSP is being implemented at a time of slowing growth and rising wages in Mainland China, while investment opportunities are booming in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The core economic goals of the NSP include institutional initiatives, such as updating and expanding economic agreements with targeted countries. At the same time, Taiwan is seeking to encourage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to explore opportunities overseas. Taipei has also identified avenues for improving bilateral ties by engaging with the general publics of NSP target countries, as well as with government officials and business executives. As such, Taiwan has invested heavily in expanding cultural and educational exchanges to help promote a deeper under- standing of South and Southeast Asian cultures, languages, and business practices among the people of Taiwan. These “people-centered” exchanges serve to realize Taipei’s twin goals of strengthening Taiwan’s integration with the region and facilitating its economic diversification. It is too early to determine whether the NSP will ultimately achieve its ambitious goals, and it may take years before the Tsai government’s investment will start paying dividends. Furthermore, the NSP should be carefully examined by both the countries targeted by Tsai and partners further afield—including the United States. Many of these countries have a vested interest in bolstering the mechanisms available for Taiwan to contribute to the peaceful development of Asia. These countries may find that the goals of the NSP overlap with their own objectives in the region, and therefore may be eager to lend additional support to the endeavor. Selected Policy Recommendations for the United States The United States has a profound interest in the success of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. Taiwan has been a long-standing partner of the United States. Its democracy and free society are a beacon of liberal values in the region, while its economic development model has been admired and studied for decades by nations in Asia and beyond. To date, the United States does not appear to have given much thought or expended much effort to support the NSP within Asia. We suggest the United States consider actively supporting the NSP. We recommend the following specific actions: The assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs should coordinate with his/ her counterpart in the South and Central Asia division to create an internal working group to consider how the U.S. government can support the NSP. The U.S. government should engage Japan, Australia, and India, the other members of the “quad,” in support of the NSP. The U.S. government should continue to support Taiwan’s inclusion and active participation in international and regional initiatives where statehood is not required. U.S. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), particularly those with programs in NSP target countries, should consider partnerships with NGOs in Taiwan to integrate their work where appropriate in support of the NSP. The Commerce Department’s U.S. Commercial Service should engage with American industry associations and companies, and explore potential avenues of collaboration be- tween American and Taiwan industry in NSP target countries. The United States should consider bilateral (U.S.-Taiwan) cultural initiatives that may be brought to third countries in Asia. The United States should include Taiwan youth in relevant regional programs and networks.
Topic:
Agriculture, Education, Regional Cooperation, Science and Technology, Culture, and ASEAN
Political Geography:
Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan

3. BRAC’s Cost Recovery Model in Education: A Quick Exploration of Process and Perception

Author:
Rasel Babu, Utpal Mallick, Iftikhar Ul Karim, Durdana Nahid, Ahrafuzzaman Khan, Mrinmoy Samadder, Tahsina Naz Khan, and Samir Ranjan Nath
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
Stakeholders’ perceptions were explored regarding the cost recovery model of BRAC Primary School (BPS) during the first two weeks of June 2016. Field work was done in 13 branches of BRAC Education Programme (BEP) where 37 field staff, 27 teachers and 36 parents were interviewed, and eight FGDs were conducted with parents and staff. The respondents perceived the new model from their own perspectives which varied from one area to another and from one group of respondents to another. Introduction of monthly tuition fee was broadly accepted by the majority of the parents and a good portion of staff also accommodated them with the new concept. However, both of them made some suggestions for keeping BPS competitive with the other primary education provisions in the market. Finally, eight-point suggestions were made for further development of the model.
Topic:
Education, Cost Recovery, and Schools
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

4. BRAC’s Intervention in Secondary Schools: A Comparative Study

Author:
Samir Ranjan Nath, Rasel Babu, and Durdana Nahid
Publication Date:
05-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
Post-primary Basic and Continuing Education interference of BRAC Education Programme popularly known as PACE desired to enhance the quality of secondary education of Bangladesh. This comparative ethnographic study intended to understand if any cultural changes took place in the schools due to PACE. For this, data on school daily life, teaching-learning process, use of the library, school management, leadership, values and gender issues were collected from three intervened and three non-intervened schools located in three upazilas (sub-districts) of Tangail, Jessore and Rajshahi districts of Bangladesh. Six research assistants following the guidance of the research team conducted a four months long observation on the selected schools starting from March 2016 and collected data on the above-mentioned areas from the learners, teachers, parents, SMC members, PO, UEO and communities, and from the available documents interview, FGD, survey, field note taking and document analysis. Major findings revealed that PACE activities were rarely practised in the intervened schools. Though teachers received training and perceived it useful could not apply in classrooms because of time constraint and pressure of completing syllabus. Teachers from both types of schools heavily depended on the lecture method. Classes using CAL materials were barely held, and teachers in both sorts of schools hardly used any teaching materials. Teachers’ training and mentoring programmes lost their popularity after adopting a cost recovery approach. Gonokendros were not truly functional in the schools because of irregularity and unavailability of the librarians. In case of school management, political influence was observed in both types of schools. Girls and female teachers experienced teasing and harassment. Mixed perceptions among teachers, parents and learners were observed regarding student cabinet election. The study concluded that desired cultural changes did not take place in the intervened schools because of several challenges. Hence, recommended for close monitoring of the PACE activities, accelerating initiatives for enhancing moral values among the teachers and learners, treating student leadership issues seriously and building a gender friendly environment through forming a committee in each school.
Topic:
Education, Ethnography, and Schools
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

5. Leveraging Urban Inclusion through Education: Study on BRAC Slum School Project

Author:
Nowreen Yasmin, Samir Ranjan Nath, and Mohammad Anwar Hossain
Publication Date:
05-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
Slum becomes one of the major concerns particularly for developing countries like Bangladesh in order to sustain the initiatives taken for urban development. The challenges faced by the slum habitants is badly intertwined, and education has always got the least priority for this community. Moreover, inadequate school facilities, higher expense of schooling, difficulties in getting enrolled, distance of the school, and child labour deteriorate the situation and accentuates the problem of lower educational attainment of this population. This research was commissioned to examine the outcome and challenges of the Urban Slum School Project of BRAC Education Program which was initiated in 2013. In response to the research objective, a quantitative approach had dominantly been employed in this study. The baseline survey was carried out with a randomly selected sample of 50 slum schools and 1000 households of the students in 2013. That initiative was followed by an endline research at the end of 2016. Household survey, school survey, and learning achievement test for the students of grade V have been utilised. For the endline study, in total 82 schools: 50 slum schools of baseline study and 32 other BRAC schools as a comparison group; had been selected as sample for the survey and competences achievement test in 2016. There were two comparison groups: 18 rural BRAC primary schools and 14 urban (non-slum) BRAC primary schools.
Topic:
Education, Urban, Inclusion, and Schools
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

6. How Sustainable Are the Impacts of Vocational Training?: Evidence From BRAC’s Intervention

Author:
Atiya Rahman, Anindita Bhattacharjee, Rehnuma Rahman, and Zion Rabbi Samadder
Publication Date:
06-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
In Bangladesh, the school dropout rates at both the primary and secondary level are quite high. Majority of the school dropout children end up unemployed or in low-quality jobs. Hence, training programs can be a potential solution to address the rising unemployment among school dropout youths. In this context, BRAC piloted a program titled “Skills Training for Advancing Resources (STAR)” in the five divisions of Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, and Khulna in 2012, in partnership with the Bureau of Non-formal Education (BNFE). During this pilot phase, the program provided livelihood skills training to a pool of 1000 urban adolescents aged 14-18 years, who completed five years of schooling under the Basic Education for Hard to Reach Urban Working Children (BEHTRUWC) project of the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE). This study uses three rounds of quantitative data (collected in 2012, 2013 and 2015) to estimate the short and long-run impacts of the pilot phase of the STAR program by employing different techniques such as Difference-in-Difference (DiD) with fixed effect, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and DiD using PSM and also includes qualitative methods to supplement the quantitative findings. Specifically, this study estimates the impacts on employment, income, savings, early marriage, etc. of adolescents, and on household welfare. Findings show that the positive impacts on the adolescents’ labour market participation and monthly income are sustainable and higher in the long-run. In particular, the participants significantly shifted to the skilled labour market in the long-run. The impact on employment has been found to be higher for female participants. The program also significantly reduces early marriage (for females). Additionally, positive impacts are found on empowerment, self-confidence and workplace environment. The study recommends- keeping the profile of trades consistent with market demands and the participants’ age as well as their individual interests and ensuring post-training follow up by program staff, among others, to make this program even more effective.
Topic:
Education, Employment, Vocational Training, Sustainability, and Labor Market
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

7. How Does a Branch Experience during the Transition? A Case Study of Cost Recovery Approach in BRAC Education Program

Author:
Rasel Babu and Md Iftikhar Ul Karim
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
BRAC initiated an Education programme in 1985 to provide free primary education opportunity to the disadvantaged children of the poor community through its non-formal primary education intervention. Various development partners generously donated in this great effort which enabled BRAC to operate the education programme in a philanthropic approach for thirty-one years. In 2015, Bangladesh achieved ‘lower middle-income country’ status which caused a shrink in receiving the foreign donations. BRAC therefore adopted a cost recovery approach in 2016. The parents now pay a lump sum tuition fee for educating their children in BRAC’s primary schools.
Topic:
Education, Poverty, Case Study, and Cost Recovery
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

8. BRAC-UBS Shishu Niketan School Project: A Baseline Study

Author:
Samir Ranjan Nath, Nowreen Yasmin, and Anwar Hossain
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
BRAC Education Programme (BEP) in collaboration with BRAC-UK has established 15 low-cost, fee-paying schools called Shishu Niketan in 15 district towns of Bangladesh. The objective of this initiative is to provide quality primary education to the children of low-income families. The UBS Optimus Foundation is the development partner of this project. BEP is the implementing agency in collaboration with the BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BIED). The duration of this collaboration is 41 months starting from August 2016. According to the project proposal three grades viz., pre-primary, grade I, and grade II are supposed to be opened in each school in January 2017. After one year, the students will be promoted to the next grades and a new batch of pre-primary students will be admitted. The number of students in each grade was proposed to be 32. The number of teachers would be four in each school, one of whom is a headteacher. One new teacher would be recruited each year. During the implementation of this project, a total of 105 teachers will be recruited, and 2,970 students will be admitted to these schools. The research and Evaluation Division (RED) of BRAC is the research partner of this project. As part of an evaluation of this project, RED will collect various information throughout the implementation period. This report presents the findings of baseline research on this Shishu- Niketan School project. Fieldwork for this was carried out in June 2017.
Topic:
Development, Education, and Schools
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

9. Literacy Status of BRAC Primary School Completers

Author:
Samir Ranjan Nath and Mohammad Anwar Hossain
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Abstract:
Literacy status of a sample of primary education completers from BRAC non-formal schools in 2016 and enrolled in grade six in various formal schools in the following year were assessed. Their performance in literacy was compared with a similar group of students taken from national literacy assessment under Education Watch 2016. A test-based literacy assessment tool developed for Education Watch 2002 was used. The findings reveal that although the BRAC school students bear a lower socioeconomic status than those in the national sample they achieved a significantly higher literacy rate than the comparison group of students. A similar result was observed in each of the four components of literacy viz., reading, writing, numeracy and application of the 3Rs. No gender difference was observed in the national sample but girls outperformed boys in the BRAC sample.
Topic:
Education, Literacy, and Schools
Political Geography:
Bangladesh and South Asia

10. Socio-Political and Cultural Challenges of Poverty Alleviation: A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan and Bangladesh

Author:
Karim Sajjad Sheikh, Khalil Ahmad, and Ayesha Farooq
Publication Date:
07-2016
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
South Asian Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
This paper attempts to review and analyze important features of Pakistani and Bangladeshi politics, the socio-economic situation and cultural traditions from both historical and contemporary perspectives with focus upon challenges of poverty alleviation. In so-doing, this paper analyses the major issues related to poverty alleviation against the backdrop of sociopolitical and economic structures. The present paper has been extracted from the published PhD work of the first author. The review indicates some of the important features of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Both the countries share similar ranking on human development index. Substantial proportions of populations in both the countries are engaged in primary sector of economy. Gender disparities on socio-economic indicators, ethnic and sectarian divide, political instability and corruption are intertwined with political, economic and cultural structures of the countries. Good governance, increased civic participation, collaboration of Faith-based organizations with NGOs and CSOs can help improve indicators of Human Development Index in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Topic:
Corruption, Education, Islam, Poverty, History, and Political stability
Political Geography:
Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Asia, and Punjab