Presentation on History of Special Education in Bangladesh for BSEd course of Bangladesh Institute of Special Education

1. History of Special Education in
Bangladesh
Education, Inclusive Education and the process of
transition towards mainstreaming
Nusrat Zerin

2. World Health Organization estimates that, appx.
10% of world’s population have some forms of
disability. In Bangladesh there may be approx. 16
million people with disabilities. Among them 1.6
million children with disabilities are primary school
going age.
• Disability is often seen as medical and charity issue
• Special needs children face prejudice, social
isolation & discrimination
• Poor women & girls with special needs experience
triple discrimination for being female, disabled and
poor

3. A review of special education in Bangladesh reveals
that, education for special needs children was
provided by religious and philanthropic/ charitable
organizations.
Some philanthropic organizations set up segregated
special schools. Most of the schools were set up in
urban areas.
Some parents of special needs children also set up
schools by their own for their children proper care
and education.

4. This practice was eventually adapted and
extended as part of the national education
arrangements, leading to a separate parallel
school system for these children.
This is the current situation in Bangladesh.
The special school system is generally perceived
to be the only means of educating children with
special needs.

5. Education program for children with disabilities
include:
• Segregated education in specialized classes in
special school/institution

6. • Integrated education program: for disabled
children in mainstream system but with some
special arrangements

7. • Inclusive education program: in non formal &
formal schools system

8. Inclusive education is still at a conceptual stage.
Government and different NGOs/INGOS
experiment inclusive education in segregated
and uncoordinated way. Little intervention has
been made for promotion of inclusive education
in Bangladesh.

9. Distance education program: distance learning
system with multimedia including conventional
print materials

10. Special school system is generally perceived as the
only means of educating children with special
needs.
• 5 govt. special schools for hearing impaired
children
• 5 govt. special schools for visually impaired
children (Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Barisal) & 1
for intellectually disabled children
• 64 govt. integrated program for VI children (from
1974) & 2 integrated schools (NGOs)
• More than hundreds school for intellectually
challenged or autistics children exist

11. • Education of the special needs children is
under the purview of the Ministry of Social
Welfare and is executed by the Department
of Social Services (DSS).
• DSS allocates budget for special &
integrated schools, rural rehabilitation
centres, National Centre for Special
Education, Physical handicapped training
centre.

12. • Directorate of Primary Education is now
implementing Primary Education
Development Program (PEDP III), where
Inclusive Education for special needs
children is a main component.
• Directorate Secondary and Higher
Education also has program “Teaching
Quality Improvement for the secondary
level teachers (TQI)”, which also has IE
concept as an area.

13. Education of the special needs persons is
the state obligation, since the state party has
signed & ratified the United Nations
Convention for the Rights of the Persons
with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
EFA was emphasized in Salamanka
declaration in 1994 in World Conference of
Special Needs considering a large no. of
persons with disabilities are out of
education,

14. Bangladesh has endorsed the goals and
strategies as set out in the World Education
Forum in Dakar (2000) with commitment to
achieve EFA.
Article no. 23 of UN Convention for the Rights of
the child (CRC): Children with disabilities should
have the right to special care & assistance to
ensure their fullest possible inclusion in
development.
Nowadays, Inclusive education is considered as
the cost effective way to implement Education
For All.

15. The total no. of children with disabilities in
special & integrated programs is estimated
below 5000 (among 1.6 million disabled children
in Bangladesh).
A study findings (2002) reveals, with all efforts
combined, only 4% children with disabilities
within primary school going age have been
enrolled in education. (Educating children in
different circumstances: Children with disabilities
(ESTEEM 2), study conducted by CSID & DPE)

16. Manpower in Special education:
• From Institute of Education and Research
(IER), University of Dhaka
• National Centre for Special Education under
DSS
• Several other teachers training programs are
offered by other voluntary/private
organization (Bangladesh Protibondhi
Foundation, Proyash Institute of Special
Education and Research etc.)

17. Reference:
1. The Status of un-served children in education: Children with
disabilities in Bangladesh, A situation analysis, AHM Noman
Khan & Dr. Md, Anisuzzaman (conducted by CAMPE), 2011
2. Examples of Inclusive Education, Bangladesh, UNICEF 2003.

18. Thanks