Thesis Paper_Muhammad_Rahman

i
Muhammad Ishaq-ur-Rahman
School of Geography and Environmental Science
Education in Emergencies: A
Case Study of Alternative
Education Following Cyclone
‘Sidr’ in Bangladesh

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Education in Emergencies: A Case
Study of Alternative Education
Following Cyclone ‘Sidr’ in
Bangladesh
APG5780-5781 Major Research Project
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of Master of International
Development and Environmental Analysis (M.IDEA) Degree
Student ID: 22976957
November 2012
Cover Photo
A girl named Resma of Amua village in southern Bangladesh checking her salvaged
damaged textbooks in the wake of Cyclone ‘Sidr’. Photo source - UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani,
2007.

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents i-ii
Abstract iii
Statement of Authorship iv
Acknowledgement v
List of Figures, Photographs and Tables vi
Acronyms and Abbreviations vii
CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1-7
1.1 Background – Education in Emergencies 4-6
1.2 Research aim and objectives 6-7
1.3 Organization of the paper 7
CHAPTER 2: Research Methods 8- 11
2.1 Case study approach – A chance to reflect 9-10
2.2 Existing knowledge – relating the case study to EiE literature 10-11
2.3 Research constraints 11
CHAPTER 3: Education in Emergencies - Theory and Practice in International
Development 12-36
3.1 Education in Emergencies: definition and background 13-18
3.2 Why ‘Education’ in emergencies? 18-23
3.3 Why Education in Emergencies is needed in Bangladesh? 23-26
3.4 Alternative education in emergency 26-30
3.5 Quality of Education in Emergencies 30-33
3.6 Conceptual framework for the research 33-36
CHAPTER 4: Case Study: Anondo Biddaloy - Alternative Education for ‘Sidr’
Affected Children 37-69
4.1 Project background 38-50
4.2 Project location 51
4.3 Project approach to EiE 51-69
4.3.1 Project contents and outputs 51-66
4.3.2 Outcomes /impact of the project 67-69

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CHAPTER 5: Analysis and Discussion 70-87
5.1 Context of the intervention 72-73
5.2 Analysis of the case study as Non-formal and
alternative education 73-75
5.3 Stakeholder participation 75-78
5.4 Impacts of the intervention 79-82
5.5 Analysis of the quality/standard of the intervention 82-86
5.6 Overall lessons learnt from the intervention 87
CHAPTER 6: Conclusion 88-91
6.1 Findings pertinence in Bangladesh’s EiE practice 89-90
6.2 The findings’ pertinence to general EiE practice 90-91
REFERENCES 92-98
Annexure 99

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Abstract
Geographical location along with some geological factors has made Bangladesh
vulnerable to natural disasters. Different types of disasters tend to seize the country
all the year round hence no month in the disaster calendar of Bangladesh is free
from disaster risk. While the disasters shatter the society and economy every time, it
significantly impact upon the ‘Education’ sector of the country as well. But in disaster
response, provision for other basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, medicine etc.) gets
priority over ‘Education’ as always. However, it’s not surprising as the role of
education as life-sustaining and life-saving measure to people in emergencies has
been acknowledged in fairly recent time, since the last decade of the Twentieth
century. Consequently it has been included within humanitarian response as a
critical concern and augmented the theme of Education in Emergencies (EiE). When
Government of Bangladesh is promoting the theme in its relevant policy and
programs, humanitarian organizations working in country’s development along with
the Government are developing and implementing projects based on the theme.
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), an International Humanitarian Organization working
in Bangladesh, initiated an Alternative Education project in the south-eastern coastal
region of Bangladesh after a major disaster, super cyclone ‘Sidr’, to response to the
ensuing emergency with ‘Education’. The objective of this research is to study IRW’s
EiE project in response to cyclone ‘Sidr’, analyse it in terms of international current
knowledge and practice, and derive useful lessons for the international EiE
community of knowledge and practice.
Analysis shows that Alternative Education can provide the distressed children of the
community affected by a disaster induced emergency, with education that can create
access for them to formal education once the situation is normal as well as some
essential services (e.g. health care, recreation) that become temporarily unavailable
due to the special situation. The research findings also suggested incorporation of
Education in Emergencies theme in strategic planning of relevant organizations and
bodies is necessary to formulate an effective, quality Education in Emergencies
action.

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Statement of Authorship
This thesis does not contain any material which has been previously submitted as a
requirement of a degree or diploma at Monash University, or any other institution.
This thesis does not contain any material which has been written or published by
another person except where referenced within the text. This thesis is entirely my
own work.
I understand that this work may be reproduced and/or used by Monash University, or
an authorised third party, in order to detect plagiarism.
Date
07.11.2012
Signature

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Acknowledgement
First of all I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Missingham, my supervisor. Sir, without
your guidance and support, I would not have written the thesis. I am grateful for your
wonderful support throughout the year, very encouraging words and intensive
scrutiny to make my dissertation presentable.
I have had wonderful support from my family. My heartiest gratitude to my wife Nigar
Sultana for the time and mental support she lent me throughout the study period and
particularly during writing the dissertation. For several months I could not give
enough time to the family, to my son Nabhil and my daughter Noshin. Nigar you took
most of the pains of taking care of them alone. So I would like to dedicate the
success of finishing this study to three of you. I also thank our family back home for
their support and well wishes.
‘Anondo Biddaloy’ project is a crucial part of the research. I would like to take the
opportunity to say thanks to Child Welfare Program and Islamic Relief Worldwide,
Bangladesh office for giving me the opportunity to lead such a wonderful intervention
and my fellow colleagues for making it a success.
Thanks to those of my wonderful class mates and friends who always supported me
with positive motivations and necessary supports.

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List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Process involved in the research P. 8
Figure 3.1 Alternative education in broader education provision P. 27
Figure 3.2 INEE domains of standards for
the quality of education in emergencies P. 32
Figure 3.3 Framework for the quality of education in general P. 33
Figure 3.4 Conceptual framework P. 35
Figure 4.1 ‘Sidr’ affected areas and level of impact P. 39
Figure 4.2 Potential input by alternative education program P. 50
Figure 4.3 Project location P. 51
Figure 5.1: Case study project through conceptual framework P. 71
List of Photographs
Photograph 4.1 and 4.2 P. 40
Photograph 4.3 P. 53
List of Tables
Table 3.1 Natural disasters and impact on education P. 19-20
Table 4.1 A general overview of IRW,B programs P. 41-42
Table 4.2 Major interventions by the IRW,B in terms of area P. 43-44
Table 4.3 Impacts on children’s wellbeing after cyclone ‘Sidr’ P. 46-47
Table 4.4 Academic structure of Anondo Biddaloy P. 56
Table 4.5 Curriculum and syllabus for Anondo Biddaloy - ‘Sikhon’ Class P. 58-59
Table 4.5 Curriculum and syllabus for Anondo Biddaloy - ‘Goron’ Class P. 59-61
Table 5.1 Number of overall affected schools P. 72
Table 5.2 Stakeholder identification P. 76-77
Table 5.4 Stakeholder's participation matrix P. 77-78
Table 5.5 Number of primary schools impacted in each affected district P. 81
Table 5.5 Standard of the project against INEE minimum standards for EiEP. 83-86

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Acronyms and Abbreviations
BSS Basic School System
BUET Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
CBO Community Based Organization
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
CLAP Committee for Legal Aid to Poor
CMES Centre for Mass Education in Science
CWP Child Welfare Program
DFID Department for International Development
DPE Directorate of Primary Education
EiE Education in Emergencies
GDP Gross Domestic Project
GoB Government of Bangladesh
HPN Humanitarian Practitioners Network
ILO International Labour Organization
INEE Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies
IRW Islamic Relief Worldwide
IRW,B Islamic Relief Worldwide, Bangladesh
JTWC Joint Typhoon Warning Center
MoPME Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
NFE Non Formal Education
NGO Non-Government Organization
PEDP Primary Education Development Program
TVE Technical and Vocational Education
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UIS UNESCO Institute of Statistics
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

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Chapter 1
Introduction
I want to go to school again, play with my friends, but I can’t! Water
washed away all of our household stuff, wind blew part of our roof, made
our house unliveable. My father couldn’t find work yet, he has hardly
managed to get some aid like polythene sheets and tarpaulin to repair the
house and dry food with rice and cooking oil to feed us some modest
meals…I don’t have books or a clean dress to attend school…my father
said that there was no aid for books. Maybe I’ll go to school once again
after things become alright….but I really don’t know when that will be…
(Ratna, a seven years old girl, on a riverine island of Galachipa Patuakhali,
in southeast Bangladesh, December 2007, more than one month after the
super-cyclone ‘Sidr’)
On November 15, 2007, a devastating cyclone named ‘Sidr’ struck Bangladesh,
causing widespread devastation and loss of life. It was categorized as a ‘Super
Cyclone’ for its intensity (GoB 2008). As cyclone ‘Sidr’ ripped through a number of
coastal districts, it left devastation in its wake which included a death toll of over
4000, impacting the lives of 8.5 million women, men and children, destroying one
and a half million homes partially or completely, killing around 1.2 million livestock
and damaging 2.4 million acres of crops (Chugtai 2008). Overall economic losses
have been calculated to be in the order of Bangladesh Taka (BDT) 115.6 billion1
(GoB 2008). The cyclone is important in the disaster history of the country for several
1
Equals to US$1.7 billion

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reasons; including its intensity and for being the second natural disaster in a row to
overwhelm the country’s already besieged economy in 2007 (a huge flood occurred
earlier in the year). However, an effective early warning system and a developed
preparedness mechanism saved the lives of millions of people, and reduced human
casualties to an astonishing lower amount than some such previous events (see
Annex 1), even though the effects of the cyclone were extremely intense at the local
level, as the most affected areas suffered from high-population density and higher
poverty rates than the national average (GoB 2008). Thus, it was a powerful blow
against an already poor and disadvantaged community.
A large humanitarian response was mobilized promptly by the Bangladesh
government, armed forces, and countless volunteers, as well as national and
international NGOs. Numerous international donor governments like Saudi Arabia,
the United States, the European Commission (ECHO), Kuwait, Netherlands and
institutions like the Central Emergency Response Fund moved quickly (Chugtai
2008). Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), a leading international humanitarian
organization, also launched multiple projects to participate in the disaster response
effort through its Bangladesh field office, IRW Bangladesh (IRW,B).
At the time, I was working in IRW,B’s Child Welfare Program. IRW,B formed a team
to respond to the ‘Sidr’ cyclone emergency. I was assigned to the team and was
given responsibility for visiting the devastated areas to guide some international
donors and media, and help the Emergency relief and Disaster Preparedness (EDP)
program of IRW,B in disaster appraisal. Thus, I had an opportunity to observe the
brunt of the catastrophe in-depth and at the community level.

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IRW,B has been working with disaster response and relief services in Bangladesh
since the devastating cyclone ‘Gorky’ that hit Bangladesh in 1991. Although the
major effort of the organization is aimed at relief and rehabilitation of distressed
communities, it also operates a wide variety of development programs covering the
sectors of education and vocational training, water and sanitation, income generation
through microfinance, health and nutrition, child welfare, etc. So, while IRW,B
interventions in responding to the ‘Sidr’ emergency were mainly focused on short
(immediate) and medium-term rehabilitation of affected communities, the
organisation also formulated some actions to instigate development in the longer
term. One such longer-term intervention was an alternative education project
conceived and implemented by myself and the Child Welfare Program (CWP) of
IRW,B.
The CWP’s main work involves community-based orphan child sponsorship.
Through this, CWP is trying to ensure the balanced development of one of society’s
most vulnerable groups – orphans. Hence, CWP takes special interest in ensuring
children’s basic needs like education, health and overall protection (physical,
psycho-social etc.). When CWP was planning for an intervention to assist cyclone-
affected children, I was given the responsibility of developing an intervention concept
as I had already visited the target community and also gained previous experience
with working with rural disadvantaged children and youth. Out of that previous
experience and some further research, I produced a project concept named ‘Anondo
Biddaloy - Alternative Education for ‘Sidr’ Affected Children’. The Bengali words

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Anondo Biddaloy stand for ‘A school of joy’ (‘Anondo’ means joy and ‘Biddaloy’
means school).
As a team leader of the project, I played a crucial role in the intervention. My role
was extended from developing a project proposal and applying for funding to
developing a detailed action plan and its implementation. This opportunity benefited
me in two main ways. First, it resulted in my gaining a great deal of first-hand
experience and knowledge of this particular case of Education in Emergencies (EiE)
in the wake of cyclone ‘Sidr’ in Bangladesh. Second, it aroused in me a great interest
to learn much more about international and comparative knowledge about Education
in Emergencies. This was the inspiration for this independent research thesis: What
could we, in Bangladesh, learn from international experience and the academic
literature on EiE? What could we have done better? What did we do well? And, what
could the Education in Emergencies field learn from our experience in Bangladesh?
For these reasons, I have taken the ‘Anondo Biddaloy - Alternative Education for
‘Sidr’ Affected Children’ project as the central case study and focus for analysis in
the thesis.
1.1 Background – Education in Emergencies
Whether natural or human-made, emergencies cause complex humanitarian crises.
Emergency-response agencies usually prioritise affected people’s need for food,
shelter, health and livelihood in designing their response efforts. Education,
especially in developing countries, tends to attract inadequate attention during
emergencies or crises, even though educational systems, especially pre-primary,
primary and secondary, often suffer large-scale devastation and disruption during
such times (CLAP 2008).

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Recently, however, aid NGOs, international humanitarian organizations, and UN
agencies have started to recognise and emphasise education in emergency or crisis
situations, arguing that it needs to be a key part of preparedness planning and
immediate crisis response, not just an aspect of longer-term post-crisis recovery.
Human rights and the ‘rights based approach’ to humanitarian aid and development
play an important part here. Embedded in various universal declarations of human
rights and legal regimes, education has been established as one of the most
important rights for people regardless of their particular situation. Not only that,
education has also been recognised as an ‘enabling right’ that fosters people’s
capacity to access other human rights (Pigozzi 1999). Thus, paying attention to
education in an emergency situation may also help meet diverse wellbeing needs of
children, in particular, during and after any emergency. Providing education in an
emergency situation can be an effective response measure which, at the same time,
can uphold rights and serve the needs of one of the most vulnerable sectors of the
population.
These issues are particularly relevant to Bangladesh. Bangladesh has experienced a
large number of natural disasters. On average, a major flood occurs every four to
five years, and a severe tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh every three years (MoEF
2009, GoB 2008). Furthermore, periodic disasters like droughts, river erosion, tidal
surges, waterlogged soil, heatwaves, severe cold and earthquakes (a concern for
potential disasters due to the country’s deltaic topography) fill the disaster calendar
of the country; no month in the disaster calendar of Bangladesh is free from disaster
risk (UNICEF Bangladesh 2011, HPN 2010). Furthermore, Bangladesh is one of the

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most vulnerable countries facing climate change, and it is likely to face more
frequent climatic extremes (MoEF 2005, 2009), bringing about more emergency
situations.
In the face of such future scenarios, the Government of Bangladesh has taken steps
to prepare for natural disasters through building appropriate infrastructure (physical),
introducing preparedness plans in school kits, etc. (HPN 2010), developing national
policy and legislative frameworks, and working with development partners such as
UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral agencies.
A concern for ensuring education in emergencies started gaining prominence in the
1990s. The Bangladesh government has recently (2011) included the theme of
Education in Emergencies in its 3rd
phase of the Primary Education Development
Programme (PEDP3). This implies that, in the near future, activities related to EiE
will occur in increased number and in a more coordinated manner.
In the meantime, this thesis will argue that there is a great deal to be learned from
more ad hoc Education in Emergencies projects like the impacts of Cyclone ‘Sidr’,
disaster responses to that natural disaster, and IRW,B’s ‘Anondo Biddaloy’
alternative education project.
1.2 Research aim and objectives
With the above context in mind, the aim of this research is to study IRW’s EiE project
in response to cyclone ‘Sidr’, analyse it in terms of international current knowledge
and practice, and derive lessons that will be useful for the international EiE

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community in terms of knowledge and practice. The specific objectives of this
research designed to support this aim are:
 To explore current international development theory and practice of
alternative education in a post-disaster situation;
 To examine and analyse the IRW,B project as a case study, and consider
how international knowledge could improve EiE in that country;
 To analyse lessons learned from the Bangladesh project for broader
international theory and practice in Alternative Education.
1.3 Organization of the paper
In the next chapter, I explain in detail the research methods and analytical processes
used in this research. In particular, Chapter Two provides a rationale for choosing
the qualitative method and case study approach for the research. Then, in Chapter
Three, I review current knowledge about the theory and practice of EiE in the
international development arena. This part explains the theoretical and applied
background to EiE, and gives a context to the key research questions outlined above.
Most importantly it concludes with a framework for analysis of the research case
study.
Having outlined the state of current knowledge in Education in Emergencies, in
Chapter Four I present the detailed case study of EiE in Bangladesh in response to
cyclone ‘Sidr’ introduced earlier. Chapter Five presents an analysis of the case study
based on issues raised in the Education in Emergencies literature and conceptual
framework developed in Chapter Three. Finally, I reflect upon the key findings and
conclusions of the study as a whole in Chapter Six.

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Chapter 2
Research Methods
How could people think about education when they were upset with the
catastrophic event and busy in restoring their shelters and livelihood?
(An AusAid Official, September, 2010, at the Australian Leadership Award
selection interview board in Bangladesh)
A member of a scholarship selection panel asked me this question after I mentioned
that I proposed an education project in response to cyclone ‘Sidr’. This question was
more predictable than surprising, given our different professional perspectives on the
disaster. This contrast of experience and perception has relevance to the
methodology of this study, as it has significantly informed my interest in this research
topic and my research approach. Her query sparked my interest to retrospectively
research Education in Emergencies, analyse IRW,B’s and my own project
experience in the wake of cyclone ‘Sidr’, and develop more systematic lessons for
EiE from the research and analysis. Therefore, a qualitative case study method was
most appropriate, as explained below. Some quantitative analysis of data has been
undertaken where possible to support the analysis. The figure below (fig. 2.1)
describes the process followed in this research:
Figure 2.1: Process involved in the research, (Source: Developed by the author)
Literature
Review
Working towards
preparation of a
framework based
on current theory
and practice
Case Study
Construction
Framing an
example to
analyse
Case Study
Analysis
Analysing the
example based
on the
developed
framework
Reporting
Describing the
findings based on
the analysis

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This chapter discusses the methodology of the research, in particular my rationale
for choosing a case study and qualitative approach. Finally, it also discusses the
limitations of the research.
2.1 Case study approach – a chance to reflect
The research has followed a Case Study Approach. ‘Anondo Biddaloy - Alternative
Education for Sidr Affected Children’ has been used as the case study, thus the
research chooses a single case as its unit of analysis (Miles and Huberman 1994).
Case study research enables us to study and analyse complex and ‘real world’ social
situations and learn from them. As Kyburz-Graber (2004) writes, a case study
approach follows:
‘the research philosophy of analysing an existing, real-life situation in all its
complexity, exploring it as close to the people concerned as possible,
describing the situation in as much detail as possible, and finally
explaining the findings in a clear and comprehensible way’ (Kyburz-Graber
2004, p. 54).
Hence, by providing a real case to analyse, the case study is likely to produce two
results: first, to suggest ways to strengthen such intervention through incorporating
the best practice from contemporary knowledge and exercise; and, second, to add
the lessons learnt from the case to contemporary knowledge and practice.
Even though case study research is qualitative, exploratory, and interpretive (Yin
2003), this does not entail that the approach sacrifices the important criteria of
reliability and validity (Yin 1994). In this research, I have sought to meet these

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criteria by not only drawing upon my first-hand experience and memories, but
constantly checking and triangulating against multiple sources of evidence and
documentation available. For example, the detailed case study presented in Chapter
Four draws on the project concept paper, project proposal, and project reports,
including monthly, interim and project completion reports, the published case study
booklet, etc. Furthermore, throughout 2012, I distributed a published article and
thesis drafts with IRW,B colleagues in Dhaka to double-check the details and my
interpretations.
Development workers often come to realise that the project work with which they are
involved deserves to be documented, analysed and published, but rarely have the
time and academic resources to do so (Missingham, personal communication).
Having a chance to study at a postgraduate level again, I was afforded that rare
opportunity. I have been able to frame the ‘Anondo Biddaloy’ project into a useful
case study. Being a proactive participant in the project’s development and
implementation, I could draw upon my own experience, as well as all relevant project
documents, in order to develop the case study. Furthermore, I have systematically
engaged with and reviewed the international Education in Emergencies
literature/knowledge, and have applied that knowledge to help analyse and draw
lessons from the project case study.
2.2 Existing knowledge – relating the case study to EiE literature
Education in Emergencies is quite a nascent, emerging field. Almost all of the
important international literature about theory and ‘best practice’ in EiE has been
written by development professionals working with international agencies and
concerned with practice rather than academic analysis. I summarise and review that

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literature in the next chapter. A qualitative review of relevant practice and theory in
international development enables us to understand the factors that may lead to
such an initiative. Accordingly, the research undertook a wide review of available
academic and practitioner’s knowledge, which include reports, journal articles,
national, international and regional policy regimes, thematic papers, and so on. This
review of relevant literatures contributes to developing a conceptual framework that
drives the study.
2.3 Research constraints
On the one hand, my extensive participation in the case study project was a value
adding part; on the other hand, it set challenges for me to create an analytical
dialogue between my ‘two selves’ – as a participant/development worker in the case
study and as a critically reflective researcher. But my present academic position
(which is further reinforced by my sustained engagement with relevant international
knowledge and practice) from where I developed the case study in a recursive
review and rewriting process has enabled me to utilize the advantages of the case
study. My close collaboration with the project participants enabled them to tell their
stories (Crabtree & Miller 1999) which allowed me to understand the participant’s
action, given that, through these stories, the participants described their views of
reality (Lather 1992; Robottom & Hart 1993). This helped me overcome one of the
critical arguments against the case study approach: ‘presenting any equivocal
evidence or biased views to influence the direction of the findings and conclusions’
(Yin 1984, p. 21).
The next chapter reviews theory and practice of EiE in international development
field.

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Chapter 3
Education in Emergencies - Theory and Practice in
International Development
In an emergency response, the provision of food and water, shelter and medical
treatment have historically been prioritised over the provision for education.
International humanitarian organizations working in emergency assistance have
developed rapid-response models aimed at providing such basic essential services
for a long time (Kamel 2006). Until fairly recently, there has been a lack of attention
to delivering or prioritizing education assistance, in particular to community-based
education to respond to the psycho-social and educational needs of small children
and their families in times of crisis and displacement (Nixon et al. 1996; Burde 1999;
Vargas-Baron 2005). Kamel (2006) notes that trend started changing from the
1990s. Since that time, humanitarian agencies developed a growing awareness of
the potential for education programs to enhance humanitarian goals like stabilising
communities, providing safe spaces for parents and children, and promoting
reconciliation in cases of war and civil conflicts. This has paved the way for
increased interest in EiE by international aid agencies. While ‘education’ goals were
important to the agencies, they also value the broader impacts likely to be brought
about by such programs and hence became more interested in supporting them
(Kamel 2006).
This chapter presents a review of literature relevant to EiE. In particular, the
discussion attempts to answer some key underlying questions, for example, why
education is needed in an emergency situation, the relevance of EiE in Bangladesh
context, how ‘alternative education’ fits into the broader scenario of EiE, existing

13
Alternative Education practice in international development, and the concepts of
quality or standards with EiE. Having reviewed the existing literature, this chapter
presents a conceptual framework for this study developed out of a thorough
engagement with previous knowledge.
3.1 Education in Emergencies: definition and background
‘Emergency’ can be defined as a crisis situation that overwhelms the capacity for a
society to cope by using its resources alone (Save the Children 2001). A crisis
situation can be the result of human or natural phenomena. Crises resulting from
human phenomenon are war, armed conflicts that is usually driven by national,
regional or local politics, while crises produced from natural phenomena are natural
disasters like floods, cyclones, earthquake, and so on. Both create emergency
situations due to their devastation. ‘Education’ may be defined as a process of
learning that begins at birth and takes place in the family and community as much as
in the school (Molteno 1999). Tomlinson and Benefield (2005) considered education
as activities in and out of school, formal and non-formal initiatives, regardless of age.
Education is a significant human right. The world community has advocated
education for all people in all situations because, apart from its significance as a
right, it is also very important in enabling people to access other rights. But
emergencies have set a considerable amount of challenges in the realization of
education for all.
While human-made emergencies presently deny education to 28 million children
worldwide, millions more children are struck by humanitarian emergencies created
by different disasters (UNESCO 2011). Both types of emergency bring about impacts

14
on various aspects of life in different stages where education suffers crucially. But
education is believed to be capable of creating an enabling environment for
communities in responding emergencies effectively. Need for education in
emergency situations started getting importance out of this apparently odd context.
From the outset, the theme ‘Education in Emergencies’ started receiving
consideration in connection with the concept of ‘complex humanitarian emergencies’,
situations that are ‘human-made’ and are often caused by conflicts or civil unrest
(Kamel 2006). Literatures from the 1990s like Rapid Educational Response in
Complex Emergencies (Aguilar and Retamal 1998) and Education as a
Humanitarian Response (Retamal and Aedo-Richmond 1998) described education in
such crises, for example, in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Somalia and other places.
Beyond defining emergencies as ‘complex’, the Inter-agency Network for Education
in Emergencies (INEE) defines emergencies together with ‘natural disasters’, which
include hurricanes/typhoons, earthquakes, droughts and floods among others.
As of 2006, there were 75 million children out of school (UIS 2008, UNESCO 2008),
with almost 40 million estimated to be affected by complex humanitarian
emergencies, while the rest are believed to be caught in emergency situations
created by natural disasters (Save the Children 2009, The Sphere Project & INEE
2009). Hence, emergency situations created either by human intervention or natural
disasters are similarly significant in relation to the task of providing people with
education. Consequently, the definition by Save the Children Alliance Education
Group includes both contexts and also refers to a comprehensive need for children
affected by any emergency. They defined Education in Emergencies as: “education

15
that protects the well-being, fosters learning opportunities, and nurtures the overall
development (social, emotional, cognitive, and physical) of children affected by
conflicts and disasters” (Sinclair 2002, p. 23).
By including pandemics as an emergency situation, UNICEF’s definition of EiE is the
most expansive. The term ‘emergency’ used by UNICEF includes two types of
emergencies i.e. ‘Loud’ and ‘Silent’ (Pigozzi 1999). A loud emergency includes
human-made disasters, such as civil strife and war, and natural disasters, including
floods, earthquakes, etc. A Silent emergency includes HIV/AIDS, extreme poverty,
children living on the streets etc.
Varied settings of emergencies lead to the consideration as to whether education
should be implemented during the early rehabilitation and reconstruction phase or
during long term post-crisis reconstruction. While emergencies created by a disaster
may last for a relatively shorter time, emergencies created by ongoing conflict or war
may last years if not decades. Therefore, responses to emergencies are devised
according to the nature and length of the impact. While Sinclair (2002) maintained
that the Dakar Framework affirms its emergence during the early phase, the
UNESCO (1999, p. 2-4) definition of educational emergency as a crisis situation
created by conflicts or disasters which have destabilised, disorganised or destroyed
the education system, and which requires an integrated process of crisis and post-
crisis support, suggests the need for educational support in all phases.
Considering these factors, presumably education activities in emergencies are likely
to vary according to the nature of the crisis and the cultural context of a country.

16
However, education initiatives in emergencies should consider some common
factors irrespective of any context. Nicolai (2003, p. 12) suggested that an effective
education response in an emergency should:
 deliver tangible results, aiming to maintain children’s educational continuity;
 be flexible in terms of timing, location and methods used;
 build the capacity of teachers to help children cope with the mental, physical
and social impact of an emergency;
 focus efforts on groups of marginalised children: displaced children, those
from ethnic minority communities, girls, children with disabilities, younger
children and former child soldiers;
 find ways to address community tensions and enhance integration;
 engage governments, local NGOs, or communities themselves as partners.
The role of education as a life-sustaining and life-saving measure in emergencies
has been acknowledged in fairly recent times and has consequently been included
within humanitarian responses as a critical concern (INEE 2010). But until the
beginning of the new millennium, it was not strongly present in any agenda. Kamel
(2006), however, acknowledged that the theme ‘Education in Emergencies’ received
prominent attention since 1990, following the Jomtian World Conference on
Education for All (EFA), but he argued that the conference made only limited
reference to education in emergencies despite its validity. He maintained that the
World Education Forum held at Dakar in April 2000 was the first to successfully put
education in crises on the international agenda. This forum recognised emergency

17
situations caused by armed conflict, chronic crises or natural disasters as a major
barrier in achieving EFA. A growing consensus about the right to education and
access to benefits derivable from education providing a stabilising and reassuring
environment may be recognized as one of the driving forces that brought education
into the limelight. And this was reinforced by several Human Rights mechanisms, for
example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Geneva Convention
and subsequent human rights instruments, and the 1951 Convention relating to the
Status of Refugees with its 1967 Protocols, Conference on the Rights of the Children
(1989), etc. While the 2000 Dakar Forum emphasised the barriers toward
achievement of EFA, it proposed to develop a process for improving inter-agency
communication and collaboration within the context of Education in Emergencies that
may enable communities to address them effectively. Consequently, a follow-up
2000 consultation established an open global network, the Inter-agency Network for
Education in Emergencies (INEE). This organization, which promotes access to and
completion of high quality education for all persons affected by emergencies,
formulated the Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises
and Early Reconstruction, which has set a minimum level of educational quality and
access in emergencies, chronic crises and the early reconstruction phase (Kamel
2006).
Although UNESCO, the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) of
UNESCO, Save the Children, UNICEF, UNHCR are the key members of INEE, all of
them have developed their own practical or field guidelines for implementing
education in emergencies. Most of those guidelines, and even the first INEE
Minimum Standards (2004), have been criticised for focusing on school-aged

18
children and lacking specific reference to children below school age (World Bank
2005, Kamel 2006). Different critiques sustain the claim. For instance, McLeod
(2000) noted the absence of any diploma or degree for preparing people for
addressing the holistic needs of children in conflict (or disaster) zones. Critics like
Nixon et al. (1996), Burde (1999) and Vargas-Baron (2005) pointed to inadequate
experimentation with delivering early childhood programmes in responding to the
psycho-social and educational needs of particularly young children in times of crisis
and displacement. Hence, to incorporate such findings, the INEE Minimum
Standards for Education (2010) has now added Early Childhood Development and
other relevant factors.
3.2 Why ‘Education’ in emergencies?
Simply fulfilling some primary needs like food, shelter or health care is not enough
for people, in particular children, affected by an emergency. An emergency may
influence almost all aspects of a child’s life. Their private, family life can be disturbed
in many ways: death of parents or family members can damage their home or the
family livelihood security; they may be separated from family to take up financial
responsibility; etc. Other than personal loss, children can face radically changed
situations in their social network and the lack of necessary amenities and facilities.
While an emergency collapses the whole environment of a child, the destruction of
education system is perhaps the most important loss after family and home. Nicolai
(2003) maintains schooling or the process of acquiring education provides a child
with his/her sense of identity, because school for a child is like a job for an adult. In
order to develop healthily (both mentally and physically) and to be successful in later

19
life, children need to develop a set of skills that can be acquired through regular
schooling and education. School does not merely provide literacy; it also serves as
the most important social environment for children (outside the family), as schools
also nurture the children’s creativity, provide recreation facilities, and socialization
with their peers. But situations which emerge out of conflicts or natural disasters
deny generations of children the knowledge and the opportunities that an education
can provide (INEE 2010, Nicolai 2003, Anderson et al. 2006). The erasure of
educational opportunities is as damaging as the impacts on socio-political, economic
or cultural life, though it is not well understood, recognised and addressed, as they
are not visible like other material devastations. Nicolai (2003) suggested the
following (table 3.1) impacts on education arising from disaster induced
emergencies:
Table 3.1: Natural disasters and impact on education
Initial Devastation Recovery and
Reconstruction
Personal  Children witness or directly
experience mass destruction of life
and property
 Homes destroyed; displacement
uproots children and families
 Fear of repeated disasters felt by
child
 Family focused on loss, little hope
for future
 Reunion of families
 Reconstruction of homes
and return to communities
 Bereavement over loss
 Children continue to
experience fear of
impending disaster
System  Government overwhelmed with
immediate needs of population, no
support to schools
 Disaster makes access difficult and
movement of teachers or staff
impossible
 Temporary closures of schools
leave children without structured
 Main focus placed on
physical reconstruction of
schools
 Lack of appropriate
curriculum content and
low quality of teaching as
schools re-open
 Need for training teachers

20
Initial Devastation Recovery and
Reconstruction
activities or means to work through
their feelings
 School buildings destroyed, tents or
open air classes used as alternative
 Curriculum and learning aids
destroyed
on disaster preparedness
and environmental care
 Displacement creates
large class sizes and
shifts burden onto
existing schools
 Low levels of emergency
aid for education leave
school resources ever
more depleted
Society  Populations move in large numbers
to a concentrated area
 Physical danger of disaster remains
high
 Loss of livelihoods
 Damage to roads and infrastructure
slows immediate response
 Populations remained
displaced for economic
reasons or fear of repeat
disaster
 Poverty slows
reconstruction leaving
physical damage
continuously visible
 Funding tapers off shortly
after disaster
 New skills necessary in
building society
Source: Nicolai 2003
Education can play important and diverse roles in both short-term and longer-term
responses. Short-term responses include the actions that provide immediate support
for survival, like food, medicine, temporary shelters, and so on. Long-term responses
are those recovery efforts that are more focused on long-term sustainability of the
affected people, like livelihood training, education, etc. Alongside fulfilment of
immediate needs, children also require some continual support that enables them to
achieve the skills to support themselves into the future. As education plays a role in
meeting children’s basic needs in the short and longer-term, helping them to reduce
their vulnerability to disaster and to build new lives, Nicolai (2003) suggested that

21
education should be seen as a priority component of emergency assistance.
Bensalah (2002, p. 11) held UNESCO’s practical justification for an educational
response in emergencies and for reconstruction is that:
 Education helps meet the psychosocial needs of children affected by conflict
or disasters that have disrupted their lives and social networks;
 Education is a tool for protecting children in emergencies;
 Education provides a channel for conveying health and survival messages
and for teaching new skills and values, such as peace, tolerance, conflict
resolution;
 Education for All is a tool for social cohesion, whereas educational
discrepancies lead to poverty for the uneducated and fuel civil conflict;
 Education is vital to the reconstruction of the economic basis of family, local
and national life and for sustainable development and peace building.
Education can be an entry point to provide an array of services during any
emergencies. Pigozzi (1999) suggests that education plays a critical role in
normalising the situation for the child and in minimising the psycho-social stresses
experienced when emergencies result in the sudden and violent destabilisation of
the child’s immediate family and social environment. Education can also provide
protection and preserve children’s rights. This implies that education in emergencies
ought to have some particular values. Nicolai (2003, pp. 6-9) recognized three core
principles in education efforts during emergencies:

22
1. The child’s right to education: Education is an important universal human right
which is also an enabling right that can help people to access other rights. Hence, by
enacting through a number of national, international and regional policy regimes and
instruments, it has been established as an inalienable right. Among the global
mechanisms, some are very important in addressing the various dimensions of
education. Examples include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951), the Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (1966), the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989),
the World Declaration on Education for All (1990), the Geneva Conventions and
regional agreements like the Africa Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,
the Protocol to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms (1952), the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties
of Man, etc. However, even though these create primary bindings for the government
to ensure children’s rights to education. Governments sometimes fail to comply due
to lack of capacity and other social issues like ethnic, gender, language differences,
etc., and an emergency can only aggravate this situation. Nonetheless, nothing
should deny children’s access to education.
2. The child’s need for protection: Amid a crisis, education can play a vital role in
child protection. When quality education is endorsed, that goes beyond the mere
fulfilment of legal rights. Furthermore, it can ensure the protection of children.
Children become vulnerable in a number of ways during an emergency, for example,
they might experience events like the death of family members or other close ones,
physical injury, etc., that are likely to bring mental trauma, fear of repeated disasters,
and so on. Education possesses different components that may cumulatively

23
address such issues of child protection. The safe and supervised environment of a
school can ensure both physical and mental safety for a child. With peers and
teachers they are least vulnerable to trafficking, sexual assault, and other crimes.
This safe environment can also extend care for vulnerable groups like children with
special needs. The routine-based, structured activities of school are able to provide
children with stability that will be likely lacking during a time of emergency. Education
during such crises might assist children to learn how to cope with increased risks
through attaining knowledge.
3. A community’s priority for education: While both the parents and children may
comprehend the need for continuing schooling even during emergencies, already
under-resourced communities may face difficulties in providing educational
opportunities due to devastation by emergencies. The community may establish
some sort of educational arrangement but the resource constraints are likely to
interrupt scaling-up the initiative. Hence, a community may call for external support.
If a local society prioritizes education during emergency situation, it provides a very
strong rationale for providing education during such times. The community’s effort in
prioritizing education implies their belief in the future of the children beyond the
emergency, and a collective initiative can pave the way for exploring and benefiting
from new or rejuvenated social networks, thus promoting peace, prosperity and
stability.
3.3 Why Education in Emergencies is needed in Bangladesh?
Taking the above considerations into account, Bangladesh has additional specific
grounds to justify the need for EiE. Bangladesh has a heterogeneous and complex

24
education system, as different forms of education have been allowed to develop and
co-exist simultaneously (Shohel and Howes 2011). There are three major streams in
the system, namely General education, Madrasah education (predominantly Muslim
religious education) and Technical-Vocational Education (TVE), which are mainly
provided through formal and non-formal channels (DPE 2011). Excluding TVE, the
other two streams have again 5 stages: pre-primary, primary, secondary, higher
secondary and tertiary (DPE 2011). With a total number of 81,500 primary
institutions of 10 different kinds, Bangladesh is one of the largest unitary authorities
for primary education system in the world (DPE 2011). The 10 types of institutions
include: government primary school, registered non-government primary school,
non-registered non-government primary school, experimental schools, community
schools, kindergartens, NGO schools, ebtedayee madrassas, primary sections of
high madrassas and primary sections of high schools.
While UNICEF Bangladesh (2011) has also acknowledged that the primary
education system of the country is one of the largest in the world, it also maintained
that the system is still largely unprepared to meet disaster challenges. UNICEF
Bangladesh (2010) statistics provides us with an idea of the vulnerability of the
education system: between 1971 and 2007, over 120,000 primary schools were
damaged by floods and 50,000 by cyclones. This damage to education infrastructure
contributes significantly to huge recovery costs and exerts pressure on the country’s
budget. For instance, the Bangladesh government allocated BDT 11,196 million
(US$ 1.7 billion) in just three years – 2004 to 2007 – for recovery in the education
sector due to three major disasters (UNICEF Bangladesh 2010, HPN 2010). The
damage to education services caused by a disaster lasts much longer than the

25
storms themselves (UNICEF Bangladesh 2011). This is mainly due to using physical
educational infrastructures (school building) as shelters and having fewer shares
while competing for resource allocation with other sectors.
The future disaster trend of the country has been assumed to be more extreme.
Bangladesh is among the top countries vulnerable to climate change impacts due to
a number of geographical and geological factors (Das 2010, p. 25):
First of all, due to its location in the most vulnerable area of the world i.e.
South Asia (according to the 3rd
IPCC assessment report) which leaves it
as exposed to a number of natural hazards, such as, floods, river erosion,
cyclones, droughts, tornadoes, cold waves, earthquakes, drainage
congestion/ water logging, arsenic contamination, salinity intrusion etc..
Secondly, due to its geological condition, the mostly flat deltaic topography
with very low elevation in respect to the sea level makes it vulnerable to
frequent flood and inundation by anticipated sea level rise. Thirdly, due to
cultural attributes; heavily dense population, ever-growing poverty and
excessive reliance on primary economic activities (i.e. agriculture) that’s
highly influenced by climate variability and change.
Such factors are likely to distress Bangladesh in many ways. Das (2010) estimated
63 million children in Bangladesh may become physically and socially vulnerable due
to the increased frequency and enormity of natural hazards. While physical
vulnerability may include chronic malnutrition, diseases, injury, death, physical abuse
and forced labour, social vulnerability includes loss of property and assets, loss of

26
parents and family, internal displacement, risk of being trafficked, and lack of
educational opportunities.
Hence, addressing the need for education in emergency situations induced by
natural disasters is gradually being recognized as a priority in the government and its
development partner’s efforts in disaster planning and response. While the
government is stepping forward with policy formulation, aid agencies, CBOs, and
NGOs have been developing innovative projects, establish networks and undertake
policy advocacy.
3.4 Alternative education in emergency
EiE responses often require ‘non-formal’ or ‘alternative’ education models or
approaches, as Baxter and Bethke (2009) have shown. Non-formal education has
been defined by Coombs et al. (1973) as any organized educational activity outside
the established formal system (hierarchically structured and chronologically graded
education system) – whether operating separately or as an important feature of
some broader activity – that is intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and
learning objectives. Alternative education’s main features have been recognised as:
a specialized education program taking place outside of the mainstream school
system, being an extension or parallel to mainstream education (Cox 1999); a
separate administrative unit with its own personnel; and it is voluntary and available
to everyone, having strong community participation and responsiveness (Raywid
1983).
Hence, alternative education can be conceptualised within the broader category of
non-formal education. Baxter and Bethke (2009) defined alternative education as all
types of non-formal educational arrangements that lie beyond a country’s

27
government education system, mostly operated by organizations like NGOs,
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), etc., and that do not have an automatic
validation or certification, are ad-hoc and tailor-made to specific observed needs,
and can sometimes work as a bridging arrangement to mainstream formal education.
To summarise, alternative education has two distinguishing features: administration
and curriculum, differentiating it markedly from mainstream education. Mainstream
education is administered by the government of the country, but with alternative
education, the community takes the lead in administering an education program.
Curriculum-wise, it lies somewhere in the middle of Informal and Formal education.
While Formal education follows a top-down, pre-fixed curriculum, and Informal
education does not follow a curriculum and is mainly conversation-based, Non-
formal education follows a bottom-up and negotiated curriculum (Jeffs and Smith
1990, 1999). Hence, alternative education, which is based on a curriculum
developed with the strong participation of the community according to their perceived
needs, may be placed together with Non-formal education, between dialogue- or
experience-based Informal and pre-planned curriculum-based Formal education (fig.
3.1).
Figure 3.1: Alternative education in broader education provision, (Source:
adapted from Smith 2012)
In emergency situations, non-formal and alternative models are needed for several
reasons: often the formal (i.e. government) school system is destroyed or damaged;
Conversation based
Negotiated Curriculum
Alternative Education
Set Curriculum
Informal Formal

28
teachers and education staff in the government system may be killed or injured or
unable to resume normal school operations; children have differential needs: when
some children may easily re-enter primary education, others may have insufficient
knowledge and skills to enter an age-appropriate grade, so they may feel ashamed
to join a class with children younger than them; and governmental capacity for
assistance may only provide limited facilities that may deny access of a larger
portion of the children in the society (Uemura 1999, Sommers 2004, McNamara
2006, Baxter & Bethke 2009). Furthermore, it is difficult for formal schools to
experiment with alternative approaches appropriate to their social and environmental
context or adapt to local priorities because of control and influence by central state
institutions, particularly through a centralised curriculum (Robinson 1999). Shohel
and Howes (2011) further maintain that the rigid formal system has out-dated
curricula.
In such circumstances, national and international NGOs and multilateral
organisations (such as UN agencies) may coordinate and deliver education.
Community members and CBOs may be involved to an extent that is not normally
seen in formal systems, and NGOs and international development agencies may
promote ‘alternative’ approaches to curricula and pedagogy that differ from the
government curriculum to serve the perceived needs of the particular target
population.
Different emergency situations could call for different types of alternative education.
For example, where a specific pandemic is prevalent, an alternative education
program could address that issue alongside formal education; a breakdown of a
formal education system due to any natural or human-caused disaster could call for

29
a bridging, transitional education arrangement. In their book containing a
comparative study of alternative educations in different emergency contexts, Baxter
and Bethke (2009) classified alternative education according to three major types:
1. Alternative access program
This type of alternative education program provides an education opportunity to non-
enrolled or dropped-out children and youth. They are often operated by NGOs/CBOs
to fill the gap of education for particular groups (e.g. the marginalized, victims of an
emergency, etc.). Access program may follow formal curricula; however, teachers
imparting it may not be recognized by the formal system, and this could follow
different pedagogical methods (e.g. learner-centred) from the formal system. This
program may be divided into two types:
a. Bridging program: This category of access program mainly focuses on
enrolling the excluded and drop-outs. Bridging programs are
transitional in nature, designed to help the target group to re-enter the
formal system (e.g. accelerated learning program);
b. Parallel program: This category of access program takes place in a
different physical infrastructure than formal schools, enrols mainly
marginalized (geographically, racially, etc.) people and is
predominantly managed by the community. Pedagogy is traditional and
teachers are untrained and unqualified in this type of program.
2. Alternative subject/curriculum program
An alternative subject or curriculum provides education on non-traditional subjects
which have a perceived need for the time. It can be provided for a relatively shorter

30
term to bring some behavioural change to a specific issue like landmine awareness
or may be a longer-term intervention to develop an attitude and behaviour in relation
to a particular issue, for example, HIV/AIDS awareness, environmental education,
and so on.
3. Alternative pedagogy program
This type is usually an adjunct to the alternative access or subject program. Also, it
can be used to upgrade the teaching-learning process of the formal school.
3.5 Quality of Education in Emergencies
Alternative education demands the same need for quality or standards as the formal
education demands. The sixth goal of the UNESCO Education for All (EFA) is that by
2015 the aim is for “improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring
excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved
by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills” (goals set in 2000
Dakar World Education Forum), and this is pertinent to both formal and non-
formal/alternative education. Baxter and Bethke (2009) speculate that alternative
education might engender a quality education system, as many of the alternative
programs are specifically designed to develop the quality of the existing education
system. Scholars have acknowledged the difficulty in assessing educational quality
in absence of a universally agreed definition of quality and a way of measurement.
Moreover, it has been multifaceted since the 1990s, following the 1990 Jomtien
Conference on Education for All and the 2000 Dakar World Education Forum, which
extend the education vision beyong achieving competencies in reading, writing and
arithmetic (Pigozzi 2004). According to Pigozzi (2004: pp. 39-50):

31
…..in the post twentieth century world, perception about quality of
education is ever evolving due to the increased participation of varied
stakeholders like different bodies of the government than education
ministry, non-government organizations, community, etc. This inclusion of
different participants has linked quality to critical components like teachers,
contents, methodologies, curriculum, examination systems, policy,
management and administration. Dimensions of education have been
extended, from cognitive understanding and development to social and
other dimensions of learning. Education now is expected to contribute
towards sustainable human development, peace and security, universal
values, informed decision-making, quality of life at individual, family,
societal and global levels.
As mentioned earlier, the Dakar Forum augmented the establishment of INEE by
setting minimum standards to ensure quality, coordinated humanitarian response:
meeting the educational rights and needs of people affected by emergencies. This
minimum standard is based on the minimum level of human rights that needs to be
ensured in any condition and contains five major domains, namely: Foundational
standards, Access and Learning Environment, Teaching and Learning, Teachers
and Other Education Personnel and Education Policy (fig. 3.2). These are again
divided into nineteen further standards (see Chapter 5).

32
Figure 3.2: INEE domains of standards for the quality of education in
emergencies (Source: Adapted from INEE 2010)
On the other hand, while acknowledging this progressive concept of quality, learning
is still a primary and central concern to UNESCO. It has incorporated other concerns
into two distinct layers i.e. ‘inner learner level’ and ‘outer system level’, surrounding
the central concern (fig. 3.3):
Foundational
Access and
Learning
Environment
Teachers and
Other
Education
Personnel
Education
Policy
Teaching
and
Learning
Standard

33
Figure 3.3: Framework for the quality of education in general (Source: Pigozzi
2004)
However, even though these are the two major frameworks in assessing quality of
education, this research will use the INEE framework to analyse the case, as it is
more specific to education quality in an emergency context.
3.6 Conceptual framework for the research
From the discussion so far, we find that the major constituents of EiE (including
alternative education) in Bangladesh are: the context that may call for such
intervention; education that is alternative to the mainstream in order to meet the
Learning
Seeks
out
learners
What the learners
Bring
Process
Environment
Content
Resources
Means to measure learning
outcomes
Supportive
legislative
framework
Managerial and
administrative systems
Implemen
tation of
good
policies

34
challenges resultant from the particular context; participation of different
stakeholders in such interventions; two way impacts (impact of the intervention on
the stakeholders and impact of the stakeholders on the project); and ensuring the
quality of such action.
Contexts refer to situations in which an alternative education might be endorsed, for
example, the break-out of an emergency, the failure of formal education systems,
etc. Education, particularly different types of the alternative category, may be
endorsed depending on the specific context. Different stakeholders’ participation in
alternative education initiatives and their impact on different levels may also be
subject to the context and the types of intervention. The quality of the intervention is
an important issue that needs to be pursued during planning and implementation.
Quality of alternative education can be augmented by the proper participation of the
stakeholders and incorporating lessons learnt from best practice in the sector. It can
be reflected by the achievement of better impacts.
Along with these factors based on my practical experience, I propose a conceptual
framework (fig. 3.4) for Education in Emergencies in Bangladesh which also
anticipates connections among different components.

35
Such a framework is necessary for a variety of reasons; as Miles and Huberman
(1994, p. 18) noted, a conceptual framework serves the following purposes:
Context
Emergencies
Schooling System
Impacts
Stakeholder
Participation
Alternative
Education
Alternative
Access
Alternative
Pedagogy
Alternative
Curriculum
Education in
Emergencies in
Bangladesh
Quality
Figure 3.4: Conceptual framework, (Source: Developed by the author)

36
(a) identifying who will and will not be included in the study;
(b) describing what relationships may be present based on logic, theory and/or
experience;
(c) providing the researcher with the opportunity to gather general constructs into
intellectual/conceptual categories.
Baxter and Jack (2008) maintain that the conceptual framework serves as an anchor
for the study and is referred at the stage of data interpretation. Hence, this is an
initial framework of this study which displays the main constructs of the research.
With the progress of the study, the framework will continue to be developed and
completed, and as data are analysed, the framework will confirm the relationships
between the proposed constructs (Baxter and Jack 2008). Consequently, the final
conceptual framework will include all the themes that emerged from the data
analysis and will present their interrelations.
The following chapter (4) presents the case study of ‘Anondo Biddaloy - Alternative
Education for ‘Sidr’ Affected Children’. It paves the way to testing the conceptual
framework for Education in Emergencies by providing a practical model.

37
Chapter 4
Case Study: Anondo Biddaloy - Alternative Education for
‘Sidr’ Affected Children
Do you think this proposal is going to attract funding support at this
moment? I am not sure that donors will be eager to come up with
education support at a time when people need food, shelter and
medication more! Yet, let’s try.
(Md. Saydul Alom, May 2008, in briefing session of the Anondo Biddaloy
project concept)
Hearing of our proposal for an education project in response to cyclone ‘Sidr’, this
was the first impression of one of my colleagues who had vast experience in
emergency aid in Bangladesh. Being an enthusiastic novice in development work
and driven by passion more than experience, I was optimistic about a quick
response. This feeling grew upon seeing the eagerness of the children in the
disaster devastated area. But even a specialized organization working in crisis relief
and the recovery sector like the IRW had no experience and little inclination to
provide educational support to the community immediate after a disaster. And my
colleague’s recommendation to proceed was validated, the proposal received a
positive response; however, it took more time than I expected for approval and
commencement. After fourteen months since Cyclone ‘Sidr’, we finally formed a
dedicated team to develop and implement the project, in which I received a leading
role.

38
This chapter presents a case study of the EiE project ‘Anondo Biddaloy - Alternative
Education for ‘Sidr’ Affected Children’, implemented by Islamic Relief Worldwide,
Bangladesh, as part of our response to the humanitarian crisis caused by cyclone
‘Sidr’ in rural Bangladesh. In presenting this case study of a project in which I was
directly and professionally involved, I aim to present, with some first-hand
experience, information and reflection in relation to EiE. The chapter contributes to
my overall argument by being placed itself under the analytical lens and thereby
producing practical knowledge on how EiE can be useful in Bangladesh after any
disaster-induced emergency.
4.1 Project background
As discussed above, Bangladesh frequently suffers from a range of natural
disasters. Among the range of disasters, floods and tropical cyclones occur most
frequently. Approximately one tenth of the globe’s tropical cyclones occur in the Bay
of Bengal, in the south of Bangladesh, and about one sixth of them created landfalls
on the Bangladesh coast (GOB, UNDP, World Bank, 1993). While they also impact
the eastern coast of India, Myanmar and occasionally Sri Lanka, they create the
most damage to Bangladesh, west Bengal and Orissa of India, due to the low, flat
terrain, high population density, and poorly-built houses in these areas (BUET 2008).
A cyclone named ‘Sidr’- with winds of up to 250 km/h (JTWC 2007) struck the south-
west coastal and central areas of Bangladesh on November 15, 2007 at
approximately 18:45 hours (local time). Purportedly the name was given by Oman
(Middle Eastern country) after an Arabic name of a tree belonging to the genus
Ziziphus, but there is also the rumour that it was derived from the Sinhalese
language whereby ‘Sidr’ means ‘hole’ or ‘eye’ (ILO Bangladesh 2008). The Joint

39
Figure 4.1: ‘Sidr’-affected areas and levels of impact, (Source: GoB 2008)
Typhoon Warning Centre (2007) categorized it as a ‘Tropical Cyclone 06B’ while on
the Saffir‐Simpson Hurricane Scale2
it was measured as Category 4 i.e. a super
cyclonic storm (GoB 2008). The cyclone was the fourth named storm in the 2007
North Indian Cyclone Season, and the third natural disaster to affect Bangladesh in
twelve months (ILO Bangladesh 2008). The strong inundation and wind speed of the
cyclone caused a tide surge of over 5 meters (16 ft) that fiercely impacted the entire
cities of Patuakhali, Barguna and Jhalokati District, and breached coastal and river
embankments, flooding low-lying lands and causing extensive physical destruction
(ILO Bangladesh 2008, BUET 2008). A total of 30 (fig. 4.1) south-west coastal
districts of Bangladesh were impacted moderately to severely (GoB 2008).
2
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale ranges from category 1 to 5 based on the wind
sustenance of a storm. Categories 4-5 are likely to bring catastrophic damage
(http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php)

40
Photograph 4.1: A face
from the hundreds of
thousands of people
left homeless and
without hope by
cyclone ‘Sidr’
Photo source: Shafiq Alam,
STAR Weekend Magazine,
Volume 6 Issue 45,
November 23, 2007
Photograph 4.2: Dead
livestock floating in
canals at Sharankhola
(near the Sundarbans
mangrove forest) while
a large portion of the
forest’s resources
were also damaged
Photo source: Sk Kabirul
Hashan, November 20, 2007
Among the districts affected by the cyclone, eight were recognized as ‘Moderately
affected’ while four districts were classified as ‘Severely affected’ (GoB 2008).3
Hence, not unexpectedly, it left a huge socio-economic and cultural impact on the
country (see Photograph 4.1 and 4.2).
While thirty districts were affected by the cyclone at various magnitudes,
approximately 3.45 million coastal inhabitants were exposed to storm-surge-related
inundation (Dasgupta et al. 2010). Save the Children (2008) reported that 3,347
people killed, 55,282 injured and 871 unaccounted for by ‘Sidr’. Furthermore, of the
3
See Annex 2 for detailed list of affected districts and level of impact

41
16 million households in the thirty affected Districts, one million households lost their
dwellings, and an additional 1.5 million sustained lesser but significant damage (ILO
Bangladesh 2008). According to the GoB report (2008) on damage, loss and needs
assessment for recovery and reconstruction, over two-thirds of the disaster effects
by the cyclone were physical damages and one-third was economic losses, while
most damage and losses were incurred by the private sector rather than the public
sector. The total economic loss incurred was estimated close to US$450 million
initially (BUET 2008) but this figure eventually reached US$1.7 billion (GoB 2008).
Islamic Relief Worldwide, Bangladesh (IRW,B), with its almost two-decade
experience of responding to emergencies in Bangladesh mobilized huge resources
to support the devastated community. Although the organization had specialized in
emergency relief and rehabilitation, it had also committed its effort towards other
development interventions. Table 4.1 presents an overview of the IRW,B programs
in Bangladesh:
Table 4.1: A general overview of IRW,B programs
Program Area Overview
Sustainable
livelihood
It aimed to identify the community’s needs and provide the target
group with relevant livelihood training. Projects include interest-
free loans, cash-for-work schemes and developing small
businesses e.g. vegetable and dairy production
Education To provide impoverished children and young people with low-
cost vocational training in different trades; it has been
implementing the Vocational Training and Employment Support
Services (VTESS) project which operates four vocational schools
Health and IRW,B has been running a healthcare centre for providing

42
Table 4.1: A general overview of IRW,B programs
Program Area Overview
Nutrition medication and carrying out health and hygiene training, Mother
and Child Health project for training midwives and traditional birth
attendants, and an eyesight restoration project
Orphans and
Child Welfare
While primarily facilitating community-based orphan sponsorship,
this program has a strategic aim in assisting with wider child
welfare issues like child protection, health care, livelihood
development, education, etc., of children in need
Water and
Sanitation
To ensure access by disadvantaged people to water and
sanitation, this program’s activities included digging wells,
building water supply systems, rainwater-harvesting, constructing
latrines, providing basic hygiene training, etc.
Emergency
relief and
Disaster
Preparedness
Alongside helping people in all major environmental emergencies
(natural disasters) with immediate relief in Bangladesh, IRW,B is
focused on rehabilitation and long-term development of its target
group. Long-term development projects include community-
based disaster preparedness, Local Disaster Risk Reduction
Action Plans, Disaster Preparedness against Risk of Flood &
Earthquake, etc.
Source: IRW 2012
The broader program areas are managed by the relevant departments, respectively
called the Development Programme (DP), Vocational Training and Employment
Support Services Programme (VTESS), Health Programme, Child Welfare
Programme (CWP), Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Programme and the
Emergency relief and Disaster Preparedness (EDP) Programme.

43
On the very night the cyclone struck the coastal area, IRW,B established an
observation and coordination desk at its head office in Dhaka to observe the
situation and mobilize necessary resources as soon as possible. The next day, the
desk formed an informal cyclone ‘Sidr’ emergency response team whereby I was
included. The Emergency relief and Disaster Preparedness (EDP) department was
leading the whole response effort. I was able to visit the area on the fifth day
following the cyclone. In the meantime, several field units (after the cyclone) had
been sent to devastated areas with emergency medical support.
When the cyclone ‘Sidr’ hit Bangladesh, with its different programs IRW,B had a
spatial coverage over 26 districts out of a total of 64 districts in Bangladesh (IRW,B
2008-b). But it chose to set up its projects mainly in the severely-affected areas of
south-western Bangladesh, as the damage and loss was mostly concentrated in that
area. Situated near the sea and on the path of the cyclone, the Bagerhat, Barguna,
Patuakhali and Pirojpur districts were severely affected by ‘Sidr’ and the tidal surge
associated with it. Table 4.2 shows the major interventions of IRW,B in response to
the ‘Sidr’ emergency in terms of the area covered. The total amount of the grant was
129,326,32.50 BDT4
.
Table 4.2: Major interventions by the IRW,B in terms of area
Sl Intervention Project Area (Districts)
Project grant received in cash
1 Emergency Food and Shelter
(material)
Patuakhali, Jhalokathi, Chandpur,
Bagerhat
2 Water and Sanitation Patuakhali, Jhalokathi
4
70 BDT= 1 US$

44
Sl Intervention Project Area (Districts)
3 Shelter building (household) and
reconstruction
Patuakhali, Bagherhat
4 Food and medicine Patuakhali, Bagerhat
5 Food for work Jhalokathi
6 Cash for work Patuakhali, Bagerhat
7 Capacity building (Vocational
education/skills development
training)
Bagerhat
Project grant received in kind
1 Food and other commodities
(hygienic kits like soap, sanitary
napkin, fortified food, rice, etc.)
Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi
Source: Compiled and adapted from IRW,B 2008-b
Most of the responses of the IRW,B were focused on immediate rescue and
rehabilitation and made through the WATSAN and EDP programs on a short- and
medium-term basis. Hence, in order to bring some longer-term effects in the
devastated community, the organization also planned some capacity-building
actions, under the scope of its other programs, such as Education and Child Welfare.
Accordingly, the VTESS program designed the Vocational Education project (skills
development training) for the youth.
While the CWP was carefully observing the broader welfare issues of child survivors,
the department followed one week after the cyclone, UNICEF (2007) reported about
one million primary-school-aged children had been affected by the cyclone and
about 600,000 children, who were enrolled in primary school, were not taking
classes and were unable to attend school, as their school buildings were destroyed.

45
However, after the catastrophe, the majority of the schools had been re-opened in
the affected areas and reconstruction of badly-destroyed schools had begun by mid-
2008, but normal school lessons had not yet resumed (Save the Children 2008).
Presumably several reasons could be identified, given my personal experience. To
begin with, as the cyclone devastated the whole community, teachers were also
among the victims, while many of the survivors were busy restoring personal assets,
particularly teachers in schools where they do not receive a fixed regular salary (for
example, registered and semi-registered primary schools). It has been found that
while reconstruction of school buildings had begun in some places in mid-2008,
schools were not operating by late-2008. Another important factor was
communication infrastructure: the cyclone considerably disabled the road network,
especially the earthen, semi-paved, brick-surfaced inner roads in rural areas; these
were being restored by the government and NGO initiatives with mid- to long-term
interventions. However, in the meantime, children living at a distance from their
school remained confined within their locality. Save the Children UK and Plan
International (2010) research findings supported this fact. The research entitled
‘Strengthening Preparedness and Response Capacity in Flood and Cyclone Prone
Areas in Bangladesh’ that essentially included the Anondo Bidaloy project areas
suggested children from pocket areas, especially girls and students from Grade 1 to
3 could not access schools because approach roads were inundated or damaged
even when schools open after disasters (Save the Children UK and Plan
International 2010).
Apart from missing education, children were being exposed to different wellbeing
issues. Save the Children (2008) child protection rapid assessment commenced six

46
weeks after the advent of the cyclone and explored such issues and concerns. Table
4.3 presents findings highlighted by the assessment:
Table 4.3: Impacts on children’s wellbeing after cyclone ‘Sidr’
Issues Concern
Children’s
emotional
wellbeing
Evident trauma acquired due to physical ailment, loss of parents,
siblings or other family members obviously affecting emotional
wellbeing and hard to overcome by the children
Insecurity Potential attack by another natural calamity or intruders at night
due to exposed nature of their temporary shelter and living alone
while parents fetched relief, increased number of ‘outsiders’ influx
in the village (though mostly due to the relief effort) created
security concerns for the children
Gender-
Based
Violence
Damage of accommodation and sanitation infrastructures forced
children to live with new carers while often sleeping in the same
bed with extended relatives, absence of safe latrine compelling
adolescent girls, women to go to the toilet in the field after nightfall,
exposing them to harassment and molestation
Access to
education
An estimated 25% increase in non-enrolment is due to a large
number of children joining workforce to help family in receiving
necessary resources and drop-outs increased as children faced
added challenges in entering the formal education system due to
stigma and shame in school, and the inability to catch-up
Economic
exploitation of
children
loss of family livelihoods evidently pushing a marked number of
children into range of dangerous or exploitative labour e.g. factory
work, day labouring (agro, construction), household help, etc.,
while exposed to financial, emotional and sexual abuse
Migration/
Trafficking
Unsupervised and careless child migration to predominantly urban
areas for work or joining an extended family member due to loss of
crops, capital items, etc., signalled evident child trafficking

47
Table 4.3: Impacts on children’s wellbeing after cyclone ‘Sidr’
Issues Concern
Early
Marriage
This endemic issue was feared to have increased appeal to
families after the disaster as it could be a survival strategy
(lessening no. of dependants) and also a way of protecting family
honour (lessening chance of being ‘shamed’ by rape)
Source: Adapted from Save the Children (2008)
Thus, the CWP could clearly identify gaps in schooling as well as protection for
cyclone-surviving children and the perceived need to connect school children back to
the formal school system once it was functioning again. Hence, it planned to
intervene with the EiE program. Considering school as an entry point to provide
services that may address broader child welfare issues along with educating the
children, the CWP developed a comprehensive education project entitled ‘Anondo
Biddaloy - Alternative education for “Sidr” Affected Children’. It was then submitted to
the fundraising department of IRW headquarters to find potential donor. In October
2008, one of the IRW fundraising partners, Islamic Relief Netherlands (IRN) asked
for a detailed proposal. After reviewing the project proposal, they agreed to
implement it, beginning in November 2008. However, some unavoidable
impediments in the transfer of funds delayed the project, so it was launched in
February 2009. The project budget was approximately US$ 84,288.32.
Since starting IRW,B, the CWP has supported children’s formal education through
sponsorship, and in 2007 it launched an Alternative Subject Program focusing on
‘Adolescent Reproductive Health’. This time, based on an analysis of the welfare
issues arousing from the catastrophic cyclone, CWP planned to contribute towards
building a healthy (physically and mentally) and empowered child population among

48
the 'Sidr’ survivors by providing basic general education, skills training and
healthcare facilities. Thus, it was envisaged that the Alternative Access Program,
particularly in terms of being a bridging program, is likely to ensure access of the
‘Sidr’ survivor children to formal education who dropped out of school, as well as
non-enrolled children due to different implications of the disaster (financial, etc.) at
the same time enabled children to avail themselves with better physical and mental
wellbeing, empowerment to be resilient to different social challenges like insecurity,
gender-based violence, trafficking, etc. Notably, when most of the children in the
affected area suffered a suspension of school for at least up to four weeks (Save the
Children UK and Plan International 2010), those who are from wealthier families
returned to school when the schools re-opened. But Anondo Biddaloy clientele were
the children who dropped out or did not enrol (even though they had reached school-
appropriate age in 2008) mainly due to financial implications of the disaster on their
families.
The project concept was inspired by the Basic School System (BSS) of the Centre
for Mass Education in Science (CMES), a national NGO in Bangladesh working with
an aim to “arrange an appropriate mass education for the common people
encouraging thoughts and actions in science & technology” (CMES 2012-a). BSS is
an established non-formal education model that seeks to provide an effective and
practical second chance to disadvantaged drop-out adolescent boys and girls for
completing their basic education (CMES 2012-b).
BSS provides basic education to children and youth with an emphasis on science
and technology, whereby the starting age is 6. However, even though there is a

49
conceptual and structural resemblance (in some cases, like class arrangement,
organization of the school day, etc.) between Anondo Biddaloy and BSS, the basic
difference of the Anondo Biddaloy concept with BSS is in the goal: while the BSS
aimed at target groups’ self-sufficiency and the development of social/individual
entrepreneurships, Anondo Biddaloy aimed at creating access for target people to
schools as well as the formal education system and, while doing so, facilitating self-
sufficiency for the eligible target population through skills development. Furthermore,
the programs have different contexts: while Anondo Biddaloy is a Bridging program,
BSS is more like a Parallel program.
The project concept was to establish a child-friendly education set-up comprising of
services like health support and knowledge of empowerment (knowledge and skills
that bring self-esteem and self-reliance) along with non-formal education that is likely
to create access for children distressed (both physically and systematically) by the
disaster to mainstream formal education. By focusing on providing and nurturing the
student’s competency that would help them to catch up on the formal education
syllabus when they are enrolled/re-enrolled, Anondo Biddaloy was envisaged as a
bridging arrangement for the victim children in gaining access to formal education
from a disrupted state of education created by natural disaster. Fig. 4.2 is a graphical
representation of the idea that the project team perceived in developing an
alternative access education program.

50
Cyclone
Flood
Others
NaturalDisaster
Education State
 Infrastructure loss
 Material loss
 School Closed
 Drop-out
 Non-enrolment
 Curriculum
Disrupted
 Impediment in
national education
goal achievement
Disruption
Alternative
Education
Program
Access
Formal
Schooling
 Children
with
regained
interest in
Education
 Empower
ed
Children
demonstr
ating
resilience
to
problems
 Homely
physical set-up
 Serving
diverse context
 Flexible ad-
hoc curriculum
 Contributing in
achieving EFA
national target
even during
major
disruption
Figure 4.2: Potential input by alternative education program,
(Source: Rahman 2012)

51
4.2 Project location
In compliance with the IRW,B strategic plan of working in the worst affected areas,
Morelganz and Shoronkhola upazila (administrative unit lower than District) of
Bagerhat district and Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali district were decided as project
locations. The project area was spread across 12 Unions (lowest tyre of local
government) of two districts (fig. 4.3):
4.3 Project approach to EiE
4.3.1 Project content and outputs: In accordance with the proposal, the project
activities were divided into two major categories: Preparatory Activity and Execution
Activity (refer below). The project developed an overall work plan by which the
project staff used to plan for the monthly activities and required resources. To
Sl District Upazila Sl Union
1 Bagerhat Morelganj 1 Baroikhali
2 Boloibunia
3 Morelganj
Sadar
4 Khaulia
5 Nishanbaria
Shoronkhola 6 Khontakata
2 Patuakhali Galachipa 1 Galachipa
Sadar
2 Panpotti
3 Amkhola
4 Golkhali
5 Dakua
6 Galachipa
Pourashava
Figure 4.3: Project location, (Source: IRW,B 2008-a)

52
measure the project output, first a project staffer produced a ‘Monthly Report’ for the
concerned area and then the coordinating program staff of CWP compiled both
areas’ report in monthly, quarterly and annual report to assess progress against
expected outputs. Additionally, the project produced an interim and a project
completion report (both technical and financial).
Preparatory activity: The activities required for setting up the project were
categorized as project preparatory activities. Activities such as staff recruitment,
conducting a base-line survey, and setting up the physical structure of the Anondo
Biddaloy schools constituted this group.
Staff Recruitment: The first and also one of the most challenging activities was staff
recruitment. The project required 20 teachers for 20 schools, 2 Project Officers (1 for
each of the project areas) and 1 Accountant for the project – 23 project staff in total.
Teachers recruited were essentially local, possessing at least a Secondary School
Certificate, and emphasis was given on prior experience of teaching/tutoring with
children. Project Officers were recruited on the basis of their prior experience with
leading the implementation of development projects. They were mainly responsible
for monitoring day-to -ay activities, facilitating the teachers with necessary resources,
reporting on progress, and advocacy and networking with relevant stakeholders. I
have been coordinating the project centrally to ensure timely resource mobilization,
leading the material development and implementation of all the planned project
activities, and reporting to the Program Manager of the CWP, Country Director of
IRW,B, as well as to the donor about the project’s progress.

53
Base-line survey: With an aim of collecting socio-economic information of target
children and their families to assess the children’s specific needs, a base-line survey
was conducted by the project in February 2009. Starting with a Focus Group
Discussion (FGD) and then using a snowball method (selecting families who were
referred by the primarily selected target families), a total of 690 (395 Morelganj and
295 Galachipa) households were selected for the survey (Photograph 4.3 shows
household survey.
The survey revealed that being mostly engaged in informal economic activities (30%
day labourers in agricultural or other different sectors, 25% in farming, 15%
fishermen), around half of the respondent families had an average monthly income
of only US$35 (during the survey time) to support a fairly big family (45% family
consisting of 6-10 members, the rest consisting of 1-5). The cyclone devastated the
national and regional economy in such a way that the families were struggling to
earn livelihoods, so that education for children became far less important, resulting in
school drop-outs for previously enrolled students and non-enrolment for eligible
school-goers (IRW,B 2009-b, CWP 2010). Only 5% of the respondent families had
moderate knowledge of health (and accessed healthcare facilities) and hygiene
Photograph 4.3 Base-
line survey by Anondo
Biddaloy staff, at
Galachipa, Patuakhali
Photo source: Author

54
issues, while the rest have no knowledge at all. The survey also found that less than
1% of children consumed any food other than the major meal which could be
considered as supplementing their diet, and none of the children in the surveyed
households had any trade skills which could provide them with the confidence of
possessing some livelihood skills to use in need (IRW,B 2009-b).
Anondo Biddaloy school set-up: Anondo Biddaloy schools served as pivotal points
for delivering project deliverables. The project established 20 Anondo Biddaloy
schools, 10 in Bagerhat and 10 in Patuakhali districts. Most (16 out of 20) of the
school premises were freely provided by the community, while the others were
rented. Most of the houses were spare houses not in frequent use by the owners.
While choosing the location of school premises, preference was given to those which
ensured closer access to the maximum number of the students. The school room
had been furnished with economical, child-friendly furniture; for example, instead of
desk-chairs or benched (usually used in formal schools), ‘Jute (natural fibre) rug’ was
used; however, this arrangement could be common like some other non-formal
schools operated by NGOs but different from formal government schools. This
arrangement (location and infrastructure) offered the closest possible access to a
school, as well as a more homely and non-formal educational environment for the
children.
Project implementation: Execution activities included activities for staff capacity
building, project launching, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and
reporting and activities to ensure project visibility.

55
Staff capacity building: Staff capacity building was a very important issue for the
project as the school teachers were not merely responsible for teaching but rather for
a whole range of activities, such as surveying for students, networking with
community people, local leaders, government officials and educational institutions,
monthly reporting on planned activities, purchasing different type of materials, event
management, etc. On the other hand, the Project Officers needed to understand the
underlying issues related with alternative schooling apart from their regular
administrative duties. Therefore, the staff required to develop an insight on the
project, and in order to familiarise staff with the project’s spirit and overall IRW,B
culture of project implementation, the project started with an induction program which
was arranged centrally. The project also had staff foundation training and periodical
refresher training imparted by the CWP. A comprehensive teacher’s guidebook for
the teachers was developed and made available to them, which contained detailed
explanation of the syllabus curriculum, class routine and how to conduct the class,
and how to operate everyday activities of an Anondo Biddaloy school. As I was
responsible for developing the materials for the project, I lead development of the
teacher’s guide, drawing on relevant prior experience.
Community mobilization and participation: Field level implementation of the project
started with a formal community mobilization meeting in both areas. Concerned
government officials, representatives of local government bodies from 12 Union (in
which the schools were situated, fig. 4.3), local elites, and diverse professionals
attended the meeting, whereby they were informed about the project in detail and
were approached for possible support from their side. Also, an informal mobilization
meeting was organized at the village level (where the preliminary space for the

56
school had been selected) in participation with the potential students’ parents, local
elites, representative from local governments, and so on. This attracted huge
community participation. Besides providing free space for the school, the community
also engaged in monitoring the school program by forming a formal ‘Local Support
Group (LSG)’ for each school. The LSG was comprised of 7 members (including
local elites, parents and local government representatives, while the respective
school teacher supported the Group with secretarial activities), and it monitored the
school operation and documented its findings. The LSG met on a monthly basis to
discuss their findings and to suggest their recommendations relating to the
development of the school program (like maintaining timeliness for school activities,
ensuring students attendance, etc.) and also for rendering necessary support for the
schools. Twenty LSGs organized 165 meetings in two areas (IRW,B 2010).
Academic structure of Anondo Biddaloy: An Anondo Biddaloy School housed two
classes, namely, ‘Sikhon’ (Learning) and ‘Goron’ (Developing), consisting of children
of two different age groups, taught and managed by the single teacher (Photograph
4.4 shows a class room). Each class contained 15 students. Thus, 600 children were
enrolled in total, whereby the total number of teachers was 20. The following table
(table 4.4) shows the overall structure:
Table 4.4: Academic structure of Anondo Biddaloy
Class Students/
School
No. of
Schools
Total
Students
No. of
Teachers/
School
Total
Teachers
Sikhon 15
20
300
1 20Goron 15 300
Total 30 20 600 1 20
Source: IRW,B 2009-a

57
Students were enrolled in a class based on their age. The Sikhon class enrolled
children aged 5-9 years while children aged 10-16 years were enrolled in the Goron
class. Even though it may sound unusual to have classes of such a diverse age
range, the schooling functioned to help regain the students’ confidence and interest
in education rather than asserting any formal qualification to them; hence, the project
grouped the students in two single classes.
Educational Material: The base-line survey and secondary research suggested that
the diminished financial ability of parents to buy educational materials was one of the
important causes for student drop-outs or non-enrolments, so the project provided all
the children with free educational materials. Some materials were one-off provisions
while others were provided thorough the project period. Materials such as school
bags, school uniforms, games materials and textbooks were provided once.
Materials like pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks for writing, raw materials for training
and practice, etc., were provided quarterly.
Curriculum and Syllabus: The curriculum, developed by the project team, was
focused on providing the student with an overall competency rather than grade-
Photograph 4.4 A
classroom at Galachipa
Patuakhali
Photo source: Author

Thesis Paper_Muhammad_Rahman

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