Challenges of indigenous children’s primary education in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh: Insights from individuals working in education

Abstract

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is a backward and culturally diverse region in Bangladesh where indigenous children face barriers to access quality primary education. To educate CHT indigenous children, their culture and context are often not taken into consideration. Hence, to inform policy decisions, this study explores the existing realities of Indigenous children’s primary education through the eyes of individuals within the education system. The study employed a semi-structured interview method and applied phenomenological approach involving the development of crafted stories from the interviews. The study findings suggest that the centralized educational policies adversely impacting the Indigenous children’s primary education. In addition, corruption, insufficient consideration of local contexts, language barriers, administrative limitations, teacher shortages, absenteeism, lack of modern teaching methods and materials, inadequate infrastructural facilities, poverty, limited parental and community engagement and the recruitment of underqualified teachers heighten the challenges in accessing equitable and quality primary education for CHT Indigenous children. The findings underscore the urgent need for tailored solutions to address the challenges. In formulating policies, paramount consideration should be given to local contexts and cultural issues, especially from the perspective of Indigenous children. This research mainly focuses on CHT remote schools and does not explain the challenges of urban and rural schools separately. Hence, the findings may not be generalised in urban schools and other parts of the country.