Capability of Preschool Education in Enhancing Primary School Competencies in Bangladesh

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Abstract
Evidence was generated from a cross-section of 5,375 students who were completing primary education in 2014, as well as from their parents and school heads, across 309 primary schools located throughout Bangladesh, a South Asian country belonging to the global lower-middle-income category. Though the official duration of preschool education in Bangladesh was one year, some private kindergartens offered such education for longer periods. Of the sampled students, 46.3% attended preschool education for one year, 10% attended for 2–4 years, and the remaining students had no preschool. The existing preschool education that was accessible to the majority of children had limited capability for enhancing competencies later in primary school (through Grade 5). Students with two or more years of preschool education were likely to achieve more primary school competencies than those who either did not have preschool education or had it for only one year. No difference was observed between the latter two groups of students. Students attending both preschool and primary education in private kindergartens showed the best performance on the competency-based learning achievement test. This study raises questions regarding both the quality and duration of existing preschool provision, recommending standardization and quality improvement.

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