Training management system of secondary education in Bangladesh–an empirical study

Abstract

Training institutions are the appropriate agencies for developing the much-needed human resources with appropriate skill and attitude to accelerate the processes of development in the country. The government and the private sector invest considerable financial resources, though not adequate for meeting the needs to run and further promote these organizations. The institutions are also the hubs of the training professionals. In order to serve the needs and expectations of all the concerned parties involved in the training field, performance assessment of each training institution on a regular basis in order to keep them on track is necessary. Teaching and learning plays a vital role in developing human resources, which ultimate goal is to develop the nation. So, teachers are catalyst for human resource development. But quality education depends on quality teachers. For ensuring teachers quality they should be provided continuous need-based training. For this why, the strategy has been taken to provide massive and continuous training of teachers and educational administrators and also to enrich the quality of education. Professional development of teachers begins with pre-service and gets renewed through in-service programs. This research was investigated the study on in-service training and made a possible set of recommendations. Policy makers, planners and training professional will get a clear picture and specific direction from this research work. It is expected to create pride of performance in the training institutions and impetus for their improvement. The study is also expected to be helpful for professional development of the trainers in the country. The study wants to see the status of training management system of secondary education sub-sector aiming at establishing an effective training management system in Bangladesh. Three sets of questionnaire were prepared in line with the components of the required basic structure and corresponding criteria. The questionnaire on individual training institutions was administered through direct interview with the key respondent groups from each institute selected purposively for collection of data/information. In some cases, focus group discussion was used to collect the complementary data. A participatory approach was followed for filling up the part of the questionnaire that included the SWOT analysis of individual training institutes. Review of publications, office records and desk files were also a part of data collection. Moreover, the training institutions were under observation of the researchers’ coded to the data collection. The study comprises a survey on the 5 selected training institutes in the secondary education sub-sector. Information/data were collected through carefully designed questionnaire, supplemented by focus group discussion along with and written comments from faculty members and the chief executives of the institutes. The researcher tabulated and analyzed the data, and finalized the report under the overall guidance of the supervisor. Major findings of the study are as follows : 1. Only one (20%) of the training institutes had duration of 55 years. Other institutes had been established 17--29 years earlier. 2. All the institutes had almost similar objectives of 'conducting' or 'rendering' classroom based training, with few exceptions of linking research and training and attachment for field practicum. 3. The range of total faculty members in the institutes varies from 10 - 66. 4. Chief executives of the training institutes are usually appointed on deputation from Govt. college teacher and by administrative order. 5. Only one of them (total 9 institutes) has training background and only one of them (total 9 institutes) has research background. Rest of them comes with teaching / management background. 6. All institutes have a perception that they are given inadequate budget allocation to meet their needs. Budgetary allocation to individual institutes varies from Tk. 1.9 to 120.0 million annually. 7. A participatory SWOT analysis has revealed that their common strength is the existence of physical facilities while absence of career planning and incentive for good performance is the common weakness. On the other hand, utilization of the skilled and experienced faculty members to cater to diversified training needs of participants is the common opportunity, but in spite of this reality, institutes are exposed to the threats of inadequate budget allocation to accomplish their given tasks; transfer system and maximum deputed faculty. 8. The institutes follow mainly five different ways of trainee procurement, though the participants' training needs are formally assessed in few cases only. Though 60% institutes prefer to accept 25--30 participants per course for better learning. But many of them have to accept much bigger (50 and above) groups in a course. Forty percent institutes annually handle up to 1000 participants, while in case of one institute the size is about 4000. 9. All the training institutes in varied proportions organize training courses for the senior level, mid-level and front line training participants. In these courses the trainers use in different extents various training methods starting from traditional lecture method to modern VIPP (visualization in participatory programs) method. Only two of the institutes (40%) allow flexibility in changing the course content as per needs. 10. Educational/competence levels of the faculty members include Ph.D. degree and bachelor degrees (in a few cases) and Masters from home and abroad (in the most cases). In considerable cases, the competence level of the trainers is also supplemented by initiative, commitment and hard work. 11. Gender sensitivity is an important agenda that 80% faculty members have a gender related course and number of female faculty members in the institutes varies from 10%--40%. Only one (20%) institute still do not have adequate accommodation and other related facilities for female trainees. 12. Eighty percent institutes have libraries with essential books and journals. Only one-fifth of them have appropriate documentation and communication units and the same proportion of institutes, have their own attached field exposure/community interaction facilities. 13. Sixty percent institutes have modern and well-equipped training rooms. All the institutes have their computer labs, but 60% is not up-to-the-mark. All the institutes have their cafeteria/canteen facilities, but 40% is below standard. 14. Out of the 5 institutes under assessment 3 have some formal ways of training monitoring system together with an arrangement of giving feedback to maintain/improve the training quality. All the institutes follow some means of training evaluation, though the forms and frequency vary from institute to institute. But there is no hard and fast rule to execute in all the courses. 15. The country has no training institute that has ISO 9001 certification in recognition of its quality performance in the education sector. According to the study findings the researcher considers some recommendations which were agreed with the supervisor - 1. All the institutes had almost similar objectives of 'conducting' or 'rendering' classroom based training. Maximum training courses should be linking research and attachment for field practicum. 2. Chief executives of the training institutes should be appointed on deputation from IER, BPATC, NDC, BARD and other renowned training institutes by administrative order. They should have training and research background. Chief Executives should take administrative/management decisions with participatory approach. 3. The trainers should come by directly recruitment with training, research and related subject background. They should have proper knowledge to tackle every situation in the training programs. 4. The institutes have to plan and capacity to train the faculty members in occasion basis. All the institutes should have some sort of monitoring systems to oversee the activities of the key functionaries. The institutes should follow the ways of the participants' training needs Assessment. They should achieve the learning objectives. They should accept 25--30 participants per course for better learning. But many of them have to accept much bigger (50 and above) groups in a course. 5. The trainers of all the training institutes should use in different various modern training methods. 6. Educational/competence levels of the faculty members should prefer Ph.D. degree and not less than Masters. The faculty members should be gender sensitive. The entire institutes have to adequate accommodation and other related facilities for female trainees. 7. All the institutes should have libraries with essential books and journals. They will have appropriate documentation and communication unit and the same proportion of institutes; have their own attached field exposure/community interaction facilities. 8. All the institutes should have some formal ways of training monitoring system together with an arrangement of giving feedback to maintain/improve the training quality. All the institutes have to follow some means of training evaluation, though the standard forms and frequency. 9. All the institutes should be the centre of excellence. 10. All the training institutes have to get ISO 9001 certification in recognition of its quality performance in the education sector. The situation necessitates the country should have an authority to control the standard for performance assessment of training institutes. Though, Bangladesh Society for Training and Development (BSTD) as a national professional organization of the trainers came forward to suggest a framework for a Bangladesh Standard of Performance Assessment ; but it is not a govt. body, it is a society. So, they have no authority to control the standard for performance.