Illiteracy and lack of life skills are major factors behind poverty. Recognizing this, the government of Bangladesh took major strides to eradicate illiteracy in 1991−2000. It funded literacy training for 17 million learners mainly through community-supported centers and with the assistance of nongovernment organizations (NGOs). But as these neo-literates required further training to reinforce and acquire new skills, there was a strong demand for nonformal education (NFE) to be strengthened. Concerted effort was needed to improve curriculum, develop materials, and train trainers on a national level.
Against this backdrop, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), responding to government’s request, approved a $65 million loan for the Post-Literacy and Continuing Education Project in December 2001. Further supported by grants from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the project aimed to engage 210 NGOs to strengthen the literacy of an estimated 1.7 million learners and prepare them for income-generating activities. Building on earlier experiences, it was to promote a new approach to NFE, which combines literacy and skills training, to improve the employability of learners and enable them to break away from the cycle of poverty.
At approval, the project’s goal was to reduce poverty and achieve more equitable human development in rural areas. Its purpose was to establish a community-based and needs-oriented course program and support the development of an organizational framework to operationalize the program in 29 districts. It had four planned outputs: (i) policy framework development supported; (ii) curricula for post-literacy and continuing education (PLCE) developed and continually enhanced; (iii) capacity of involved organizations improved; and (iv) PLCE course packages implemented.
However, about 1.5 years into implementation, the government informed ADB of its decision to dissolve the Directorate of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) as executing agency (EA) to mitigate fiduciary risks due to its alleged non-transparency in the selection of NGOs in other government projects. Following several rounds of discussions with the government and development partners, ADB suspended the loan and grants in May 2004, until two conditions were met: (i) a comprehensive NFE sector strategy was prepared and approved, and (ii) the project was redesigned within the framework of approved NFE sector strategy.
An ADB project reformulation mission revisited the project design in October 2005. A major change in scope and implementation arrangements was subsequently approved. Major changes included reducing the number of implementing NGOs to 29 to allow the engagement of larger and more experienced NGOs and reducing the number of monitoring partner agencies (MOPAs) from 29 to 6 in order to involve fewer but more competent and experienced monitoring agencies. In addition, the project was to engage a national professional body to oversee the implementation of a newly established NFE policy framework and integrate literacy courses with targeted skills training to enhance the relevance of PLCE. The suspension was lifted in June 2006, and seven years after, the project was physically completed, with only a partial attainment of its expected outputs and outcome.
Of 9 outcome targets, the project fully achieved 7, most of which were related to PLCE delivery system- or mechanism. Of 32 output targets, it fully or fully achieved 24. Key project outputs were: (i) a policy framework conducive to implementing a flexible, responsive, and sustainable PLCE program, with linkages and division of work between different public and private agencies established; (ii) training of16,394 facilitators and staff from implementing NGOs, MOPAs, and the new EA, the Bureau of Nonformal Education (BNFE); (iii) training of 1.2 million learners, 50% of whom were women; (iv) development of 16 trade curricula developed; (vi) establishment of 7,147 centers for PLCE courses; and (vii) development of an accreditation system for NGOs. Output deliveries on the project’s Gender Action Plan were substantial, with 27 of 30 targets achieved.
The project initiated NFE policy framework facilitated the passage of the NFE Act in 2014, which strengthened the legal basis and provided an institutional guarantee for NFE in the country. The NFE Board, mandated by the act, is already operational and expected to implement the NFE agenda in a more vigorous and systematic manner.
The project initially had the Department of Nonformal Education (DNFE) as EA. The DNFE was dissolved in November 2003 and in April 2005, the government informed ADB about the establishment of BNFE to replace the DNFE. A project implementation and management unit, established by the BNFE, coordinated the project on a day-to-day basis.
