Barriers to transition from primary to secondary schools in Chittagong hill tracts: is it all about ethnic background?

Abstract

Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, home to several ethnic minority groups, have a lower literacy rate than other regions. Several factors, including location, culture, way of living, language, and parental perception, impact these groups when they shifted from primary to secondary schools. It is necessary to address these concerns to ensure inclusive education for the students of the Chittagong Hill Tracts area. The need for more data regarding the transition of the hill tract students from primary to secondary level is a barrier to designing and implementing effective measures and conducting extensive research for these particular groups. Therefore, this study aims to explore the barriers that ethnic minority students face when they moved from primary to secondary school. For this study, I have chosen qualitative research. Individual interviews with ten students (among them, four students dropped out after primary) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with ten instructors from two distinct schools have been conducted to gather relevant information. The interviews and FGDs revealed that ethnic minority students are struggling due to their socioeconomic condition, language barrier, existing curriculum and teaching-learning method, accessibility, and availability of different school and non-school facilities. Based on the findings, this study recommends taking necessary actions to remove or manage the barriers. It encourages further study with large areas and samples for a more comprehensive idea.