Effectiveness of Ucep Curriculum in Achievement of its Objectives: A Study on Ucep Schools within Rajshahi Metropolitan Area

Abstract

UCEP, Underprivileged Children’s Educational Program is working for the underprivileged urban children of Bangladesh, to turn them into human resources through providing education and vocational training in different trades. UCEP Schools possessed few but unique characteristics such as education, learn and work for these underprivileged children from the very beginning. UCEP was established in 1972 as a non-government organization. Initially UCEP worked with the concept of "community schools" to provide alternative schooling opportunity to the poor working children living in slums or on the streets of Dhaka city. During the period from 1972 to 2011, UCEP extended its support services to more than 1, 87,490 poor urban working children who enrolled as student in UCEP educational system. This research work has done to find out the effectiveness of UCEP curriculum in achievement of its objectives, which is an evaluative and analytical in nature. Data have been collected through social survey & case study methods and respondents were selected through simple random basis. There were six categories of respondents; present final year students of UCEP IGV and Technical Schools of Rajshahi, former students passed from different UCEP schools within Rajshahi metropolitan area who were appointed in different job sectors in different areas of Bangladesh, teachers of the UCEP IGV and technical schools situated within the Rajshahi metropolitan area, the guardians of UCEP students and also the employers who have employed students passed from UCEP. Empirical data have been collected from all six types of above mentioned respondents mainly through face to face interview with a six structured questionnaires. The questionnaire was pre-tested before finalizing. Underprivileged children are not like usual students and schools for them are not also alike other formal schools. UCEP curriculum is designed to make them attentive in lesson through in-house teaching-learning process as well as training to enter into job market or to be self-employed after finishing their curriculum. For this, UCEP runs a number of programs, as Integrated General and Vocational Education (IGVE), Technical Education (TE) and Employment Support Services (ESS) for students. The mission of these programs is to raise the socio-economic condition of the urban poor to a level which will enable them to effectively participate in national development with enhanced capacity and dignity and fulfillment of their basic rights. The target group of UCEP Bangladesh consists of working children of poor families living in urban slums. The major categories of such children are domestic servants, vendor/hawkers, factory workers, shop assistants, fire wood collectors or rag pickers, porters and day laborers. Its education policy is popularly known as integrated approach to education and employment hereby. It was found that about 76 percent students had a good relationship and adaptability with their school. From this study we also found that UCEP curriculum was easy to understand to almost all the students. The data also supports that UCEP students could easily understand the curriculum and there was a strong relationship between the types of education and the understanding level of their curriculum. Guardians found satisfied with UCEP education and training. To achieve guardians support and satisfaction, UCEP arranged regular guardians’ meeting for exchange of views which enabled creating a close relationship with school and parents. UCEP always claims that it has a good relationship between students and teachers. According to about 94 percent students, there was a strong relationship between them. There were 60.7 percent male and 39.3 percent female among the respondents. Another important thing was that 79.3 percent students came from unitary family. It was found that former students’ residential structure became better than current students. In this study, result shows that most of the family’s monthly income ranged from six thousands Taka to ten thousands Taka. Thirty percent families’ monthly income was three thousands Taka to six thousands Taka.