Does Primary Education Hinder Child Development? A Study of Six Selected Primary Schools of Dhaka City in Bangladesh

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The study was intended to explore the effects of primary education on the childhood of the students of Dhaka city. Primary data for this study were collected from 18 students of 6 schools of Dhaka city by using semi-structured interview schedules. The study reveals that several factors pertaining to primary education such as unwillingness to go to school, excessive burden of textbooks, pressure of homework, lack of opportunities to play, frequent number of examinations, parents’ unhealthy competition for good results have adverse effects on child development. The study puts forward that the adverse effects of primary schools including Government primary schools and kindergarten schools have caused adverse physical, psychological, cognitive and personality development among the students and disrupted their joyful and playful childhood and social learning. Unified primary education is a utopia in Bangladesh making disparities among the students of different categories of schools. Children are going to school with a heavy bag loaded with textbooks, notebooks and other needed things. Children are going through mental pressure about their results and good grades which are appreciated with chocolates and their bad results are depreciated with rebuke and punishment. The most important factor of students’ attraction to go to school is the opportunity to play with the friends. Free, joyous, playful and colorful childhood of the primary level students is disappearing in the urban areas of Dhaka due to excessive study pressure in the primary level. However, the study recommends that a unified primary education system should be ensured in Bangladesh as soon as possible which would help the social, emotional and cognitive development of the children protecting their colorful childhood.

www.msocialsciences.com textbooks is comparatively increasing rapidly, especially in the schools of urban areas creating overweight on the sensitive children. They are being habituated in such a boring routine life that it is hampering their normal childhood growth (Habib & Adhikary, 2016). Childhood is a very precious asset of human being that determines the path of future of human lives. Early childhood is one of the most important stages of human life which influences the overall development throughout the life span. Various factors of the environment can influence the childhood learning and development of the children, such as family and community in which young children develop and learn (Azam & Halim, 2016). Childhood is like seeds which need proper nourishment to grow properly. Education is one of those factors influencing childhood. But when the pressure of this education system is unbearable to the children, it may hamper their proper development. Therefore, the seed named childhood should be taken care properly to make sure of its smooth growth resulting in sweet fruit.
Education is an essential prerequisite for the sustainable development of a nation. It influences the development of human capital as well as economic prosperity of a nation. Besides education, the future of human societies depends on children being able to achieve their maximum physical growth and psychological development. Proper caring in childhood is very much needed for maximum physical, social and psychological development. EFA (Education For All) says about early childhood care, education and development (UNICEF, 2010). According to UNICEF, early years of childhood are the bases of intelligence, personality, social behaviour, and learning capability. Lack of proper stimulation, care and nurturance can affect the childhood development seriously (UNICEF, 2010). That means childhood is not only a period of great opportunity, but also of great vulnerability. So, whether education system or practices is creating any obstacles in the process of development of children or not, is an important subject to research. It would help to examine the impact of primary education upon the children's colourful and joyful childhood. Much research has been conducted so far on enrolment and quality of education but there is a gap regarding the impact of primary education or study pressure upon the children. Children of Dhaka city are deprived of joyful, playful, and colourful childhood. They are always busy with their study having little time for outdoor activities (Habib & Adhikary, 2016). Most of the schools are increasing the number of textbooks creating extra pressure on the soft shoulder of the children. They have no time to play as they are busy with doing their homework, attending schools, coaching and private tutor (Habib & Adhikary, 2016). Hence, the students of primary schools, especially in Dhaka city are passing through huge pressures of study imposed by their schools and parents and are having little time for outdoor activities. Therefore, their child development is at stake. While much research has been conducted on enrolment and quality of primary education in Bangladesh, there has been little focus so far whether primary education in Bangladesh is adversely associated with the child development. As such, the study is intended to investigate whether primary education in Bangladesh hinders child development.

Nature of Primary Education of Bangladesh
Primary education is the basic education which provides the basis to build the nation. It affords a solid base for the higher levels of education to embellish and fortify. In Bangladesh, primary education is compulsory by law and constitution has given the responsibility to the Government to provide such education to all. All the children aged 6-10 years in Bangladesh are said to get access to full five years of primary education (Nath & Chowdhury, 2009). Undoubtedly, Bangladesh has made noteworthy improvement in primary education in recent decades and according to the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Bangladesh has one of the largest primary education systems in the world (Mallik, 2015). Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) shows that 126,615 primary schools are delivering primary education to nearly 19 million children all over the country. The Government has made textbooks free to all primary school goers throughout the country (Chowdhury & Sarkar, 2018). Primary education in Bangladesh is being delivered through two forms: formal education under the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) and non -formal education. Duration of Bangladesh primary education is five years: from class 1 to class v along with one year-long pre-primary education accessed by only a minority of children (Mallik, 2015). At the end of primary education, children sit for the Primary Education Completion Examination (PECE) and children have to pass the examination to be promoted to the succeeding level (Chowdhury & Sarkar, 2018).

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Bangladesh Government has given great importance to the primary education since its independence in 1971. Bangladesh is a signatory to the world declaration on Education For All (EFA) and The Government has also commenced several steps to increase access, reduce dropout rate, increase accomplishment rate, advance quality of education and raise the literacy rate etc (Shekh, 2005). Although in terms of enrolment of the students and free distribution of books across the country Bangladesh has achieved great success in primary education the present scenario of primary education is not at the end of the peak. Bangladesh is still lagging behind. According to the constitution of Bangladesh, there will be a unified curriculum for all the schools. But there are great differences in the curricula, standards of the schools, and type of school in Bangladesh which are the most important downside. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics [BANBEIS] (2010), there are now thirteen types of schools across the country those are providing primary level education. A unified curriculum is very important to provide students same quality of education, world views and standards. Absence of unified curriculum produces problem at the future levels of education (Prodhan, 2016). It seems that the whole system is very confusing rendering the primary goers an uneven and less culture-specific education which will create hindrance to develop their human quality, mental capacity and intellectual skills etc. resulting in alienation and frustration (Neazy, 2016).

Research design and participants
The study was conducted in Dhaka City as it has played a major role in providing country's formal education with greater facilities being the capital city of Bangladesh. The study was a qualitative one for which six primary schools were purposively chosen from Dhaka North City Corporation according to the convenience of the researchers. In view of its nature, the study employed cross-case analysis. A total 19 students were selected on the basis of purposive sampling who were studying in class four or five at those selected schools of Dhaka City. The socio-demographic characteristics of the participants in terms of participants' schools, gender, class, and type of school are presented below in Table 1: As illustrated in Table 1, respondents' age was ranging from nine to ten. With regard to sex, out of 18 respondents, nine were females (50.0%) and the rest were males (50%). A total of 10 respondents were studying at class five while the rest (n = 08) were studying in class four. As to the type school, a www.msocialsciences.com majority of the respondents (a total of 11) were the students of private schools, especially kindergarten schools while the rest (n = 7) were the students of Government primary schools.

Data collection and analysis
Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected from the participants through face-to face interview by using unstructured interview schedules. As data collection tool, in-depth interviews were conducted based on unstructured interview schedule. In contrast, secondary sources of data involved relevant journal articles, books, presented papers, reports, newspapers, documents etc. to supplement primary data. Analytic comparison technique was used to analyse the collected data. After interviews were completed, the transcripts were attentively gone through and compared and then several themes were developed and after that were interpreted.

Findings and Discussion
Research Questions: Do you think your primary schooling hinders your child development. If yes, how does your primary education hinder your child development?

Thematic analysis
Based on aforesaid cross-case analysis, the following themes were developed. The themes have been discussed as follows:

Unwillingness to go to school
The study reveals that very first word of students early in the morning is No that means they don't want to go to school. Students say that they don't feel like go to school every day because it causes hard up of sleep. Another reason of their unwillingness is the excessive frequency of examination. Students mention that "It would better if the number of examinations would be lessen" (Fieldwork, 2021). The reasons those attraction students to school yet are the opportunity to play with friends and peer groups, the environment of the school and finally the opportunity to learn new things. Research found that most of the students want to stay at home that means they are not interested to go to school (Islam & Rahman, 2019).

Excessive load of textbooks
Excessive burden of textbooks is a very common phenomenon that students, especially reading at nongovernment primary schools of Dhaka city, are facing these days. There are no unified number of textbooks for all the primary schools across the country. Different schools have adopted different curriculum like Cambridge along with the national curriculum. Students of same class are reading diversified textbooks-based on their schools. Non-government primary schools are providing extra books to their students which generate disparities for the students of government primary schools.
Private schools in Bangladesh are generally uncontrolled by the government and are extremely varied. Private schools in urban and semi-urban areas all over Bangladesh are often English medium (Sommers, 2013). Students are very much attracted to read books those are funny and contain visual presentation of different topics (Islam & Rahman, 2019). According to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), school authorities cannot force the students to buy any extra books which are not approved by the NCTB. But unfortunately, the government does not have any control over the illegal practice, and there is no precedence that the government could take any action against any school violating the NCTB rule (Neazy, 2016). This practice reduces the potentiality of unified education for all at the primary level. This is one of the drawbacks of our primary education system. Primary school students are to carry backpacks overloaded with plenty of books. As the number of textbooks is increasing day by day, students have to stick to their study all the time which creates extra pressure on the soft-shoulder of the children hampering their playful and joyful childhood. www.msocialsciences.com

Homework culture
The study indicates that now-a-days homework has become a common culture in the schools of Dhaka city. There are a number of subjects and if homework is given for each subject, it becomes very heavy for the children to complete. In the diaries of the students, homework of almost every subject is written by the respective teachers and the private tutors as well. In Some instances, students are punished for not completing their given homework. Besides the school hour and private tuition, students require farther hours to complete the homework. Students also attain coaching classes which adds to the hectic daily lives of the students. So many textbooks mean much homework and much homework need much time to be completed. Students sometimes alone and sometimes with the help of parents complete their homework in the afternoon or in the late-afternoon and incomplete homework causes punishment. It has been a part of education system.

Frequency of examination
Although the national education policy clearly defined that "In Classes I & II, there will be continuous assessments, while from Class III onwards, quarterly, half-yearly & yearly examination systems will be in place" (National Education Policy, 2010), the study discovers that different schools of Dhaka city especially private schools are taking more examination such as two class tests, assignment, viva voce etc. The examination-driven education system focuses on to test the ability of the students' rote memorization and recollection rather than actual education (Ahsan, 2018). This practice creates much pressure on the children as they have to study hard to do well in the examination. Consequently, children start to memorize rather than learning by doing or learning by observing. As soon as children take part into an examination, another on is knocking at the door.

Memorization
Memorization is the learning method for most of the primary school students. According to findings of the report of Research for Advancement of Complete Education (RACE) titled "Ambiguity in understanding among teachers and students render Creative Method ineffectiveness -a study on primary school in Bangladesh," of the students, 92 percent take the help of guidebooks to understand their lessons (The Daily Star, 2016). Learning by observing, learning by doing, learning by exploring is missing in the primary schools. Children like to learn through visual presentation. Children like to read those books which contain pictures of different colours and those books don't need to memorize. Increasing pressure of memorization discourages students toward study.\

Private tuition culture
Private tuition-supplementary paid study of academic subjects outside of school hours- (Sommers, 2013) is another common culture among the students of Dhaka city. Most of the parents of Dhaka city are working parents-too busy to help their children's studyand they appoint private tutors for their children. Some students have more than one private tutor and the duration of private tuition ranges from1 to 2 hours. Private tutors teach Bangla, English, Mathematics, General science, Grammar, ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and sometimes all the subjects. Private tuition culture is cumulating rapidly in Dhaka city.
Findings of the report of Research for Advancement of Complete Education (RACE) explored that, sixty seven percent students take the help of private tutors to understand the method teacher apply to teach in the classroom while 33 percent don't. Besides, 39 percent students consider English to be the most difficult subject, 33 percent find mathematics to be the most difficult one while 25 percent of them see both English and mathematics to be the most tough subjects to learn and only three percent see Bangla as problematic (The Daily Star, 2016).Private tuition is a critical part of many families' financial burdens for education, and some evaluations state that the payment of tutoring makes up the hugest percentage of private spending on schooling ( Sommers, 2013). www.msocialsciences.com

Lack of Opportunity to Play
Excessive pressure of study, coaching, homework and examinations are robbing the opportunity to play from the children. The insignificant time that the children get as leisure is spent either by playing games in the mobile or computer, or by watching television or playing in the balcony. Physical outdoor playing is withering away increasingly. Football, cricket, skipping rope and blind man's-buff are played only in a limited level into the balcony or car parking. Research indicates that "playful learning is crucial for supporting children's social and emotional development and creativity, which supports later academic achievement" (Center for Education Innovations). Schools of Dhaka city lack big playground for the students and once a year they arrange an annual sport.

Parents' competition for good results
The study depicts that though the parents are busy enough to company their children helping their study, their expectation from the children of good result is reaching the heavens. Parents' responsibility starts from dropping the children to school, picking up them from school to home and end in helping them doing their homework. But they are fully alert about the result of the children.
They are making education a burden rather than letting the children enjoy it. Children of primary level are increasingly being a part of a race of doing good result. A good grade is considered as the standard of learning and students are pressurized-often rebuked by their parents to attain good grade. Students remain in a continuous tension until the result is published after completion of every examination that affects the mental health of the students. Students are praised even offered chocolate for pursuing good result and rebuked or punished otherwise. An unhealthy competition of the parents for ensuring good results of the children is creating an extra pressure on the children.
Generally, effective learning takes place with active involvement of learners where their willingness, efforts, social surroundings support, opportunities and good teaching (Salam, 2015). Parents wish their children must be at the pick of learning rather than supporting them to gather actual knowledge. They expect best score in every examination from their children which is not possible for every child. Some children are good at drawing, singing, dancing, and others at sports. Pressure on students creates so many negative impacts. For example, In Bangladesh, many students commit suicide due to family pressure because of not acquiring high scores in the examinations (Yasmin & Rumi, 2020).

Recreation of the students
Recreation is necessary for the mental well-being of the students. Recreation of the students is limited in visiting national zoo, park and in special occasion visiting grandparents. Most of the students miss hearing fairy tale and playing with their grandparents being a part of nuclear family in urban Dhaka. Other common options of children's recreation are watching television and playing game in the digital gadget (PUBG, Free Fire etc.) that has been an addiction for majority of the students instead of outdoor playing. Play is a means of pleasure and creativity for the children and they love to have fun, be outdoors, be with friends and choose freely. Teachers waste children's play for their own educational goals, thus spoiling children's pleasure. Play helps to overcome the difficulties of everyday life and to share meaningful experiences with educators, parents and peers (Singer, 2013).Playing online game isa most common activity followed by children of this generation. Childhood rearing, peer stimulus, pressures at school and family matters are all influences that have a strong link with the effects of gaming on individuals (Hafeez, Idrees, & Kim, 2017).
Based on the cross-case comparison, the following figure can be depicted which portrays how primary education in Bangladesh hinders child development.
As shown above in Fig. 1, primary education in Bangladesh is delivered basically through two separate modes of institutions -Government primary schools and the private primary schools. While the intensity of the effects varies depending on the nature of the institutions-such as government and private, they have more or less similar types of effects on the students pertaining to their child development. Primary education results in several adverse changes or effects on the students including homework pressure, extra textbooks pressure, pressure of examination, private tutors' pressures, stress and disturbance in sleep, tediousness or boring, and finding little time to play with their friends. Thus, they may cause adverse physical, psychological, intellectual and personality development among the students. Moreover, they may disrupt students' joyful and playful childhood and social learning and thereby primary education hinders child development of the students.

Conclusion
The study reveals that primary education in urban Dhaka-especially in the private schools-has been so complex that it is disrupting the playful, joyful and colourful childhood of the primary school goers. Primary education in the urban Dhaka has been an intricate phenomenon. Private schools are compelling students with extra textbooks along with the textbooks referred by the National curriculum and textbook Board as they are combining both national and international curriculum. Parents are being engaged in a dirty competition of good result of their children making them study more and more ignoring the quality of their children's learning. As a result, children are provided with private tutors to acquire a good grade in the examinations. Children who attain a good grade, are appreciated by the parents and the teachers while rebuke and punishment for bad results. This unhealthy practice is hampering the physical, psychological, intellectual and personality development of the students. The study further reveals that children have a very few opportunities to outdoor play due to both study pressure and lack of playgrounds thereby making the children addicted to mobile or computer for playing video games. The study found that the free, green and joyous childhood of the primary school's students of Dhaka city are disappearing slowly. They are being subject to a hectic daily life burdened with extra textbooks; homework pressure; stress of frequent examinations; stress of private tutors and stress of obtaining good grade in the examinations being deprived of a joyous childhood. Students are shackled into the circle of school, private tuition, homework, examinations and finally good grade.
As such, the study suggests that uniformity of education in the primary level should be ensured as soon as possible to eradicate the discrimination in terms of private and government primary schools across the country. Students of primary school should be provided with the opportunity to play and engage themselves in various extra-curricular activities along with the academic success or good result. Learning should be an act of enjoyment to the students rather than an act of stress and pressure. So, learning by doing has been a crying need to be implemented as early as possible. Finally, the paper recognizes the need for undertaking a further study in order to find out more detailed information regarding the effects of primary education on the development of the students.