Developing Courses of Studies for the Junior School Certificate (JSC) Programme of the Open School of Bangladesh Open University (BOU), a partnership programme with an NGO coalition, Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE)

Mizanoor Rahman
Bangladesh Open University

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     Last modified: August 4, 2006
     Presentation date: 11/02/2006 10:00 AM in ST Windsor A
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Abstract
With a view to expanding the range of open schooling in Bangladesh, the Open School of Bangladesh Open University (BOU), with assistance from the Commonwealth of Learning, developed a proposal in association with the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), a coalition of NGOs, to pilot the model to provide junior secondary education to out-of-school children who have completed Grade 5 at non-formal/community schools run by NGOs because they do not have the opportunity for further education. This pilot project is jointly funded by The Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE) and Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). The Open School offers the Junior School Certificate (JSC) programme covering Years 6, 7 and 8 so that the learners can be linked-up with the School's existing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) programme for Years 9 and 10. This Program relates to two prime goals are to reduce number of people below poverty line by 50% (by 2015) and eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education.

Open School began the development of courses of studies for the JSC programme with vocational emphasis using both BOU and NGO network. This paper discusses the process of development of the curriculum and textual materials of the JSC programmme.