Effective Pre-school Management as the Foundation of Quality Education A Case Study of Bangladesh

Abstract

Pre-school gives an orientation to a child before it goes to a formal school. Studies also suggest that enrolment in pre-school education can enhance children’s cognitive skills, literacy and social skills, necessary for success as well as promoting school achievement in the elementary grades retention and increase levels of school attainment (Schweinhart et. al., 1993; Campbell & Ramey, 1994; Reynolds et. al.,1996; Ou, 2003. There is scarcity of quality preschools in Bangladesh though there are a large number of preschools all over the country. In the absence of clear government policy and guidelines, these schools are conducted as private properties by individuals and groups who run these on a commercial basis and fail to provide quality education. This study aims at investigating the obstacles to effective management of preschools and the development of a model of establishing a large number of preschools at the initiative of the private sector under the patronage of the government. Data collection and the subsequent analyses were guided by qualitative research methods against the theoretical framework of Leaver’s (2011) “experiential education”. From this research 4 themes were derived, namely (1) Quality management (2) Quality teacher (3) Quality Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and (4 Quality leadership of the Principal. Keywords - Pre-school, quality education, cognitive skills, social skills, effective management, commercial basis.