バングラデシュ南西沿岸部における児童の水認識 : 生活実践と学校教育に着目して

This study investigated children’s recognition of water safety and use and the impact of school education on such perceptions on the southwest coast of Bangladesh. Thus, this study mainly analysed the science textbooks for grades three to five. Field surveys, focus group interviews with children, unstructured interviews with teachers, and participant observations in the science classes were used. This research differs from previous studies because they only focused on adult water recognition, with a limited focus on children’s water resources and school education. From the textbook analysis, it was found that there are limited descriptions of the uniqueness of water resources and their use on the southwest coast of Bangladesh. Issues such as salinity in groundwater, the custom of drinking rainwater in rainy season, and the variety of ponds in Bangladesh regarding usage and ownership were not adequately defined in the textbooks analysed in this study. Moreover, this study found that teachers from the same region as the children practice conventional classes that rely on textbooks. Therefore, teachers may provide water education to children without critical consideration of local water use practices. Based on the findings, this study concluded that school education in Bangladesh may guide children’s perception of water based on scientific knowledge. Still, it may confuse children’s perception of water safety and water use. Therefore, this study made two recommendations that have implications on policy. First, the teaching contents in the textbooks should be expanded to include the water situation on the southwest coast of Bangladesh. Second, joint classes with nongovernmental organisations that specialise in drinking water supply, sanitation, and hygiene and trainings for teachers to provide health education for children by such organisations should be implemented.