Educational Reforms Worldwide 129 BCES Conference Books, 2020, Volume 18. Sofia: Bulgarian Comparative Education Society ISSN 1314-4693 (print), ISSN 2534-8426 (online), ISBN 978-619-7326-09-3 (print), ISBN 978-619-7326-10-9 (online) Mashraky Mustary The Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships in Public Schools, Private Schools, and Madrasahs in Bangladesh Abstract Education is a very important aspect of a person’s life. In Bangladesh, several different types of institutions are available for youth’s education, including private schools, public schools, and religious schools called madrasahs. For these institutions to continue to run properly, teachers, students, and a curriculum must be present. A major aspect of the education system in Bangladesh is Islam and religious learning. The main objective of this study is to identify the effect of the teacher-student relationship in public schools, private schools, and madrasahs in Bangladesh. The research methods, including document review, observation and survey, were used to collect information from the target respondents in public, private, and madrasah schools in Bangladesh. The results show that teachers have a different kind of relationship with their students, depending on the school in which they are teaching. This is strongly determined by the number of students in the school, the degree of accessibility to each school, and social perceptions of the teacher-student relationship. The main purpose of this study is to understand how teacher-student relationships impact student’s grades since these relationships have a great effect on the learning environment in all three types of institutions. Positive relationships help students feel loved and acknowledged, consoled and secure. This research, concentrated on three schools to perceive how educators’ relationships with students have impacted their school life and how it has affected their studies. Keywords: teacher-student relationship, public schools, private schools, madrasahs, Bangladesh Introduction For effective learning to occur in schools, a strong relationship between the teacher and students is very important. Teachers must acknowledge the impact they have on their students and take into consideration the perceptions of the students towards them. The teachers must ensure that they meet the academic and emotional needs of the learners. Classroom environments which facilitate a positive culture, as well as healthy associations, is critical for motivating learners to study more (Mustary, 2018). With a good relationship, the teacher can allow the student to do their schoolwork alone, consulting the teacher in case of any difficulties. When students get to a formal institution, the relationship with their teachers is the foundation of their school life and, with positive relationships, students can adjust quickly to their learning environment (Lee, 2016). Important information can be obtained on an institution’s operations by holding conversations with teachers and observing activities in the classes. Research has shown that forming positive and close teacher-student relationships will help the students feel safer and more secure in their respective institutions, have a feeling of competence, be in a better position to connect with their peers and acquire better © 2020 Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) 130 The Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships in Public Schools, Private Schools, and Madrasahs in Bangladesh grades. Positive relationships help students to feel loved and acknowledged, appreciated and secure (Osterman, 2016). These relationships have a great effect on the learning environment in all three institutions in Bangladesh. In this examination, three types of schools were examined to perceive how the educator-student relationship has been created and how it has affected the students. Bangladesh has empowered relational connections and cooperation among students and their educators. Although many researchers have explored these areas, finding from studies such as that conducted by Dronkers and Roberts (2008) suggest the relationship between students and their teachers affects the student’s performance. The kind of connection created between teachers and their students can impact the student’s performance (Hamre & Pianta, 2011). This study elaborates on the difficulties found in creating teacher-student relationships and how this has affected the students. Background of the study This study examines why education is especially important to the people of Bangladesh. The country has three different types of educational institutions, including private schools, public schools, and religious schools called madrasahs. Approximately 80% of the people in Bangladesh can only afford to send their children to public schools. For these institutions to keep running properly, teachers, students, and curriculum must be present. Since Bangladesh is an Islamic state, the school incorporates Islamic religious studies as one of the course to be covered (Hamre & Pianta, 2011). Therefore, the religious aspect of education is included in both the public and private sectors. To be able to build a strong developing nation, the education system must be of high quality the different institutions should not be developed for competition, but aim at excellence in education. Due to the high population in Bangladesh, there has been statistical evidence that many students have too few teachers in their schools. (Banik & Kumar, 2019). This study focuses on three public schools, three private schools, and three madrasahs and determines how teacher-student relationships have been developed and how that has impacted students (Jacobson, 2000). To establish a better environment for students’ learning programs, good teacher-student relationships are highly recommended (Jacobson, 2000). Students are in a better position to attain high grades when surrounded by an environment filled with positive relationships and interactions. Creating a positive environment for students will help them feel admired, respected, appreciated and acknowledged by their teachers. Students need to feel a sense of trust coming from their teachers. The ratios between teachers and students in private schools, public schools, and madrasahs can be shockingly high, depending on the school. To create a healthy, effective relationship between the teachers and their students, the education system should try to maintain smaller class sizes. However, Bangladesh is at present, struggling to develop positive interactions between teachers and students due to the poor teacher-student ratio (Hossain, O’Neill & Strnadová, 2019). It is worth noting that not all instructors see their responsibility as building close relationships with the students and that not all the teachers fully understand the positive impact that good relationships can bring to students (Mustary, 2018). Educational Reforms Worldwide Mashraky Mustary 131 Statement of the problem This was the first study to be conducted on the impact of teacher-student relationships in three public schools, three private schools, and three madrasahs. To acquire this information, the methods used were document review, observation and survey to collect information from the target respondents in the designated schools. The observations were however, adversely affected by the large class sizes. Another challenge faced by this study was the missing research records pertaining to the level of education offered in Bangladesh and the reasons for its lack of attainability. Due to the level of poverty in Bangladesh, not every person is able to afford a good education and most people drop out early. While research studies have focused on the many students who drop out, none have attempted to determine the level of education attained by those who continue with their studies (Hossain, O’Neill & Strnadová, 2019). Significance of the study This study is important due to the significant impact of teacher-student relationships on academic performance. Students who have a positive relationship with their teachers are bound to perform better, since it is easy for them to ask questions of their teachers. Such positive relationships mostly occur when the teacher-student ratio is low, which allows teachers to create a positive environment for the students (Hamre & Pianta, 2011). This study attempted to discover why not all institutions can create positive environments for the students. The study attempted to provide an understanding of how teacher-student relations have impacted the students and how it helps the student’s performance (Asadullah, Chaudhury & Dar, 2007). The relationship between the students and their teachers plays a significant role in their academic performance and it also aids in shaping the social lives of the students as Osterman (2016) highlights. Research objectives The study had three objectives:  To implement a comparative analysis between public, private and madrasah schools in Bangladesh.  To find out how teacher-student relationships have impacted education in Bangladesh.  To compare the different relationships between the teachers and students depending on the institutions they attend. Literature review Because Bangladesh has a very high population, 80% of them are poor and live on less than 3 dollars a day (Biswas et al., 2019). The largest age group in the population is the youths and teenagers; due to the high birthrates, the number of schools has continued to increase (Biswas et al., 2019). Thus, illiteracy is a major issue in Bangladesh and the number of teachers working in schools is quite low, making it more difficult for students to have a relationship with their teachers. When it comes to the quality of teachers in Bangladesh, over 40% of those who teach in BCES Conference Books, 2020, Volume 18 | Part 3: School Education: Policies, Innovations, Practices & Entrepreneurship 132 The Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships in Public Schools, Private Schools, and Madrasahs in Bangladesh public schools are not university graduates (Burton, Eyres & McCormick, 2019). According to recent research reports, Bangladesh is one of the nations globally with the highest number of students in primary and secondary schools. Over 25 million students are at this level, which has caused a problem in education, since the number of schools in Bangladesh is inadequate. Private schools are attended by the 20% who are rich (Burton, Eyres & McCormick, 2019). Those students who come from poor backgrounds cannot afford to attend public schools and thus drop out. However, madrasahs are quite affordable since teaching Islam is mandatory in Bangladesh. Every child growing up is encouraged to learn more about the Bangladesh formal religion. Since Islam is their formal religion, religious learning is more common in the nation. The ratios between the educators and students in non-public schools, private schools and madrasahs are amazingly high, depending on the school. This is the conclusion and repeats what has been said earlier. Bangladesh is battling to keep up positive relationships among educators and students because of the high ratios. Huge classes containing up to a hundred students may be difficult to establish a teacher-student relationship (Burton, Eyres & McCormick, 2019). Methodology Direct observation (Lee, 2012) was conducted in three public schools, three private schools, and three madrasahs. Due to the high number of students found in public institutions, it was not as easy to capture student interactions with teachers. Classrooms observations provided the data needed to complete the study. The survey was conducted by involving three participants from each of three institutions who came from both urban and rural areas in Bangladesh. Schools were selected based on their location to compare their performances and the students’ relationships to their teachers. The students were asked whether they had established a teacher-student relationship or not. They were asked to report on the ways their teachers interacted with them. Data analysis The information acquired from various documents and reports, the observations and survey responses were then analyzed. Basically teacher-student relationships depend on the school the student attends, as well as on the student’s individual personality. By using a one-word description the students reported what they had observed in schools by using always, sometimes, never. The information received from the public classroom observation and survey is as follows:  Teachers do not have personal relationships with their students because the classrooms include too many students.  Teachers do not know all their students.  Teachers barely pay attention to their students.  Teachers have difficulty in interacting with the students.  Teachers are not able to help all their students. The information received from the private classroom observation and survey is as follows:  Teachers are very attentive in class. Educational Reforms Worldwide Mashraky Mustary 133  Teachers like being in their classrooms.  Teachers make the students feel appreciated.  Teachers make students feel heard.  Teachers are willing to answer any question asked by a student.  Teachers have a great relationship with their students.  Teachers have great respect for their students. The information received from the madrasahs classroom observation is as follows:  Teachers pay attention to their students.  Teachers are ready to answer student’s questions.  Teachers make the students feel appreciated.  Teachers are always productive in class.  Teachers are fair to their students. The data collected from the survey concludes:  Public school students never interact with their teachers.  Private school students always have a relationship with their teachers.  Madrasah students sometimes interact with their teachers. By comparing the three outcomes of the teacher-student observation analysis, it appears that students from private schools and madrasahs have a very positive relationship with their teachers, unlike students from public schools. Students from public schools are the majority, since their parents are too poor to pay for better schools. The high number of students in public institutions is the main cause of a negative impact when it comes to the teacher-student relationship in Bangladesh. The overall results concluded that students who attend private schools have the best teacher-student relationships and students who come from poor families and attend public schools have a very poor relationship with their teachers. The madrasahs demonstrated a slightly poorer relationship between the students and their teachers due to the number of students attending madrasahs classes. With large student numbers, it is hard to establish a teacher-student relationship. Students from public schools have a lower chance of performing well due to their lack of positive interactions with their teachers, as well as the fact that their teachers are not university graduates (Dronkers & Robert, 2008). This has led to the development of poor-performing patterns for students who attend public schools. Since most of the youth population attend public school, it is difficult to end poverty in Bangladesh. Students who do not have a relationship with their teachers tend to perform poorly because they do not have a platform for asking questions. Conclusion It is clear that the teacher-student relationship has a great impact on student school life. The teacher-student relationship is greatly determined by the kind of school that a student attends. These relationships greatly vary between public schools, private schools, and madrasahs. After conducting the research, it is clear that public school teachers are at a great disadvantage, since their classrooms have so many students that the teachers are not able to create a teacher-student relationship. Private school students are at an advantage, since class sizes are small and they are able to have a relationship with their teachers. These relationships have BCES Conference Books, 2020, Volume 18 | Part 3: School Education: Policies, Innovations, Practices & Entrepreneurship 134 The Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships in Public Schools, Private Schools, and Madrasahs in Bangladesh helped students to feel respected, appreciated and confident. Students in both the madrasahs and the private schools are likely to perform better than students in the public schools. The education system in Bangladesh should make the environment in institutions conducive to learning by encouraging peers to undertake teaching programs so as to end the struggle being faced in classrooms by teachers who are likely to teach over 100 students in a single class. However, the teacher-student relationship can have a positive impact on both the teacher and the student. References Asadullah, M. N., Chaudhury, N. & Dar, A. (2007): Student achievement condition upon school selection: Religious and secular secondary school quality in Bangladesh. Economics of Education Review, 26(6), 648-659. Banik, P. & Kumar, B. (2019): Impact of information literacy skill on students’ academic performance in Bangladesh. International Journal of European Studies, 3(1), 27-33. Biswas, T., Townsend, N., Islam, M. S., Islam, M. R., Gupta, R. D., Das, S. K. & Al Mamun, A. (2019): Association between socio-economic status and prevalence of non- communicable diseases risk factors and comorbidities in Bangladesh: findings from a nationwide cross-sectional survey. BMJ open, 9(3), e025538. Burton, S., Eyres, I. & McCormick, R. (2019): The Educational Context of Bangladesh: An Overview. In Eyres, I., McCormick, R. & Power, T. (Eds.) Sustainable English Language Teacher Development at Scale: Lessons from Bangladesh (pp. 9-22). London: Bloomsbury Academic. Dronkers, J. & Robert, P. (2008): Differences in scholastic achievement of public, private government-dependent, and private independent schools: A cross-national analysis. Educational Policy, 22(4), 541-577. Hamre, B. K. & Pianta, R. C. (2011): Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children’s school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72, 625-638. Hossain, S., O’Neill, S. C. & Strnadová, I. (2019): What really matters for students’ school satisfaction in Bangladesh? Psychology in the Schools, 56(5), 670-689. Jacobson, L. O. (2000): Editor’s choice: Valuing diversity: student-teacher relationships that enhance achievement. Community College Review, 28(1), 49-66. Lee, S. J. (2012): The effects of the teacher-student relationship and academic press on student engagement and academic performance. International Journal of Educational Research, 53, 330-340. Lee, S. J. (2016): The relations between the student-teacher trust relationship and school success in the case of Korean middle schools. Educational Studies, 33(2), 209-216. Mustary, M. (2018): Theoretical considerations regarding the connection between teacher- student relationship and students’ academic performance in Bangladesh. Sophia University Studies in Education, 103, 93-106. Osterman, K. (2016): Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Research, 70(3), 323-367. Mashraky Mustary, Doctoral Student, Sophia University, Japan; Lecturer, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Bangladesh Educational Reforms Worldwide