Transforming Primary Education in Under-Resourced Contexts: Leadership, Teacher Development, and Community Engagement for Sustainable Learning in Bangladesh

Abstract

The study examines the simultaneous effect of leadership styles, teachers' professionalisation, and community participation on sustainable learning in Bangladesh's resource-constrained primary schools. Mixed-method design was used to collect data from 85 participants in 10 schools with representation of head teachers, class teachers, and community members. Quantitative analysis confirmed that teacher development, leadership, and community participation are reliable predictors of long-term achievement of students and account for 62% variation together. The strongest predictor was teacher professional development, and then followed by leadership, and lastly community involvement. The qualitative research validated the same and further added that effective schools have relational coherence in which visionary leadership enables teacher agency and engaged community fosters school accountability. The research establishes that sustainability in schools is a social and systemic construct and not just an outcome of resource dependency. Those schools with a common purpose, learning in collaborations, and trust relationship-oriented partnerships exhibited more resilience and student motivation despite limited resources. The research underscores the need to shift Bangladesh's education reform from input models to relationship models with an emphasis on empowering leadership, ongoing professional development, and partnership with the community. The article closes with to-the-point guidance to practice and policy, calling for a holistic strategy to contribute to stronger primary education systems in poor environments through contextually oriented and relational reform.