Education plays a very important role in economic growth and development of any country and Bangladesh is no exception. Indeed, education directly enhances human capital and helps sustain the overall development of a country. But education needs to be appropriate to suit the needs of local and international sectors.
But is the quality of education in the country enough to deal with challenges ahead? Most former professionals in the field of education along with some academic experts feel that the quality of education is still not up to the mark.
The country has adopted an excellent National Education Policy (NEP) 2010 which can, and should be a guideline for conducting education at all levels. The policy states, as one of its objectives, that it will encourage both creative and critical thinking among students. Unfortunately, eight years after the policy was passed in parliament, the nation is still waiting to see its full or even partial implementation. In the absence of proper guideline, the education system of the country is floundering. We need creative minds capable of thinking productively.
Despite the fact that Bangladesh made commendable progress in gross-enrolment in primary education for both genders, the country is indeed lagging behind in ensuring quality education for all. There are some important indicators related to the quality educational infrastructure which include "present share of trained teachers among total teachers in primary education" and "pupil teacher ratio in primary education".
Studies across the world have proven time and again that a skilled teacher-one that adds value to the learning process- can be effective at helping students to improve their learning outcomes and ensure quality education. Additionally, in-service training helps teachers to maintain those skills.
To improve the quality of education, the country can enable a benchmarking system to determine current learning levels and future learning aims; provide schools and communities with ownership of their systems; and set up mechanisms to ensure and monitor various responsibilities, all while supporting teacher quality, promoting the importance of early childhood development, and being mindful of context and culture.
Md. Zillur Rahaman
Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd.
Lalmohan Branch, Bhola.
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