If education is the 'fountain-head' of socio-economic and political development, then surely primary education should be viewed as its foundation. The famous adage - 'as you sow, so you reap' - possibly points to the importance of primary education both in quantity as well as in quality in our national life. Bangladesh has a very long history of primary education but there has been very little periodic watch on its process and outcome variables.
The Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) in Bangladesh apparently aims to do that job through scrutiny of the process and outcomes of primary education. Recently, the CAMPE organised a book-launching ceremony titled Education Watch 2014, one of the many attempts over the decades. The function was presided over by eminent social scientist Dr Quazi Kholiquzzaman and graced by Minister for Primary and Mass Education Advocate Mostafizur Rahman. This year's report is related to an assessment of the Primary Education Completion Examination (PECE).
The PECE was introduced in 2009. The initial idea was to treat education up to Class VIII as primary education and hold a terminal examination. But, for some reasons or other, the PECE now marks completion of Grade V which is seemingly a deviation from what was visualised in the National Education Policy 2010: In Class I and II, there will be continuous assessment while from Class III onwards, quarterly, half-yearly and yearly examinations will be in place. On the completion of Class V, a terminal examination with identical set of questions will take place at Upazila/ Pourashava/Thana levels in big cities.
On completion of Class VIII, initially known as Junior School Certificate Examination, a public examination will take place. The Education Boards concerned will conduct this public examination.
It may be mentioned here that at the moment, Bangladesh has four public examinations, compared to its historically two examinations held in this part of the world. All of the SAARC countries (excepting Nepal with three) have two public examinations (Grade X and Grade XIII).
However, the PECE in Bangladesh is the largest public examination in the country as the number of such examinees in 2014 was 1.6 times the examinees in junior secondary, 2.5 times the SSC examination and three times the HSC examination.
The researchers of the study comprised eminent experts in the field of educational assessment such as Rasheda K. Choudhury, Ahmed Mustaque Raza Chowdhury, Kazi Saleh Ahmed and Samir Ranjan Nath (principal researcher). The good news is that the report is based on a robust methodology in the selection of samples and sub-samples using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Seventy- five upazilas, each in rural and urban areas, were selected following a systematic random sampling method. The study covers 150 upazila/ thanas/ pourashovas and 578 educational institutions (rural 326, urban 252). Besides, the head teachers were interviewed with structured questionnaires. The study also covered 309 sub-samples of students (rural 180 and urban 129) where 20 candidates were selected from each school (10 boys and 10 girls). Further in-depth interviews and focus group discussion were conducted. By and large, the survey covered 5,375 students from 578 educational institutions of 150 upazilas and municipalities.
Let's look at the silver lining of the system. There are opinions from stakeholders of primary education that the PECE increased pride and awareness among students and parents about education. Students and teachers became more serious towards studies than before; this examination reduced children's fear about examination. By and large, the results from such examination are considered as improvement in primary education. But is that so in reality? There are many observations in the Education Watch 2014 but we shall pick up a few.
Private expenditure of Class V students has increased after introduction of the PECE examination. This is mainly because students became heavily dependent on coaching, private tuition and guide books. It may be mentioned here that with a view to preparing for PECE examination, more than four-fifths of the students last year attended coaching classes (as against about 40 per cent in 2000) and in about 80 per cent of government primary schools, coaching was mandatory. On an average, a household spends Tk.8,212 for an examinee of PECE. Out of the total expenditure, roughly 60 per cent are claimed by private tutoring, 17 per cent school-arranged coaching, 15 per cent guide books, suggestions and hand books etc. The private expenditure for education increased about three times from 2000 to 2008.
Grasham's Law in Economics states that bad money always drives good one out of circulation. This law seems to work with a new style: guide books are driving text-books out of market. According to the report, after introduction of PECE examination, 'education at primary level turned exam-centric with rote memorisation and drilling becoming synonymous with studying'.
The report also analysed performance of the students by recording that overall performance of the examinees in English and Bangla was significantly worse than other subjects in 2014. In English, about half of the students got Grade C and D. The report alleged that the institutions become more bogged with pass rate than with quality education. "As per the orientation and instruction….., the examiners assessed answer scripts loosely and too generously…additional marks were given to examinees without pass rate". Further, "a chaotic condition in terms of copying prevails during the last 40-60 minutes of the examination when many examinees scrambled to check and copy answers from each other".
Rasheda K. Choudhury, former advisor to the caretaker government, made an important observation. It is that if primary scholarship examination could be considered unequal - as some get maximum attention at the cost of many - then the PECE as a substitute seems to be more unequal as only the children from the rich segment could attend coaching to perform better. In other words, the amount of money spent on coaching appears to dictate the fate of children in such public examination.
The CAMPE report, however, stands short of suggesting a shutdown of the PECE on the heels of shortcomings. The policy recommendations as revealed by the report include, inter alia, emphasis on quality classroom teaching and formative assessment, stopping malpractices in schools and examination halls, decentralisation of PECE to upazila level including preparations of question papers, administration of examination, publication of results etc. At the end of the day, one would pose the question: should children who are supposed to be in plays be bogged down with books? In most countries of the world, children of this age do not have any home task, not to speak of appearing at public examination. Are we developing or destroying the future of the nation? This is a million-dollar question that peeps through the CAMPE report.
The writer is a Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University.
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