All those happy faces in primary schools
Monday, 28 December 2009
Shamsul Huq Zahid
The government hardly does anything praiseworthy, particularly in the education sector. Despite lots of experimentations during past decades, the country's education system barring at the tertiary level is yet to catch up with global standard. If one government formulates a policy to correct a few of the scores of lapses in the education sector, its successor nullifies the same accusing its predecessor of being politically biased.
A case in point is the ongoing debate over the national education policy, which is now under preparation. The government terms the proposed policy as uniform and secular while a section of educationists and politicians is opposing the same on the ground of vreligious values.
A few commissions and lots of committees have been formed to improve the country's education system. But the standard of education, particularly in the primary and secondary levels has not improved much, mainly because of poor quality of teaching and inadequate management supervision of the educational institutions.
Of late, the government has introduced a system to create a central pool of qualified teachers by holding competitive examinations such as the Bangladesh Civil service. The government does its own recruitment for government primary and secondary schools. But the non-government schools enjoying the benefits of MPO have to employ teachers from that pool. Despite a few lapses, this is, at least, an improved method of recruiting teachers. But recruitment of teachers of primary schools, both private and government, and the management of those schools are still far from satisfactory.
Amidst all the lapses and shortcomings, the holding of a public examination for tiny students across the country at the end of their primary education has been a welcome deviation. The first ever examination held this year created an unprecedented enthusiasm among students as well as their guardians. The primary and mass education ministry does deserve kudos for holding the examinations, more or less, successfully. Everybody would recognize the fact that holding a public examination of such a massive scale, nearly 1.8 million students took part this year, has been a really difficult job.
Nearly, 90 per cent of the students who took part in the primary education completion examination have come out successful. This is no mean achievement, considering the fact that hundreds of thousands of examinees belonged to poor rural families. These students could not afford private tuition and had to remain dependent on their own studies at home. What is more important is that the number of students securing first division is more than the total number of students placed in second and third divisions.
It is noted here that the number of dropouts at the primary level of education is high. Many students are forced to abandon their studies because their parents want them to do so with a view to extending help in income generating activities.
The rate of dropouts coupled with unsuccessful students in the maiden primary level final examinations do make a large figure. This should be considered a great wastage not only for the guardians but also for the nation.
However, the introduction of the public examination at the end of primary level needs to be considered a milestone in the country's history. The great enthusiasm created among the students and their guardians could be witnessed in both urban and rural areas when the examinations were on and the results published.
The results of the first examinations have also broken the myth that urban schools, particularly those in Dhaka, offer better education to students. This time many rural schools have done better than many urban schools. The former can even do better if improved educational facilities are offered to them.
What is important here is that introduction of the examination at the end of primary level of education would help create a competitive spirit among the students and their teachers and guardians. The provision for scholarships for students doing exceptionally well would encourage the students and their guardians more to pay particular attention to studies.
Actually, the public examination at the primary level will add a new impetus to the students in their initial years of learning. The efforts of the authorities concerned should be targeted to improving the quality of teaching at the primary level. Better supervision of academic activities of the primary schools, both government and private ones, through the involvement of local community leaders can help attain that objective.
The ministry concerned should formulate a uniform curricula keeping on the subjects taught at the secondary and tertiary levels, with particular emphasis on English language learning. The nation is paying a price, both at home and abroad for the indifference, deliberate or otherwise, to English language on the part of the people who were at the helm of the statecraft since its independence in 1971.
The government hardly does anything praiseworthy, particularly in the education sector. Despite lots of experimentations during past decades, the country's education system barring at the tertiary level is yet to catch up with global standard. If one government formulates a policy to correct a few of the scores of lapses in the education sector, its successor nullifies the same accusing its predecessor of being politically biased.
A case in point is the ongoing debate over the national education policy, which is now under preparation. The government terms the proposed policy as uniform and secular while a section of educationists and politicians is opposing the same on the ground of vreligious values.
A few commissions and lots of committees have been formed to improve the country's education system. But the standard of education, particularly in the primary and secondary levels has not improved much, mainly because of poor quality of teaching and inadequate management supervision of the educational institutions.
Of late, the government has introduced a system to create a central pool of qualified teachers by holding competitive examinations such as the Bangladesh Civil service. The government does its own recruitment for government primary and secondary schools. But the non-government schools enjoying the benefits of MPO have to employ teachers from that pool. Despite a few lapses, this is, at least, an improved method of recruiting teachers. But recruitment of teachers of primary schools, both private and government, and the management of those schools are still far from satisfactory.
Amidst all the lapses and shortcomings, the holding of a public examination for tiny students across the country at the end of their primary education has been a welcome deviation. The first ever examination held this year created an unprecedented enthusiasm among students as well as their guardians. The primary and mass education ministry does deserve kudos for holding the examinations, more or less, successfully. Everybody would recognize the fact that holding a public examination of such a massive scale, nearly 1.8 million students took part this year, has been a really difficult job.
Nearly, 90 per cent of the students who took part in the primary education completion examination have come out successful. This is no mean achievement, considering the fact that hundreds of thousands of examinees belonged to poor rural families. These students could not afford private tuition and had to remain dependent on their own studies at home. What is more important is that the number of students securing first division is more than the total number of students placed in second and third divisions.
It is noted here that the number of dropouts at the primary level of education is high. Many students are forced to abandon their studies because their parents want them to do so with a view to extending help in income generating activities.
The rate of dropouts coupled with unsuccessful students in the maiden primary level final examinations do make a large figure. This should be considered a great wastage not only for the guardians but also for the nation.
However, the introduction of the public examination at the end of primary level needs to be considered a milestone in the country's history. The great enthusiasm created among the students and their guardians could be witnessed in both urban and rural areas when the examinations were on and the results published.
The results of the first examinations have also broken the myth that urban schools, particularly those in Dhaka, offer better education to students. This time many rural schools have done better than many urban schools. The former can even do better if improved educational facilities are offered to them.
What is important here is that introduction of the examination at the end of primary level of education would help create a competitive spirit among the students and their teachers and guardians. The provision for scholarships for students doing exceptionally well would encourage the students and their guardians more to pay particular attention to studies.
Actually, the public examination at the primary level will add a new impetus to the students in their initial years of learning. The efforts of the authorities concerned should be targeted to improving the quality of teaching at the primary level. Better supervision of academic activities of the primary schools, both government and private ones, through the involvement of local community leaders can help attain that objective.
The ministry concerned should formulate a uniform curricula keeping on the subjects taught at the secondary and tertiary levels, with particular emphasis on English language learning. The nation is paying a price, both at home and abroad for the indifference, deliberate or otherwise, to English language on the part of the people who were at the helm of the statecraft since its independence in 1971.