Education policy: a critical review--II
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Masum Billah
Members of Parliament (MPs) can be the chairman of governing bodies of four education institutions in their constituencies and the remaining ones will need MP's recommendation for selection of governing body chairman and members. MPs have much work to do in a developing country like ours. Making law, involving in all development activities, production, agricultural development, improving law and order situation should be their main functions. They must not be allowed to influence the educational affairs of the country. They are human beings, not angels. Definitely political colour will get mixed in forming governing body, running schools. These will seriously hamper providing quality education. The interference of politics in the educational institutions and its negative impact is not unknown to any conscious citizen of the country. For petty party interest, the involvement of MPs must be kept away in the greater interest of the nation. Higher educational institutions are highly politicized and its ugly impact is discerned at every step of the state. Students don't want to study. They cop[y in the examination hall. Teachers dare not stop committing their crimes for the sake of their lives. As a result the universities are producing unqualified graduates who have only certificates, not quality with some possible exceptions.
Government seems to be very much complacent with the education policy. We had several education commissions before this one but we could translate any one of it into reality. Its implementation proves to be gigantic challenges. The government must be ready to face those challenges. All the universities are under the claws of ugly political games. Students of the party in power are seriously involved in tender business keeping aside their books and leaning. It has become a common practice of the pupils who do politics. General students don't have any accommodation in the dormitories until and unless they enroll themselves in a particular party. Being a bright citizen of the ountry who has got admission by virtue of his quality cannot have seat in the national institution without satisfying the party goons of the university. We must not close our eyes and pretend that we don't know it or the vague and evasive answer that necessary actions will be taken against those who are responsible for it.
In National University the number of staff is 1200, officers 650, teachers only 25. Exams being conducted by teachers, staffs are just to distribute the packets of scripts. Since its inception, it has become a ' corruption centre ' of higher education. Staffs are all the while busy with doing politics. Their employment has been done on political ground. The present commission has recommended decentralising it and establishing one centre in each division. We think, National University concept in the existing way must be abolished. All the colleges must be brought under the public universities or even established private universities. We have practicing teachers there who conduct research. They know how to impart quality education and education administration. The so-called officials and staff of National University have seriously undermined the status of higher education in the country. National University can be converted into a fully-fledged academic university making it free from only certificate awarding university.
All the teachers from primary to higher secondary level must be trained. To deal with very sophisticated ,intellectual and psychological phenomena, the individuals clinging to this profession must have professional training. If an untrained driver is given a car to drive in the street, what will happen? He will kill many passers-by and he himself may be killed. All the armed people (Police, army, ansar) first received training how to use the arms, then they are given arms in their hands. Teachers deal with more sophisticated and ingenious thing without any training which is very dangerous. Now training is arranged both in the government and private sectors but the teachers do not seem to attach any importance to it. The training which gives money to the teachers, teachers prefer those trainings. It proves that they receive training not to develop their professional quality but to earn some extra money. This thing must be changed. Teachers must receive training in the same way as they received graduation or master's degree from the colleges and universities of their own. If training is made mandatory, they must receive it. Graduates enroll as secondary school teachers. But they don't have training and after their enrolment, it becomes difficult to receive training. So, the government can introduce a graduation course on ' education' for four years in all the colleges like IER of DU. It will produce hundreds of qualified teachers who will be given preference in secondary school teaching.
Teachers need money. They must study a lot and conduct research. Creativity is an integral part of teaching profession. But our teachers, with some exceptions, are not creative. They concentrate and limit their world within private coaching just to earn money but it is not creative at all. Just certain chapters and lessons they harp on year after year and even throughout their lives and get acquainted as a so-called famous teacher. Neither the guardians nor the students identify their loophole. With this capital they continue their business doing irreparable loss to the nation. They fail to produce future citizens with their analytical capabilities which is absolutely necessary. The more the days pass, the more the problems get acute. The introduction of some practical and effective measures can make the teachers creative and remove their financial constraints. Students will not be the victims of their whims and they will be creative enough. The entire term-end exam questions will be prepared by teachers of different institutions and they will be given remuneration. All the scripts of one school and college will be checked by the teachers of other schools and colleges to identify the genuine situation of the students. At the present practice of examination in schools and higher secondary colleges, in most of the cases students cannot learn their original situation. Those who study with their teachers privately obtain good marks and the rest always show poor performance. They are also neglected in the class. This situation must be changed. Teachers will be given remuneration for checking the scripts. The real weak students will have private and extra coaching but it must be arranged in the respective educational institutions, not at home of the teachers.
A brilliant graduate may be given opportunity to join as a primary school teacher but opportunity should be kept open for him/her so that he/she can be high school teacher and even college teacher by showing his/her talent in the competitive examination. In the existing system, the graduates who join as secondary school teacher don't have easy access to college teaching in spite of their having all requisite qualifications and merit. They will be given opportunity to reach the highest level of education administration. If it is done, the brighter students will join this profession. In the existing system, even if a bright candidate joins the teaching, he/she waits for another better chance to change the job neglecting his/her usual duties. They hardly concentrate on teaching. We cannot afford to linger this situation any more. The promotion of teachers all over the country irrespective of educational institutors will be quite uniformed. I am giving a practical example of this non-uniformity. The teachers of Rajuk Uttara Model College (Intermediate College) become assistant professor giving only four or five years of service without sitting any competitive examination and after ten or twelve years they become associate professor. Whereas, in a cadet college a teacher becomes an assistant professor after fifteen or more years. In some city schools of Dhaka or collegiate schools (up to intermediate) the same level of teachers are only assistant teachers though they have masters in respective subjects. In non-government, government and semi-government educational institutions, the teachers must be of the same quality and status. To get promotion all the teachers must sit for the test after satisfying the set criteria so that their promotion has uniformity and national recognition.
In the whole structure of education administration, the influence and occupation of higher posts by the college teachers for looking after and controlling the primary and secondary school teachers and education system raise various questions. No teacher from primary or secondary level is there to represent the particular tier of education genuinely. Moreover, the highest positions are occupied by the officials of administration cadre. The existing education administration cannot be said as 'education friendly'. It must be made 'education friendly' indeed.
The writer is Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE. He can be reached at
e-mail: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com
Members of Parliament (MPs) can be the chairman of governing bodies of four education institutions in their constituencies and the remaining ones will need MP's recommendation for selection of governing body chairman and members. MPs have much work to do in a developing country like ours. Making law, involving in all development activities, production, agricultural development, improving law and order situation should be their main functions. They must not be allowed to influence the educational affairs of the country. They are human beings, not angels. Definitely political colour will get mixed in forming governing body, running schools. These will seriously hamper providing quality education. The interference of politics in the educational institutions and its negative impact is not unknown to any conscious citizen of the country. For petty party interest, the involvement of MPs must be kept away in the greater interest of the nation. Higher educational institutions are highly politicized and its ugly impact is discerned at every step of the state. Students don't want to study. They cop[y in the examination hall. Teachers dare not stop committing their crimes for the sake of their lives. As a result the universities are producing unqualified graduates who have only certificates, not quality with some possible exceptions.
Government seems to be very much complacent with the education policy. We had several education commissions before this one but we could translate any one of it into reality. Its implementation proves to be gigantic challenges. The government must be ready to face those challenges. All the universities are under the claws of ugly political games. Students of the party in power are seriously involved in tender business keeping aside their books and leaning. It has become a common practice of the pupils who do politics. General students don't have any accommodation in the dormitories until and unless they enroll themselves in a particular party. Being a bright citizen of the ountry who has got admission by virtue of his quality cannot have seat in the national institution without satisfying the party goons of the university. We must not close our eyes and pretend that we don't know it or the vague and evasive answer that necessary actions will be taken against those who are responsible for it.
In National University the number of staff is 1200, officers 650, teachers only 25. Exams being conducted by teachers, staffs are just to distribute the packets of scripts. Since its inception, it has become a ' corruption centre ' of higher education. Staffs are all the while busy with doing politics. Their employment has been done on political ground. The present commission has recommended decentralising it and establishing one centre in each division. We think, National University concept in the existing way must be abolished. All the colleges must be brought under the public universities or even established private universities. We have practicing teachers there who conduct research. They know how to impart quality education and education administration. The so-called officials and staff of National University have seriously undermined the status of higher education in the country. National University can be converted into a fully-fledged academic university making it free from only certificate awarding university.
All the teachers from primary to higher secondary level must be trained. To deal with very sophisticated ,intellectual and psychological phenomena, the individuals clinging to this profession must have professional training. If an untrained driver is given a car to drive in the street, what will happen? He will kill many passers-by and he himself may be killed. All the armed people (Police, army, ansar) first received training how to use the arms, then they are given arms in their hands. Teachers deal with more sophisticated and ingenious thing without any training which is very dangerous. Now training is arranged both in the government and private sectors but the teachers do not seem to attach any importance to it. The training which gives money to the teachers, teachers prefer those trainings. It proves that they receive training not to develop their professional quality but to earn some extra money. This thing must be changed. Teachers must receive training in the same way as they received graduation or master's degree from the colleges and universities of their own. If training is made mandatory, they must receive it. Graduates enroll as secondary school teachers. But they don't have training and after their enrolment, it becomes difficult to receive training. So, the government can introduce a graduation course on ' education' for four years in all the colleges like IER of DU. It will produce hundreds of qualified teachers who will be given preference in secondary school teaching.
Teachers need money. They must study a lot and conduct research. Creativity is an integral part of teaching profession. But our teachers, with some exceptions, are not creative. They concentrate and limit their world within private coaching just to earn money but it is not creative at all. Just certain chapters and lessons they harp on year after year and even throughout their lives and get acquainted as a so-called famous teacher. Neither the guardians nor the students identify their loophole. With this capital they continue their business doing irreparable loss to the nation. They fail to produce future citizens with their analytical capabilities which is absolutely necessary. The more the days pass, the more the problems get acute. The introduction of some practical and effective measures can make the teachers creative and remove their financial constraints. Students will not be the victims of their whims and they will be creative enough. The entire term-end exam questions will be prepared by teachers of different institutions and they will be given remuneration. All the scripts of one school and college will be checked by the teachers of other schools and colleges to identify the genuine situation of the students. At the present practice of examination in schools and higher secondary colleges, in most of the cases students cannot learn their original situation. Those who study with their teachers privately obtain good marks and the rest always show poor performance. They are also neglected in the class. This situation must be changed. Teachers will be given remuneration for checking the scripts. The real weak students will have private and extra coaching but it must be arranged in the respective educational institutions, not at home of the teachers.
A brilliant graduate may be given opportunity to join as a primary school teacher but opportunity should be kept open for him/her so that he/she can be high school teacher and even college teacher by showing his/her talent in the competitive examination. In the existing system, the graduates who join as secondary school teacher don't have easy access to college teaching in spite of their having all requisite qualifications and merit. They will be given opportunity to reach the highest level of education administration. If it is done, the brighter students will join this profession. In the existing system, even if a bright candidate joins the teaching, he/she waits for another better chance to change the job neglecting his/her usual duties. They hardly concentrate on teaching. We cannot afford to linger this situation any more. The promotion of teachers all over the country irrespective of educational institutors will be quite uniformed. I am giving a practical example of this non-uniformity. The teachers of Rajuk Uttara Model College (Intermediate College) become assistant professor giving only four or five years of service without sitting any competitive examination and after ten or twelve years they become associate professor. Whereas, in a cadet college a teacher becomes an assistant professor after fifteen or more years. In some city schools of Dhaka or collegiate schools (up to intermediate) the same level of teachers are only assistant teachers though they have masters in respective subjects. In non-government, government and semi-government educational institutions, the teachers must be of the same quality and status. To get promotion all the teachers must sit for the test after satisfying the set criteria so that their promotion has uniformity and national recognition.
In the whole structure of education administration, the influence and occupation of higher posts by the college teachers for looking after and controlling the primary and secondary school teachers and education system raise various questions. No teacher from primary or secondary level is there to represent the particular tier of education genuinely. Moreover, the highest positions are occupied by the officials of administration cadre. The existing education administration cannot be said as 'education friendly'. It must be made 'education friendly' indeed.
The writer is Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE. He can be reached at
e-mail: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com