Improving primary education
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Pulok Debnath
Education provided by the primary schools of our country is the root of all education on which depends the future of our country. But the bleak position of most of our government primary schools weakens the contribution to building up the foundation of our children.
Almost every year the government is recruiting the teachers in the primary school through a written test and a viva voce. But very often many applicants fail to get the required marks in the exam but they are selected in the written test thanks to the grace marks given to them. The question is if the applicants cannot pass in the exam that testifies the candidates' capability to hold a position, how it is possible to perform the particular duties assigned for them. Normally the applicants for the post of an assistant teacher are called area wise, so the applicants are also finally selected from this particular area. Consequently, very often candidates of poor quality are appointed in the schools to fulfill the vacancies. Besides, there is an allegation that the respective authority takes bribe to recruit the unqualified candidates as teachers. How honestly and properly such teachers carry out their teaching duties is easily conceivable.
The educational qualification to apply for the post of an assistant is at least bachelor degree for the male applicants and SSC for the female candidates. At present, minimum 15 years of education for the male candidates, since the programme duration of bachelor degree is changed to 3 years, and only 10 years of education are required for the female applicants. The requirement of the extra 4 or 5 years of study and poor remuneration package demotivate the male candidates to concentrate on the teaching. Besides sixty percent of the vacancies are being filled by women whereas most of them passed SSC and there is less likelihood that these female teachers can upgrade themselves by taking further academic education, as they are already employed and many of them are posted in the remote areas of the country. Of course some qualified persons are joining the schools as teachers because of the job scarcity in the market. But those teachers cannot pay attention on their teaching and other school development related activities as much as they should have done. The main reasons are the lackluster facilities they get from this employment.
As they cannot maintain themselves with the salary and other benefit they get from this job, most of the time, they become engaged with other business and consequently, the students are getting deprived of proper learning. To keep pace with the changed demand of the society created by the impact of the globalisation and technological development, course curriculum is being hardly updated in the schools. So the students passing out from those institutions cannot sustain in the tough competition with the students of modern schools in the country. Besides, there are many students in the primary schools who are enrolled to get only the stipend facility. They go to the schools just to withdraw the subsistence. A percentage of this stipend goes to the corrupt teachers and the members of the school managing committee. Such students' attendance adds to the magic growth of literacy rate in the country.
Whatever the situation of our government primary schools is, at present, of course there are some ways to improve its overall condition. First of all fair recruitment of the teachers should be ensured and the authority should be strict to the point that the applicants for the teachers who are not capable of getting the minimum required marks in the exam, no favour will be done to them in the written test. Then educational qualification should be uniform irrespective of gender since many female graduate students are available now. If a suitable remuneration package and other facilities like bonus, insurance policy, loan facility at a low interest rate, residential quarter etc. can be offered for the successful candidates, many competent applicants will be encouraged to be teachers of government primary schools. Besides, scope of promotion for the teachers can be enhanced from an assistant teacher to the level of an education officer on the basis of relevant competitive tests. Moreover, the specific teachers should be trained up in computer technology, physical education and other vocational areas so that the school children can have a basic idea of the modern technology and fitness guide from their boyhood and can utilise it in the future. Thus we may expect quality education from them.
Very often, the teachers take rotational day-off unofficially. I met a government primary school teacher in the steamer while going to Chandpur from Dhaka. When I asked him where he was going, he replied, "I will go to my school tomorrow situated in a 'char' under the district of Chandpur and I attend this school 4 days a month." All the teachers should attend the school regularly and every working day they should also be present there for a particular time of period so that the students facing the difficulties can meet their teachers to solve the academic problems. The strong school committee and the school inspectors should monitor all such irregularities and give them exemplary punishment if found guilty.
Rural people of our country are neglected in many cases but those ignored people want their children in the top of our society. But the ways their kids in the government primary school are getting deprived of proper education how likely it is that in the course of time such literate persons can equally contribute with others to the development of our country. In fact, the government's assistance including allocation of more budgets for primary education and proper monitoring to distribute that fund should be ensured. Furthermore, the NGOs and other volunteer organisations should come forward to safeguard the government primary schools from being destroyed.
The writer, a graduate of IUB, is currently a banker and also a student of evening MBA, Dhaka University.
He may be contacted at
ppulok91@hotmail.com
Education provided by the primary schools of our country is the root of all education on which depends the future of our country. But the bleak position of most of our government primary schools weakens the contribution to building up the foundation of our children.
Almost every year the government is recruiting the teachers in the primary school through a written test and a viva voce. But very often many applicants fail to get the required marks in the exam but they are selected in the written test thanks to the grace marks given to them. The question is if the applicants cannot pass in the exam that testifies the candidates' capability to hold a position, how it is possible to perform the particular duties assigned for them. Normally the applicants for the post of an assistant teacher are called area wise, so the applicants are also finally selected from this particular area. Consequently, very often candidates of poor quality are appointed in the schools to fulfill the vacancies. Besides, there is an allegation that the respective authority takes bribe to recruit the unqualified candidates as teachers. How honestly and properly such teachers carry out their teaching duties is easily conceivable.
The educational qualification to apply for the post of an assistant is at least bachelor degree for the male applicants and SSC for the female candidates. At present, minimum 15 years of education for the male candidates, since the programme duration of bachelor degree is changed to 3 years, and only 10 years of education are required for the female applicants. The requirement of the extra 4 or 5 years of study and poor remuneration package demotivate the male candidates to concentrate on the teaching. Besides sixty percent of the vacancies are being filled by women whereas most of them passed SSC and there is less likelihood that these female teachers can upgrade themselves by taking further academic education, as they are already employed and many of them are posted in the remote areas of the country. Of course some qualified persons are joining the schools as teachers because of the job scarcity in the market. But those teachers cannot pay attention on their teaching and other school development related activities as much as they should have done. The main reasons are the lackluster facilities they get from this employment.
As they cannot maintain themselves with the salary and other benefit they get from this job, most of the time, they become engaged with other business and consequently, the students are getting deprived of proper learning. To keep pace with the changed demand of the society created by the impact of the globalisation and technological development, course curriculum is being hardly updated in the schools. So the students passing out from those institutions cannot sustain in the tough competition with the students of modern schools in the country. Besides, there are many students in the primary schools who are enrolled to get only the stipend facility. They go to the schools just to withdraw the subsistence. A percentage of this stipend goes to the corrupt teachers and the members of the school managing committee. Such students' attendance adds to the magic growth of literacy rate in the country.
Whatever the situation of our government primary schools is, at present, of course there are some ways to improve its overall condition. First of all fair recruitment of the teachers should be ensured and the authority should be strict to the point that the applicants for the teachers who are not capable of getting the minimum required marks in the exam, no favour will be done to them in the written test. Then educational qualification should be uniform irrespective of gender since many female graduate students are available now. If a suitable remuneration package and other facilities like bonus, insurance policy, loan facility at a low interest rate, residential quarter etc. can be offered for the successful candidates, many competent applicants will be encouraged to be teachers of government primary schools. Besides, scope of promotion for the teachers can be enhanced from an assistant teacher to the level of an education officer on the basis of relevant competitive tests. Moreover, the specific teachers should be trained up in computer technology, physical education and other vocational areas so that the school children can have a basic idea of the modern technology and fitness guide from their boyhood and can utilise it in the future. Thus we may expect quality education from them.
Very often, the teachers take rotational day-off unofficially. I met a government primary school teacher in the steamer while going to Chandpur from Dhaka. When I asked him where he was going, he replied, "I will go to my school tomorrow situated in a 'char' under the district of Chandpur and I attend this school 4 days a month." All the teachers should attend the school regularly and every working day they should also be present there for a particular time of period so that the students facing the difficulties can meet their teachers to solve the academic problems. The strong school committee and the school inspectors should monitor all such irregularities and give them exemplary punishment if found guilty.
Rural people of our country are neglected in many cases but those ignored people want their children in the top of our society. But the ways their kids in the government primary school are getting deprived of proper education how likely it is that in the course of time such literate persons can equally contribute with others to the development of our country. In fact, the government's assistance including allocation of more budgets for primary education and proper monitoring to distribute that fund should be ensured. Furthermore, the NGOs and other volunteer organisations should come forward to safeguard the government primary schools from being destroyed.
The writer, a graduate of IUB, is currently a banker and also a student of evening MBA, Dhaka University.
He may be contacted at
ppulok91@hotmail.com