Infrastructural inadequacy obstacle to quality primary education

SET amidst the flood-prone City Corporation area of Chittagong, Nazir Bari Government Primary School, a 100- year old educational legacy is not among the proud institutions of historical significance for the reason that it is the victim of negligence. Situated on a small piece of non-government land, the two-storied school building having no place to play have 20`` by 30`` size 4 classrooms for the total students of around 530 and only 6 teachers where most of the students are aged 5-11. Without having a sanitary worker and Member of Lower Subordinate Service (MLSS), the school looks pale from outside and also from inside for not being organised with necessary equipments and library. Even though the MA passed teachers - with a salary basic of 61 dollar per month - have to face a great pecuniary problem to exist in the society of high living cost, they work relentlessly ensuring the better education for the growing up pre-adolescent pupils for their promising future. The school has not been alone suffering from such inadequate infrastructural support for long. There are many more. Education is the systematic process of learning. Following this process by using modern tools of teaching in an efficient manner, a nation can build its backbone for making it socially and economically strengthened one. It is only possible if our flower-like young minds get help in generating their potential power and ability. Regretfully, in Bangladesh primary education is in deep water because of the acute infrastructural inadequacy which is a big bar to quality and standard education. Citizens and educationists from every nook and corner of the country show their deep concern about the dismal learning environment of primary schools. In Bangladesh, there are around 82,000 primary schools, including 37,675 government primary schools. Against the approximate 2 crore primary students, the number of teachers are around 3 lac making the students-teacher ratio around 67:1, though the ratio fluctuates as per the type of schools. Alongside such indecent students - teacher ratio, conditions of government run-primary schools are very poor. Most of the Bangladeshi primary schools endure unhygienic environment due to lack of peons, cleaners, maids, and MLSS. As most of the government primary schools are short of essential workers to keep the school clean and safe, the middle class people don't find them disinfected and suitable place for their kids' learning homes. To say more, students can't move freely in their allocated classrooms because of the benches where students sit pressing down together. Moreover, the scarcity of safe drinking water, and electricity put the health condition of the many at risk. Furthermore, government doesn't even care to provide doctor facilities and recreational equipments for the school children. Besides, government irregularly allocates small budgets for their registered schools which are too poor to complete even the renovation work. When things go dysfunctional, it becomes difficult to find immediate solution. So if infrastructural facilities like toilets, telephones, computers, electricity, ceiling fans, classroom doors and windows do not function properly, there is nothing to do but wait for long awaited funds. In an infrastructural framework, teachers are the most important element in primary schools since they deal with the basement of students. They know that strong foundation of students will be helpful in higher studies. So we need the most talented people to this noble profession to work in the ground level of students. Repentantly, the basic of our government primary school teachers is only 4700 taka. They are not only underpaid, they face cruel attitude from upazlia education oficers. Moreover, they are forced to implement various government programmes without getting overtime remunerations. With such bad economic support, behaviour and pressure of excessive work, how can we expect quality teacher and teaching in primary level? From November 23, 2011 primary and ebtedayee terminal examinations will take place. About 2.6 million students - with an increased 149,347 than last year's - will sit for the examinations throughout the country's 6168 centres. As education boards are not responsible for this exam, school teachers have to take all pains to complete all managerial works. The mounting pressure of primary terminal examination gravely affects the final preparations and terminal examinations of class One, Two, Three and Four. So from this point it is understood that alongside the infrastructural inadequacy, the proper monitoring system of pimary stage is at real dismay. Thus, the reluctant attitude towards primary schools should be avoided urgently. To overcome the situation, it is imperative that students and teachers are provided with all necessary infrastructural facilities that promote effective learning and teaching atmosphere. We should all remember that the destiny of a country depends on the destiny of our young minds. And the destiny of them will only be ensured if we provide them with proper nurture, care and room to come to the manifestation of fully blooming conditions just like flowers do. The writer can be reached at jamdani85@yahoo.com