Lack of good governance, graft hindering education

Policymakers, academicians and civil society members Monday singled out absence of good governance in education, corruption in administration and politicisation of SMCs (school management committees) as the main impediments to ensuring quality of education in Bangladesh.
Besides, poor budgetary allocations coupled with lack of transparency in spending process are also seen responsible for the less-than-expected level of quality education.  
They also focused on 'subject-based knowledge' for teachers as well as strong foundational cognitive and behavioural skills from early childhood in accordance with the findings of a new World Bank (WB) report - "Seeding Fertile Ground: Education That Works for Bangladesh."
Campaign for Popular Organization (CAMPE) in cooperation with WB organised the national consultation at a city hotel, where the findings and recommendations of the report were discussed.
The Education Sector Review (ESR) report praised Bangladesh's success in improving access to education and completion in all levels, and said Bangladesh achieved gender equity in primary and secondary education well ahead of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals.
It said about 76 per cent of youth aged 15-19 completed primary education in 2010. Progress in education has paved the way for an increasing number of women to enter the labour market, bolstering the country's manufacturing sector.
Showing a Power Point presentation on the report findings, CAMPE vice-chairman Dr Manzoor Ahmed said despite attaining many achievements in various arenas of education, 5.0 million students are still out of school, and inequalities also exist due to demand and supply constraints.
He said 96 per cent of Bangladeshi workers have less than secondary education, and 67 per cent of them have less than primary education.
"Education and skills matter for success in the labour market, both formal and informal," he added.
Citing the report findings, Jesko Hentschel, director of Human Development South Asia Region, WB, said only a limited number of students remain competent in their respective grades.
An assessment of literacy and numeracy at grade-5 indicated that only 25 per cent of grade-5 students master Bangla competencies, and only 33 per cent master Mathematics.    
"Students with low levels of learning at lower grades are most at risk of being dropped out and are most likely to join the informal labour market," he said.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said his ministry has planned to introduce one examination-based education system instead of the existing two - one for scholarship and another for promotion of students to the upper class.
The minister said the education system must be changed, and ideal and dedicated teachers, who will give cent per cent effort in classrooms, not in coaching centres, will be required at the same time.
"We want to make classrooms more attractive and interesting to the students, as our main aim is to improve the quality of education."
The country needs to prepare her new generations with modern education to compete globally. "For this, one standard education policy, curriculum and education skill, as practiced in the developed countries, are very much required," he added.
State Minister for Finance M A Mannan said most of the SMCs are highly politicised, which is a big challenge.
"We need to address the issue," he said.
He also focused on decentralization of the country's overall education system to ensure fast and hassle-free education.   
The report also emphasized that skill development is incremental, cumulative and transformational. A good skill development policy recognizes that skills are not built at a certain time in an individual's life - skill development is an incremental and lifelong process, acquired through formal and non-formal education, from pre-primary through higher education, networks, jobs, and other means.