Primary education: privatisation is not the answer
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Abu Saleh Imran
Some people have supported the move for involving a large non-government organisation (NGO) in monitoring developments relating to primary education school in the country. Some others oppose this. Before we look into the merits or demerits of involving an NGO in a key functional responsibility in the primary education sector, we would like to have answers to the following questions: Why is there no proper maintenance of primary schools? Why is there no maintenance of standard of teachers? Why are the teachers ill-paid? Why does an M.A degree holder get the salary of a third class employee? Why there is no office assistant in a primary school?
Why the teachers have to do all the work other than teaching? Why are not all the teachers master degree holder? Why are not the teachers not properly honoured and trained?
The solution to many of the existing problems in our primary education sector lies in appropriate answers to such questions.
We all know, education is the backbone of a nation. Then primary education is the backbone or the foundation of education.
Here the government itself neglects primary education. Because a headmaster, who is at least a graduate or masters degree holder, gets the status of a third class employee. The headmaster has to do all the things from time keeping to supervision and management.
There is no helping hand to bell the hour. No office assistant is there to maintain the papers. With the help of the assistant teachers, the headmaster has to do all the work other than class-room teaching.
Now there is deficiency within the system itself. Here help from a leading NGO is being considered by many as the starting point of privatisation of primary education. But it is not the way to improve primary education in its true sense. That is because, the main shortcoming is within the system.
Now something is to be done for the development of primary education to make the base of education strong for the real improvement of the country. No undergraduate teacher is to be employed whether male or female.
The salary of the teachers is to be upgraded to an honourable standard. Headmasters must be up to upgraded to the standard of Class II level.
Then meritorious and highly qualified persons will be interested to hold jobs in primary schools.
In India and some other SAARC countries, Ph. D. holders work in primary schools because they enjoy salary and facilities, according to their education and merit.
Teaching itself is a difficult job especially in primary schools. So more meritorious and highly qualified persons are to be appointed at this stage because the base of a student's future is formed at this level.
As the headmaster gets the salary and status of a third class employee, the assistants of the office of the Upazilla Education Officer (U.E.O) do not honour them as they get higher salary than the headmaster.
Moreover, in family planning campaign, E.P.I programme, election, birth registration activities, child health care activities and in the awareness raising programmes, the primary teachers have to play a very important role.
Most of our people live in rural areas and children of the villages come to the primary schools to take education.
Only 20 per cent of our children can get primary education at the private K.G and English medium schools. They have the options to do so as they are well-off and live in towns and cities.
In this context, the government-administered primary education must be updated. More teachers are to be appointed in proportion to the number of students, which should be 1:26 or 1:35.
More qualified teachers are to be appointed to ensure the standards of teaching. Maintenance, monitoring and supervision of the overall primary education must be done directly by the government.
If it is done, the quality of primary education will be improved. No help from any NGO is necessary in this respect.
This will be the investment of the government for the permanent development of the country. Unless and until it is done, no programme will be successful.
The writer is Asstt Professor, Department of English, Ahsanullah College,
Khulna
Some people have supported the move for involving a large non-government organisation (NGO) in monitoring developments relating to primary education school in the country. Some others oppose this. Before we look into the merits or demerits of involving an NGO in a key functional responsibility in the primary education sector, we would like to have answers to the following questions: Why is there no proper maintenance of primary schools? Why is there no maintenance of standard of teachers? Why are the teachers ill-paid? Why does an M.A degree holder get the salary of a third class employee? Why there is no office assistant in a primary school?
Why the teachers have to do all the work other than teaching? Why are not all the teachers master degree holder? Why are not the teachers not properly honoured and trained?
The solution to many of the existing problems in our primary education sector lies in appropriate answers to such questions.
We all know, education is the backbone of a nation. Then primary education is the backbone or the foundation of education.
Here the government itself neglects primary education. Because a headmaster, who is at least a graduate or masters degree holder, gets the status of a third class employee. The headmaster has to do all the things from time keeping to supervision and management.
There is no helping hand to bell the hour. No office assistant is there to maintain the papers. With the help of the assistant teachers, the headmaster has to do all the work other than class-room teaching.
Now there is deficiency within the system itself. Here help from a leading NGO is being considered by many as the starting point of privatisation of primary education. But it is not the way to improve primary education in its true sense. That is because, the main shortcoming is within the system.
Now something is to be done for the development of primary education to make the base of education strong for the real improvement of the country. No undergraduate teacher is to be employed whether male or female.
The salary of the teachers is to be upgraded to an honourable standard. Headmasters must be up to upgraded to the standard of Class II level.
Then meritorious and highly qualified persons will be interested to hold jobs in primary schools.
In India and some other SAARC countries, Ph. D. holders work in primary schools because they enjoy salary and facilities, according to their education and merit.
Teaching itself is a difficult job especially in primary schools. So more meritorious and highly qualified persons are to be appointed at this stage because the base of a student's future is formed at this level.
As the headmaster gets the salary and status of a third class employee, the assistants of the office of the Upazilla Education Officer (U.E.O) do not honour them as they get higher salary than the headmaster.
Moreover, in family planning campaign, E.P.I programme, election, birth registration activities, child health care activities and in the awareness raising programmes, the primary teachers have to play a very important role.
Most of our people live in rural areas and children of the villages come to the primary schools to take education.
Only 20 per cent of our children can get primary education at the private K.G and English medium schools. They have the options to do so as they are well-off and live in towns and cities.
In this context, the government-administered primary education must be updated. More teachers are to be appointed in proportion to the number of students, which should be 1:26 or 1:35.
More qualified teachers are to be appointed to ensure the standards of teaching. Maintenance, monitoring and supervision of the overall primary education must be done directly by the government.
If it is done, the quality of primary education will be improved. No help from any NGO is necessary in this respect.
This will be the investment of the government for the permanent development of the country. Unless and until it is done, no programme will be successful.
The writer is Asstt Professor, Department of English, Ahsanullah College,
Khulna