English medium schools do not follow rules

They alleged English medium schools do not follow any regulations and charge exorbitant fees without providing necessary facilities including playground to the students.

The speakers were participating in a roundtable titled "Physical and environmental requirements of quality education" organised by Dhanmondi Paribesh Unnayon Jote at BETS Centre in the city.

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Cross section of people including teachers, guardians, students, architect, lawyers, NGO activists and inhabitants of Dhanmondi participated in the roundtable.

Speakers touched on various problems facing the education, particularly the private education sector.

They said commercialisation of education had shown reckless disregarded for architectural standard of educational institutions.

This had extremely negative consequences for physical safety, emotional health and mental development of children, they added.

Architect Mubashwar Hussain of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB), Dr Md Masum of Jahangirnagar University, Dr Manzur Ahmed of BRAC University, Sultana Alam of DPUJ and Mustafizur Rahman of Lalmatia Cooperative Housing Society took part in the discussion moderated by noted educationist Prof Muzzaffar Ahmed.

Sultana Alam said entrepreneurs are setting up schools and universities at private houses and even at apartments instead of investing on land for open and bigger campuses.

As a result, children are forced to spend a large part of their working hours in cramped classrooms causing noise and air pollution, she added.

Sultana said 148 homes are being used as campus in Dhanmondi where a large number of clinics and shops have also been established.

Prof Muzzaffar Ahmed said none of the private English medium schools at Dhanmondi qualifies to be a "school" as par its definition.

He alleged that the government has failed to bring English medium schools under any regulation which is crucial for quality education.

Mubashwar Hussain said the government has prepared a master plan but we do not see its implementation.

He underscored the need for implementation of zonal plan.

Mustafizur Rahman called upon all to follow the examples set by Lalmatia Cooperative Housing Society through community participation to improve law and order.