Education policy: Improvement envisaged
THE education minister has formally submitted the draft report of national education policy 2009 to the PM on 7 September. It is expected that implementation of the report will start from the next academic year.
The major recommendations of the report are: free, universal and compulsory primary education up to class VIII; inclusion of information technology and science in the curriculum; mandatory vocational education and scholarships to all students from class VI to class VIII on the basis of examination; uniform syllabus in secondary education (class X XII ); three -year degree course to be extended to four-year honors course; establishing technical institutions in every upazila; modernization of madrassa education through inclusion of information technology; and arrangement of text books and teachers for the indigenous children to enable them to learn in their own language.
After the liberation of Bangladesh we have seen seven commission and committee reports. All these reports contained some valuable suggestions for improving education system. Due to resource constraint and lack of political will only a few of these suggestions could be implemented.
The Kudrat-e-Khuda Commission Report (1974) recommended extension of universal schooling up to 8th grade in line with UNESCO requirement of 14 years universal school. It is indeed regrettable that even after elapse of 35 years (1974-2009) we have not been able to even implement partly the recommendations.
As there is no public examination on completion of primary education the accountability of primary school teachers for the quality of education imparted during the stage cannot be ensured. As such teaching standards in primary schools are immeasurably bad. The onus of developing a solid foundation is, therefore, sifted to secondary school teachers who often have to start from scratch. In regard to secondary education the present standard is much better than that of the primary stage. However, much scope remains for improvement in case of secondary education system as well.
The new government is committed to introduce a new education policy to modernize the education system. An 18-member committee under the chairmanship of national professor Kabir Chowdhury was set up to prepare a draft education policy in line with the Kudrat-e-Khuda commission report. The report is awaiting final approval.
Before the final approval of the draft pace of work should be quickened because already we have lost 35 valuable years in presenting education policy and it brooks no further delay. The whole nation is eagerly waiting for a good education policy from this government.
Our experience about implementation of recommendations of the past reports has not been happy. We expect that the government will make an all out effort to implement the final recommendations because the government is supposed to be pro-people and by improving the education system it will perform a great service to the nation to which it is pledge bound. However completion of implementation within its tenure is a tough job. Before starting the process of implementation capacity of our concerned personnel, availability of fund and strength of our educational infrastructure should be carefully assessed.
We have to determine time span for implementation. Needless to say that at initial stage implementation will be difficult and therefore progress may be slow. There is no scope for becoming too optimistic. We should be guided by the fact that a least developed country like Bangladesh has great limitation in undertaking and completing a huge development plan such as education policy. Mobilization of fund may also take time.
Education is the backbone of a nation. We wish to make our nation strong and prosperous. Days of depending on remittance of earnings of the unskilled may be over soon. We have to increase the number and upgrade the quality of our skilled personnel. This needs rapid improvement of our education system. We shall never attain digital Bangladesh without an appreciable improvement in our educational system. We must wish success of the government in its effort to introduce a good education policy.
The writer is a former joint secretary.
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