Quest for Quality Primary Education in Bangladesh
Mohammad Shahidullah
AUEO, Moheshkhali,
Coxsbazar.
1.Primary Education Scenario of Derai
Upazila (Sunamgonj): Derai Upazila is
situated at Sunamgomj district of Sylhet Division. It is an area of Haor, which
undergoes water for about 10 months in each year. Since the mid-March to
October, the Upazila remains in such conditions. The remaining 2 months is the
dry season of the area. There is no
vehicle except Shallow Engine Boat to move around Primary Schools throughout
the Upazila. As the whole area is almost Haor-Centered, people live on the banks
of the Haor and the schools also have been built up on the banks. Most of the
people of the Upazila are poor fishermen and they live on fishing and
agriculture. During dry season, there is no alternative, but walking. One has
to movefrom one place to another on foot at that time almost everywhere at the
Upazila. Aristocrats and rich men of the upazila stay in London ,
Dhaka, Sylhet City
and Chittagong
2.Primary Education Scenario of Rangunia Upazila (Chittagong
3.Rajasthali Upazila (Rangamati) Primary Education Scenario: Rajasthali is in the hill district Rangamati nearby
Kaptai Upazila. At that upazila, I had spent for long five and a half years. I
had joined there as an AUEO on 05/08/20107 last and had worked till 12/02/2013.
On 03/06/2008, I took the charge of UEO and continued to the last date on
12/02/2013. I tried my best to prove me
as a competent and good officer, working hard for implementing primary
education programmers of the Bangladesh
4.Chakaria Upazila (C0xsbazar) Primary Education Scenario: Chakaria is a large Upazila of Coxsbazar district.
The Primary Education activities of that Upazila is also vast. There are 130
primary schools and about 1000 thousand teachers have been working there. I worked at that upazila for a short period
of time. There is enough number of teachers almost at every school of Chakaria
5.Moheshkhali Upazila
Primary Education Scenario: There are about 72 government led
Primary schools and about 470 teachers have been working here at this upazila,
now. The number of students has been studying is about 55,000 thousands.The
primary education activities encircling the students, ages from 5 to 14 years
are quite a mammoth task. We, who are involved with the implementation process
of government agenda; `Education for All’ and ensuring quality education for
every student, all concerned have been working hard to achieve the targeted
millennium development goals. The government has been running a special program;
that is mid-day meals/school-feeding, giving biscuits for each and every
student at this upazila. 90% of the students studying here at the primary schools
use to get stipends. There are lots of problems here at Moheshkhali, in
implementing primary level education programs properly. They are like; infrastructural,
class-rooms, furniture, teachers, lack of mass awareness and guardians etc. I
had worked here at Moheshkhali Upazila as an Upazila Education Officer
(In-charge) till 28th September, 2014 from last 10th November,2013.
I have been working as an Assistant Upazila Education Officer of Primary
Education level now. During my period, I discussed about the above problems
with the local honorable MP, Upazila Chairman, UNO and other leaders and elites
of the Upazila. They every one knows the problems of Primary Education sector
and they are sincere enough to solve them.
My thinking and Observations on
Primary Education: What to do for Quality Primary Education:
1.
Teachers teaching qualities are not out
of question: Teachers, working at the Government Primary schools avail a
handsome salary, particularly after new National Pay Scale/2015. At least, none
could deny that being at home, teachers have not been being paid so poor
facilities. But from the very beginning of their job as teachers, they use to
talk and express dissatisfaction about their salaries and other allowances. They
often feel that they have been being deprived off according to their
qualifications and what they deserved. It’s quite true that they have come to
this profession, knowing all the conditions and facilities they would be
provided. They also in lack of to be competent and professional enough. They
are not studious and not well-versed on Primary education curriculum,
Competency based curriculum, Textbooks, Topics and subject matters,
teaching-learning techniques, Using and making materials, Classroom management,
not skilled in conducting classes, Maintaining class routines, Time Management,
Government Service Rules and Regulations and so on. They use to make them maintaining
some formalities in day-to-days school works. They come and go to schools, but
give the schools and students very little. Very few students have been being
able to be competent enough after completing the six years of primary education
circle all over Bangladesh
2. People aren’t fully aware of Education:
Guardians and general people are yet to be fully education-oriented. They don’t
bother well about their children’s regular school going and learning their
lessons as well as making their children’s reading-learning-friendly atmosphere
at homes. Where as it is a must for their children’s being good and development
human beings, they are not being still supportive to them. This is a
frustrating scenario in our country, where the whole world is going keep their
foot steps into the age of high-tech.
3. Capacity of NCTB, NAPE,
PTI and URC should be strengthened and autonomous: These are the National and
field level Institutions engaged in making Officers and Teachers professionally
competent and committed at Primary Education sector. These institutions should
be made more strong, resourceful and capable of conducting training and other
professional developmental needs of the related staffs and officers. They
should be upgraded and autonomous to that level of BPATC, BIAM, BARD and so on.
If needed experts from both home and abroad could be invited to be as guest
speakers of Trainers to these institutions.
4.
Academic trend should be prevailed at all levels of Authorities: From Higher
Officers to local level Officers who have been serving here at Ministry and
Directorate should be academic minded. We have been working for the children
development and their educational development. To work for children is
interesting and valuable for the nation. Here all the Officers should be
children-friendly and should be helpful for them. In fact, leading and
managerial duties are as usual, but working for child development and their
education is different from others. So every level of authorities should be
more serious on children’s educational development than other pieces of regular
office works.
5.
Teachers` Show downing of Politico-socio power and their lobbying: Some
teachers, working at primary schools are so much skillful of showing down of
local political and social power on their authorities that they don’t bother of
government service rules and regulations as well as departmental orders and
directions. They often remain busy with lobbying for their fellow clicks and
own interest. There might be some bad officers, but not all officers are so.
Teachers above kinds, always try to make each and every officer as bad
elements. These types of officers and teachers should be rounded up sternly.
All the officers and teachers should be processionals, clean, transparent and
free of all kinds of corruptions. Upazila Education Offices and Upazila
Accounts Offices should be transparent and smooth.
6.
Lack of equal development of schools throughout the country: All the
governments, both present and previous have been taking gigantic programs for
the over all development primary education as well as implementing them giving
due priority on the sector. By all respect these activities should go on
equally throughout the country. In fact, this has not been done. Somewhere
development works of school buildings, providing required number of furniture,
recruiting teachers, ensuring sanitary facilities have been done enough,
somewhere they are excess and somewhere they are quite poor. The concern
authorities should scrutinize and made priority list of developmental works and
inequality of that must be minimized.
7.
Speed-up the role MOPME and Higher Authorities: There are lots of problems
among the serving officers under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and
its attached departments and offices. Particularly, from Deputy Directors to
field level officers AUEO/Head teachers have not been being promoted, posted
and placed according to they deserved. These processes should be made easier
and smooth enough. For the greater interest of the nation and the country.
Keeping such dissatisfaction among a large number of officers, expected
progress in primary education sector might be a far cry.
8.
Lack of well coordination among CAG Office, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of
Primary and Mass Education: These three concerning Offices should be more
cooperative, coordinated and speedy. As they are quite inter-depended, they
have to interact smoothly. Sometimes, the slow process of the tripartite
actions make serious sufferings for the officers and teachers, serving under
them. We may mention here about the anomalies created paying head teachers`
salaries and other facilities according they are deserved. This type of
problems bring dissatisfactions among teachers and hamper the over all
implementation process of compulsory primary education activities of the
country.
Conclusion:
I have suggested some aspects here in this article; those have been creating bars
in implementing over all development of quality primary education in the light
of my own thinking. The facts and findings described are exclusively on working
experiences of a field level officer. I
have read lots articles on primary education; those are based on texts and
imaginative. So, I have tried with utmost sincerity to sketch a true picture of
primary education activities running throughout the country. I think the
statements would help the concern authorities in making new policies and
implementing them.
