Commit to equity, quality in education

Political parties must place education at the centre of their manifestos and pledge to address deep-rooted problems -- from poor learning outcomes to widening inequality in the sector, say educationists.

They also stress the need for research-based policies and stronger governance to restore public confidence in the education system.

Manzoor Ahmed, professor emeritus at BRAC University, said Bangladesh’s education system reflects one of the gravest failures of political leadership since independence.

“Despite decades of promises, we still do not have a comprehensive education sector plan… While around 80 percent of children complete primary education, more than half of them fail to acquire basic literacy and numeracy,” he told The Daily Star.

Successive governments have relied on fragmented sub-sector projects instead of pursuing a unified vision, thereby widening inequality across different streams of education and leading to weak learning outcomes, said Prof Manzoor, who led a ministry-formed consultation committee on improving the quality of primary and non-formal education. 

He described the country’s secondary education system as a “mechanical factory model” of schooling, where short class periods and rigid routines leave little room for meaningful learning.

“This pushes students towards guidebooks and rote learning instead of understanding the content,” said Manzoor, also a member of a government committee formed to recommend measures to improve the quality of secondary education.

Regarding the incidents of teacher harassment at educational institutions, he said these are signs of institutional failure and inaction by the authorities.

“We have not seen effective measures from those responsible. In many cases, leadership either shares similar views or remains indifferent due to political loyalty.

“The education sector has become deeply polarised. Teachers often carry their personal political ideologies into their profession.” 

Asked whether he expects the next government to address these issues, he said, “Our past history does not give us much hope… We are yet to see any indication that future governments will avoid ideological bias and prioritise students’ interests over party politics.” 

Noted educationist Rasheda K Choudhury said expectations from the next government are high because education has been deprived of its due priority for a long time.

“During the interim government’s tenure of over one and a half years, the education sector has not received the attention it deserves. Quite simply, it has been deprioritised,” said Rasheda, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE).

She further said that reducing inequality must be the foremost expectation from the next elected government. 

Referring to the July uprising, she said young people had sacrificed their lives to end discrimination, yet disparities in education continue to widen among disadvantaged and left-out groups, including extremely poor families, geographically disadvantaged communities, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

“Those with resources can send their children to better institutions, while others are falling further behind.” 

Rasheda noted that reforms in the sector must focus on accessibility, affordability, quality and equity. “If you give poor-quality education to everyone, it achieves nothing… Education must be of acceptable quality. Ensuring equity will be the biggest challenge.”

Referring to disorder on campuses, she said, “A new hope emerged after the mass uprising, but we are now witnessing chaos… Indiscipline is growing among both teachers and students.”

Demands for auto-promotion and the humiliation of teachers reflect a complete breakdown of discipline, posing a serious threat to the foundations of the education system, Rasheda said.

“This must be addressed. We hope the next elected government will handle such situations with greater firmness.”

Calling for higher allocations for the education sector, she said, “If we do not invest in developing human capacity, no development will be sustainable.”

In various programmes recently, academics voiced concerns over frequent and inconsistent changes to the national curriculum, and said that reform initiatives should be based on solid research. 

“One day we decide to adopt a model from Sweden, the next day from Belgium. This kind of haphazard experimentation must stop,” Bulbul Siddiqui, a professor at North South University, said at a programme in the capital last week. 

He said such inconsistency has eroded public confidence in the national curriculum, driving many parents to enroll their children in English-medium schools. 

Hoping that the next government would abandon impulsive curriculum experimentation, Bulbul noted that reforms should start with strengthening primary education and then move up to higher levels.

Earlier, at a programme titled “Expectation of the July Mass Uprising, Reforms and Election Manifestos,” Mohammad Jasim Uddin, a professor at Dhaka University, said, “There are so many universities across the country. A large number of institutions now offer honours programmes in areas where there is no genuine demand for them.”

“When a recruitment circular is issued for a menial job, candidates with MA, MCom and MSc degrees apply. This is not the education system we want.” 

Political parties must clearly outline in their manifestos how they plan to align education with employment. “The goal should be to ensure that no student remains unemployed after graduation,” he added.