India

The Daily Star
Metropolitan

Poor Have Little Access to Better Education

Speakers tell publication ceremony of HalkhataStaff CorrespondentPrincipal Secretary to the prime minister Kamaluddin Siddiqui yesterday expressed deep concern over the division in education system saying its consequences will be dangerous if the division between the rich and the poor is not minimised on an emergency basis.

Kamaluddin Siddiqui said the rich are sending their children abroad or educating them in the best educational institutions, whereas children of the poor are getting education at lower standard institutions.

"As a result children of the rich are getting better jobs depriving the poor and this deprivation will bring dangerous consequences," he cautioned while speaking as chief guest at a publication ceremony of Halkhata, an annual report on primary education by Sushikkha Andolon, a citizens' movement on quality education.

The principal secretary said irregularities in teachers' recruitment, low standard textbooks and lack of teachers' training have downgraded the standard of education.

He specially blamed the authors assigned by the National Textbooks Curriculum Board (NTCB) for making many mistakes in the textbooks.

"I had to blacklist a number of such teachers as they failed to play their due role in writing text books," he added.

The demand of the poor for quality education should be strongly articulated, Kamal said, adding that the Sushikkha Andolon is contributing to the process by creating awareness among the people at all levels.

Speaking as special guest Bangladesh Bank Governor Salehuddin Ahmed said education today has become coaching-centred and teachers-centred where the poor have little access to better education.

Mismatches between the need for education and curriculum of the textbooks are also a setback for better education, he said, adding, "Money is never a constraint for education sector, but what we need is goodwill and participation of all."

Considering quality education as the crucial challenge AKA Shamsuddin, secretary to primary and mass education ministry, said early childhood education, participation of citizens in primary education process, regular monitoring of school activities by thana and district level officials are must to meet the demand.

Activating the school management committees, building adequate infrastructures and reducing the teachers' involvement in non-educational activities are also important to fulfil the goal of quality education, he said.

Presenting the annual report on primary education Sushikkha Andolon member Khandaker Sakhawat Ali said allocation for primary education has increased, but it is not utilised properly.
He suggested community's participation and regular school visits by eminent personalities of the localities as a means to create awareness for quality education in the society.

Education expert Mamataz Jahan considered nutrition of poor children, completion of syllabus and complementary activities for primary education are some major conditions for developing quality education.

Presiding over the publication ceremony Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud said Bangladesh has achieved a number of successes in different sectors including reduction in birth and child mortality rate and increasing enrolment of girl children.

"This is a revolutionary change in comparison to African and some South Asian countries, but we need to sustain the achievements," he said.

Hua Du, country representative of Asian Development Bank (ADB), said a number of measures including building infrastructures, balancing teachers-students ratio and training of teachers have been undertaken to ensure quality primary education under the Second Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP II).

Modernisation of madrasa education can contribute a lot to the development of quality primary education in the country, said Hua Du of ADB, one of the donors in PEDP II.

Co-ordinator of Sushikkha Andolon Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Prof Amirul Islam of North South University, Prof Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury of Independent University and Muhammad Mohsin of Plan Bangladesh also spoke on the occasion.