HasanToufiq Imam :Education is considered as a strategic issue for the countries all over the globe. Education policy, enrolment in education, budget allocation, equity, and quality in education are crucial indicators of a country anticipating economic boost.United Nations announced year 2005-2014 as the ‘Education Decade’. Under this circumstance, UNESCO brings and emphasizes the idea of quality education. ”Education For All’ (EFA), the world declaration back in 1990 has set its 2014 motto as “Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for all”. Bangladesh education system is providing over 30 million students, involving many stakeholders. Ithas better access and completion at all levels of education, especially at the primary level. As an aftermath of immenseextension of supply, targeted stipends to bring the poorest and girls into schools, and continued investments in education, Bangladesh has achieved almost universal access in primary education. Primary and secondary gross enrolment rates have accomplished 101 percent and 63 percent in 2010, increasing from 91 and 52 percent in 2000, respectively. The primary net enrolment rate is most recently reported as 93 percent. Govt. has launched different programs for quality in education. PEDP 3 for primary education, Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP), Teacher Quality Improvement (TQI) for secondary education, Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP), English In Action (EIA) for quality English language learning are some of them. Most notable and rare achievement in the world – the govt. is providing almost 110 million new fully colourful books to students every year.In spite of this inspiring success, Bangladeshis yet to achieve the quality in education nationally. Poor quality of teachers and lack of plan-priorities of the govt. are responsible mostly for this regrettable state in students’ quality learning. The indispensable components of quality in education are modern curriculum, adequate skilled-trained teachers, well infrastructure, appropriate teaching methodology, proper evaluation system, balanced teacher-student ratio, contact hours. The present picture is only a third of the primary graduates acquire the numeracy and literacy skills in Bangladesh;(Bangladesh Education Sector Review, 2013). Different studies argue that half of the primary graduates do not even write a simple sentence in English. Students, in the recent years, who get high grades in secondary and higher secondary level, cannot pass the admission testin public universities and those who get chance in the universities supposedly have less quality in contrast withthe students of ten or fifteen years back. Although teachers are one of the principal resources available to the education system, it appears that they are not being utilized in the most effective mode in Bangladesh.Teachers’ recruitment qualifications, salary range and social status are decisive indices to evaluate an education system. The current system does not attract, constitute, and retainthe best professionals, and once recruited. It provides little incentive to keep them motivated. Can we imagine minimum wage for a garment worker in Bangladesh is more than a primary teacher’s monthly salary? Low salaries are likely to damage self-esteem and can leadteachers to switch to other careers. The level of teacher salaries influenceseducation quality. In 39 countries, a 15% rise in pay increased student performance by 6% to 8% (Education For All, 2014). Government needs to get incentives right to attract and retain the best teachers. Teachers’ lack of their subject knowledge negatively influencesstudents’ learning.In Bangladesh, around 73 percent teachers of government primary schools and 70 percent teachers of registered non-government primary schools do not have subject-based training. Moreover, due to overall shortage of teachers, they have to teach more than one subject, even if theydonot have the necessary skill and training. In such circumstances, teachereducation programmes need to start by ensuringthat all trainees acquire a good understanding ofthe subjects they will be teaching. Teachers need not only sound subject knowledgebut also training in how to teach, particularly inthe early grades. However, teachers are seldomtrained in these skills. Teacher education should also prepareteachers for remote or under-resourced schools,where some teachers need to teach multiplegrades, ages and abilities in one classroom.Many teachers do not have much effective training, because the currentcurriculum and testing procedures encourage and reward rote learning.The most common teaching style inBangladesh is lecturing and reading textbooks. Govt.requires strengtheningnational assessment system. National assessmentshould be a diagnostic tool that can createwhether students achieve the learning standardsexpected by a particular age or grade, andhow this achievement changes over time forsubgroups of the population.Teachers also do not get much time on task – sometimes because of teacher training, meetings, and tardiness, but also because of the limited contact hours available during theacademic year. Contact hours in primary school are much lower than international norms because of many holidays, political unrest and the condition of double-shiftingschools are far behind in this regard.Budget, for education,should be allocatedwith utmost attention. A countryshould allocate at least 6% of GNP to education.It is widely accepted that countries shouldallocate at least 20% of their budget toeducation.In recent years, domesticspending on education has increasedparticularly in low and lowermiddle-income countries.However, in Bangladesh, only 12% of total 2013-2014 budget has been allocated for education. The distributions have allegedlynot properly monitored. It is reported that appropriate authorities sometimes are deprived of getting this limited budget. Besides, budget allocation need to be revised. Allocations in unproductive sectors have to be reduced. Donors, on the other hand, unfortunately, seem more likely to reduce their aid in coming years. A more recent decline in aid to basiceducation increases the difficulty to ensure quality basic education for all.Whilst aid to education rose steadily after 2002,it peaked in 2010 and is now falling: total aid toall levels of education declined by 7% between2010 and 2011.Unless urgentaction is taken to change aid patterns, the goalof ensuring that every child is in school andlearning by 2015 will be seriously endangered.Bangladesh has a enormous potential for economic development. But this potentiality can only be ensured with quality in education. Poor quality in education ends eventually with illiteracy. If we march to be a middle-income country, if we envision a Digital Bangladesh, it needs a sustainable development. Sustainable development and sustainable literacy walk hand to hand and only quality in education ensures the sustainable literacy. Strong national policies need to give a highpriority to improve quality in educationthat ascertains all children in schoolobtain the skills and knowledge.(Quality in Education and Bangladesh, HasanToufiq Imam, Teacher, Institute of Education, Research and Training, University of Chittaging, [email protected])
