THE government decision to continue Primary Education Completion (PEC) examination for Class V students and Junior School Certificate (JSC) examination for Class VIII students until schools’ infrastructure has been expanded to extend the primary education upto Class VIII has come as a big setback. Media reports on Tuesday said academics and guardians of students have seriously criticized the Cabinet decision on PEC exam after Class V, terming it illogical, unnecessary and disappointing. They blamed the hands of money-mongers’ coaching and tuition business behind the decision.
The Education Ministry has however mainly blamed lack of adequate infrastructure and trained teacher to teach students upto Class VIII as extended level of primary education. They said having no other alternative they have been compelled to keep the previous system at work taking both the PEC and JSC examinations. What many believe is that the government cannot skip the responsibility by blaming shortage of infrastructure after six years of the New Education Policy -2010 was made and waiting to put into effect. It appears that the government is trying to pass the burden of its failure on students using different pretexts. So long the PEC will continue students will have to take the extra pressure to pay additional charges for students’ coaching and tuition fees. Such tuition business centering the budging students is not acceptable.
The government on May 18 decided to elevate the primary education level up to Class VIII and then put it in abeyance again. The frequent change of mind by the policymakers is bound to create negative effect on the lower tier of our education. Such decision will only help the people offering coaching lessons to students and selling guidebooks at hefty profit. The new Education Policy makes no room for taking Class-V completion examination. The High Court has also asked the government to scrap PEC. The new decision of the government has surprised all.
It appears that the introduction of PEC exam made students dependent on coaching and private tuition increasing cost of education and also by replacing textbooks by guidebooks. The cost for coaching and private tuition per student was Tk 1,902 in 2008 and it increased to Tk 3,056 in 2014. This increase is clearly linked to PEC exam introduced in 2009. It also said that most PEC examinees went to take coaching class at schools and similar number rented private tutors at home. Almost all students had bought guidebooks. This book-load system for young learners is not supportive by any objective criteria. It may pose serious threat to the primary education and we believe such policy must end. When the government has decided that the primary education will end at Class Eight, it must take effect without delay.
