Masum Billah:
The third wave of Corona lurks in the air seriously threatening the future of education. Till June 12 we have been disconnected from institutional education for 452 days which has further been extended till June 30 meaning the closure of educational institutions for 470 days. It is heard that the ministry of education strives to find out alternative ways to continue educational activities. Still such reasonable ways have not been identified. In 2020 PECE, JSC and HSC examinations did not take place. In 2021 and 2022 SSC and HSC exams are uncertain. Short syllabus has been provided to the students and education boards have taken preparations to conduct exams accordingly. The ministry is still planning to conduct classes for 60 days for SSC examinees and 84days for HSC examinees if Corona situation improves and comes down to 5 percent infection. The news of auto promotion also flies in the sky although the chairman of Dhaka Education Board has said it is not possible for the SSC and HSC examines of this year as they did not have any institutional classes like those of the previous year. A committee was formed to conduct online examinations but most students and teachers expressed their opinion against it.
It is sometimes heard that the ministry of education is working to bring the students back to reading table and classroom. It is also learnt as an alternative way of running educational works they have sent letter to the ministry of Information to open ‘Education Television Channel’ with the hope of covering 30 to 40 percent students and minimum ten to twelve percent students will get direct from this step. I want to add whether four or five existing private TV channels can be used for this purpose till Education Channel comes into air or even they can be given this responsibility permanently. We have more than two dozens of private channels which can work a lot for education. Just a well coordination and guidance is necessary. Example, ‘A’ channel can be given the responsibilities to conduct Bengali and English classes from 6pm to 8 pm for class nine ten on Friday and Saturday. In this way other subjects can be allocated and things must be well circulated through different platforms so that students know well which channels will air which classes and which days of the week. When education channel will be established, it can then be given a more professional shape.
Around million students have, meanwhile, come to face multiple problems such as apathy towards learning, inability at participating in classroom activities, an increased dropout rate, early marriage, child labour, trauma, obesity and various other physical and psychological issues in addition to lost learning. All this together may well leave an adverse impact on the learning of such a huge number of students and may very well impact their well-being. Achol Foundation which works for youths says that since 8 March 2020 to 28 February 2021, 14 thousand 436 male and female have committed suicide in our country. The foundation claims that the tendency to commit suicide has spiked 45 percent during this pandemic. It further says that 57 percent female and 43 percent males are prone to committing suicide. And from media it is learnt that in the 15months closure of educational institutions 151 students have committed suicide. Among them 73 school going students, 42 medical college students, 27college going students and 29 madrasa students. Most of their age ranges between twelve and twenty.
Different initiatives have been taken to redress the loss of education and online activities, and TV classes can be mentioned as one of them. However, a great number of students have been out of this process as 70 to 80 percent students of public universities come from rural background who don’t have internet or electronics devices. The weak internet connection is another impediment. Moreover, public university teachers are not so expert in using modern electronic devices.
The government doesn’t want to create disparity in terms of disseminating education. But disparity has already appeared in this sector. The urban children of well-to-do families are not sitting idle now. They have kept themselves busy with learning by private tuition, online classes, by the help of the guardians at home and TV classes as well as radio. The rural, particularly the remotest rural students are being deprived of these things. We think the state decision has further frustrated them.
It is the imperative of the time to identify poor students who have little chance to return to schools and distribute special funds among them so that they can buy digital devices. Authorities concerned must ensure proper implementation of funds through forming committees, may be in the upazila or union wise or institution wise. It is also equally important to take a long-term plan to address the damages the pandemic has inflicted on the education sector. Looking at ground reality, school closure does not mean children are quarantined all the time. Some might meet their friends at the friends’ houses or at the playground, without wearing masks. They even visit their neigbours’ homes, markets and social gatherings. When these are the realities, does it not sound good to bring them back to school and teach them how to behave with their classmates during this pandemic and develop the habit of dealing with the pandemic more pragmatically?
(Masum Billah is Chief of Party, Out of School Chidlren Edcuation Program,
BRAC Education.
Email: [email protected]).
