Masum Billah :
Education at the primary level has become exam-centric instead of learning, and dependent on guidebooks and coaching centres, increasing the cost of education, says a study.
After the Primary Education Completion Examination (PECE) was introduced, education in primary schools became exam-centric, specially in grade V, depriving young children of the joy of learning and to be creative.
It said, guidebooks have become principal instruments for most students, school teachers and private tutors, as these are readymade and can be memorised without the trouble of going through textbooks. A good number of students and teachers have more than one guidebook for each subject.
The findings said students and their families did not rely only on classroom teachings or even school-based coaching. Private tutoring has spread to all types of primary educational institutions and socio-economic groups, both in urban and rural areas.
The findings are in the report, “Education Watch 2014: Where Grade V Examination?”. The study was conducted by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and the report was unveiled at the LGED Bhaban in the city yesterday (Wednesday). The CAMPE conducted the research in 578 educational institutions under 150 upazlias/ thanas/ municipalities.
The report said some examinees, supported directly or indirectly by teachers and examination organisers, were intent on scoring high marks at any cost. They tend to adopt malpractices and unethical behaviour as not enough preventive and punitive measures are taken against such practices.
The findings said that in the exam hall, 60-65 per cent examinees write on their own without help from others, and support is available to those who need it. Invigilators carried mobile phones to exam halls and received answers through mobile SMS from outside. They supply the answers orally or by writing on blackboards and create an opportunity for copying and to see other’s answer scripts.
A chaotic situation prevails during the final 40 minutes to one hour exam time, when many examinees scramble to check and copy answers from each other.
It said private expenditure for primary education has increased immensely over time and a major portion of it went for private tutoring, school-based coaching and buying guidebooks, suggestions and hand notes, raising questions about the quality of classroom teaching, free primary education and the subsidy policy in primary education.
In its recommendation, the report emphasises quality classroom teaching and formative assessment, stopping malpractices in schools and in exam halls, support and respect to teachers and their empowerment.
Among others, primary and mass education minister, Mostafizur Rahman, secretary of primary and mass education, Mesbah Ul Alam, chairman of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, and executive director of CAMPE, Rasheda K Chowdhury, spoke on the occasion.
Teachers and guardians at the programme expressed anxiety, as both students and parents undergo tremendous physical and mental pressure because of the heavy burden of exams at the primary level.
Rasheda K Chowdhury said: “Time has come to ponder over whether we are spoiling adolescence by arranging various exams, including the primary education completion exam.”
Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said: “Students at the primary level are appearing for exams after exams, but it is not creating their base for learning. We don’t need the PEC exams, as it is raising questions about question paper leaks and unhealthy competition.”
“There are not many public exams in South Asia. Even in the USA, there is one exam in the 12th class and other exams are held locally.
We need quality education that would open the hidden potentialities of children,” he added.
He said the coaching centres have opened business in the name of giving tuition, triggering much expenses at the primary level and it should be stopped.
Mesbah Ul Alam said more research work is needed on whether the primary completion exams are at all necessary, as children are undergoing tremendous pressure due to overload of books.
Fazle Sir Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of Brac, has suggested that the government should leave pre-primary education affairs to NGOs.
He made the proposition in light of the report styled “State of Pre-primary Education in Bangladesh” which said pre-primary section in the government primary schools lack facilities and a good number of students are still out of pre-primary education. The report was unveiled yesterday by Campaign for Popular Education, which releases reports every year under the title “Education Watch Report”.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Sir Abed said the government can leave pre-primary education to NGO-operated schools and “those who are ready to work” as a considerable number of children are still being deprived of pre-primary education.
Funding education for these children is a big issue for the government, he said.
Describing government schools, Abed said some 60 to 70 students attend classes in a single classroom in those institutions, which contradicts the philosophy of pre-primary education. He said pre-primary learners require support and should be taught with fun.
Abed said pre-primary education is important for early development and it helps reduce drop-out rates in the primary education sector.
The report said nearly 15% and 41.3% of the government and non-government primary schools (with MPO status) respectively had no separate classroom for pre-primary students. These schools offered pre-primary education along with grade I students in the same classroom and often at the same time.
This was not the case in kindergartens, NGO-operated as well as mosque-based schools, the report said, adding that 1.5 million students aged five are still out of school.
The report described kindergartens as the top pre-primary education providers with a 27.9 % enrolment rate.
According to the report, in 10.8% of the cases, pre-primary classes are held in school verandas, head teachers’ offices, roofs of school buildings or open spaces.
Nearly three-quarters of the classrooms in the government schools are not tidy, the report said.
Speaking at the programme, Kazi Rafiqul Alam, president of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, supported Abed’s proposition, saying the government should take initiatives so that NGOs, under the leadership of the government, can work in pre-primary section.
In 2008 when the army-backed caretaker government was in power, a government move to give Brac the task to supervise and improve quality of education in all primary schools in 20 upazilas was halted in the wake of a countrywide protest staged by primary teachers.
Campaign for Popular Education Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury was an adviser to the then government.
Commenting on Abed’s suggestion, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman said: “The ministry will have a discussion on the idea”.
The government will take ideas from everyone but it will take the ultimate decision on its own and the ministry will move forward with the plan, he added.
Brac is a major stakeholder in the primary and pre-primary education in Bangladesh. It has 22,618 primary schools where 670,815 students study and the number of teachers is 22,699.
Primary and Mass Education Minister Advocate Mostafizur Rahman today sought cooperation of all people of society including teachers, guardians and school managing committees for the development of the standard of education.
He said this while addressing as the chief guest at a presentation ceremony of a report titled “An Assessment of Primary Education Completion Examination in Bangladesh” at LGED auditorium at Agargaon in the city, reports BSS.
Gonosakkharata Avijan, UKAID and Education Watch organised the function with Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in the chair.
Primary and Mass Education Secretary MesbahulAlam addressed the function as the special guest while Gonosakkharata Avijan executive director Rasheda K Chowdhury gave the welcome address.
Mostafizur Rahman said the ministry has introduced digital question banks for the recruitment tests of primary school teachers to stop irregularities and corruption. “At initial stage, the process has been successfully applied in five districts to hold the recruitment tests. The process to take tests in another 17-disctrict on August 28 is underway,” he added.
He hoped that the process would ensure recruitment of efficient, competent and standard teachers. “Primary education is the basement of education. So, teachers should absorb themselves with more transparency and accountability to give lessons at the classrooms,” he urged the teachers.
He also called for conducting more research for development of the standard of education.
Education at the primary level has become exam-centric instead of learning, and dependent on guidebooks and coaching centres, increasing the cost of education, says a study.
After the Primary Education Completion Examination (PECE) was introduced, education in primary schools became exam-centric, specially in grade V, depriving young children of the joy of learning and to be creative.
It said, guidebooks have become principal instruments for most students, school teachers and private tutors, as these are readymade and can be memorised without the trouble of going through textbooks. A good number of students and teachers have more than one guidebook for each subject.
The findings said students and their families did not rely only on classroom teachings or even school-based coaching. Private tutoring has spread to all types of primary educational institutions and socio-economic groups, both in urban and rural areas.
The findings are in the report, “Education Watch 2014: Where Grade V Examination?”. The study was conducted by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and the report was unveiled at the LGED Bhaban in the city yesterday (Wednesday). The CAMPE conducted the research in 578 educational institutions under 150 upazlias/ thanas/ municipalities.
The report said some examinees, supported directly or indirectly by teachers and examination organisers, were intent on scoring high marks at any cost. They tend to adopt malpractices and unethical behaviour as not enough preventive and punitive measures are taken against such practices.
The findings said that in the exam hall, 60-65 per cent examinees write on their own without help from others, and support is available to those who need it. Invigilators carried mobile phones to exam halls and received answers through mobile SMS from outside. They supply the answers orally or by writing on blackboards and create an opportunity for copying and to see other’s answer scripts.
A chaotic situation prevails during the final 40 minutes to one hour exam time, when many examinees scramble to check and copy answers from each other.
It said private expenditure for primary education has increased immensely over time and a major portion of it went for private tutoring, school-based coaching and buying guidebooks, suggestions and hand notes, raising questions about the quality of classroom teaching, free primary education and the subsidy policy in primary education.
In its recommendation, the report emphasises quality classroom teaching and formative assessment, stopping malpractices in schools and in exam halls, support and respect to teachers and their empowerment.
Among others, primary and mass education minister, Mostafizur Rahman, secretary of primary and mass education, Mesbah Ul Alam, chairman of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, and executive director of CAMPE, Rasheda K Chowdhury, spoke on the occasion.
Teachers and guardians at the programme expressed anxiety, as both students and parents undergo tremendous physical and mental pressure because of the heavy burden of exams at the primary level.
Rasheda K Chowdhury said: “Time has come to ponder over whether we are spoiling adolescence by arranging various exams, including the primary education completion exam.”
Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said: “Students at the primary level are appearing for exams after exams, but it is not creating their base for learning. We don’t need the PEC exams, as it is raising questions about question paper leaks and unhealthy competition.”
“There are not many public exams in South Asia. Even in the USA, there is one exam in the 12th class and other exams are held locally.
We need quality education that would open the hidden potentialities of children,” he added.
He said the coaching centres have opened business in the name of giving tuition, triggering much expenses at the primary level and it should be stopped.
Mesbah Ul Alam said more research work is needed on whether the primary completion exams are at all necessary, as children are undergoing tremendous pressure due to overload of books.
Fazle Sir Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of Brac, has suggested that the government should leave pre-primary education affairs to NGOs.
He made the proposition in light of the report styled “State of Pre-primary Education in Bangladesh” which said pre-primary section in the government primary schools lack facilities and a good number of students are still out of pre-primary education. The report was unveiled yesterday by Campaign for Popular Education, which releases reports every year under the title “Education Watch Report”.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Sir Abed said the government can leave pre-primary education to NGO-operated schools and “those who are ready to work” as a considerable number of children are still being deprived of pre-primary education.
Funding education for these children is a big issue for the government, he said.
Describing government schools, Abed said some 60 to 70 students attend classes in a single classroom in those institutions, which contradicts the philosophy of pre-primary education. He said pre-primary learners require support and should be taught with fun.
Abed said pre-primary education is important for early development and it helps reduce drop-out rates in the primary education sector.
The report said nearly 15% and 41.3% of the government and non-government primary schools (with MPO status) respectively had no separate classroom for pre-primary students. These schools offered pre-primary education along with grade I students in the same classroom and often at the same time.
This was not the case in kindergartens, NGO-operated as well as mosque-based schools, the report said, adding that 1.5 million students aged five are still out of school.
The report described kindergartens as the top pre-primary education providers with a 27.9 % enrolment rate.
According to the report, in 10.8% of the cases, pre-primary classes are held in school verandas, head teachers’ offices, roofs of school buildings or open spaces.
Nearly three-quarters of the classrooms in the government schools are not tidy, the report said.
Speaking at the programme, Kazi Rafiqul Alam, president of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, supported Abed’s proposition, saying the government should take initiatives so that NGOs, under the leadership of the government, can work in pre-primary section.
In 2008 when the army-backed caretaker government was in power, a government move to give Brac the task to supervise and improve quality of education in all primary schools in 20 upazilas was halted in the wake of a countrywide protest staged by primary teachers.
Campaign for Popular Education Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury was an adviser to the then government.
Commenting on Abed’s suggestion, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman said: “The ministry will have a discussion on the idea”.
The government will take ideas from everyone but it will take the ultimate decision on its own and the ministry will move forward with the plan, he added.
Brac is a major stakeholder in the primary and pre-primary education in Bangladesh. It has 22,618 primary schools where 670,815 students study and the number of teachers is 22,699.
Primary and Mass Education Minister Advocate Mostafizur Rahman today sought cooperation of all people of society including teachers, guardians and school managing committees for the development of the standard of education.
He said this while addressing as the chief guest at a presentation ceremony of a report titled “An Assessment of Primary Education Completion Examination in Bangladesh” at LGED auditorium at Agargaon in the city, reports BSS.
Gonosakkharata Avijan, UKAID and Education Watch organised the function with Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in the chair.
Primary and Mass Education Secretary MesbahulAlam addressed the function as the special guest while Gonosakkharata Avijan executive director Rasheda K Chowdhury gave the welcome address.
Mostafizur Rahman said the ministry has introduced digital question banks for the recruitment tests of primary school teachers to stop irregularities and corruption. “At initial stage, the process has been successfully applied in five districts to hold the recruitment tests. The process to take tests in another 17-disctrict on August 28 is underway,” he added.
He hoped that the process would ensure recruitment of efficient, competent and standard teachers. “Primary education is the basement of education. So, teachers should absorb themselves with more transparency and accountability to give lessons at the classrooms,” he urged the teachers.
He also called for conducting more research for development of the standard of education.
(Masum Billah works as an Education Specialist in BRAC Education Program, Email: masumbillah65 @gmail.com)
