Md Bayazid Khan :
Aiming to develop values and attitude alongside strengthening knowledge and skills among learners, competency-based curriculum was introduced to primary education in 1992. The philosophy behind introducing of competency-based curriculum was to focus on developing learners’ moral and ethical values along with attaining knowledge and skills rather than focusing on learners’ knowledge based memorized learning from subject contents.
Young generations of the country are mostly rushing nowadays of earning money and becoming rich within very short time applying unethical or shortcut ways. They don’t have any respect to their forefathers’ profession such as agriculture, handicrafts etc. They seldom value people involved in informal service sectors and their works occupations. Their aversion, disinterest and devaluing attitude to their forefathers’ livelihood or informal service sector occupations is a sign of lack in attaining ethical and personal competences in all tiers of education. But the scenario was totally opposite in the past when students and even service holders took part actively in their family professions along with performing their respective duties. But future generations need to know that still agriculture is the lifeline of our economy and occupations in informal service sector are equally important to the economy for income and employment generation as well as smooth survival of people in the society.
So, this is inevitable for the government to develop competency-based curriculum in all three tiers of education so that learners can develop their morality, values and attitude along with strengthening their knowledge and skills. As learning journey starts from elementary education, therefore primary education should get the priority to successful implementation of competency-based curriculum.
Contents of books and assessment system are the key to make learners capable of transferring information, knowledge, skills, attitude and values in different situations day-to-day life. Intervention from concerned authority is essentially required to consider following initiatives regarding successful implementation of competency-based curriculum in primary education.
Grade wise number of books should become comfortable to learners. Bangla, English and mathematics must be the core subjects in all five classes. Considering students’ interest and aptitude one or two subjects from art and craft, music, drama and sports should be made compulsory for all grades. Besides above-mentioned subjects, “Livelihood Education”, “Religion and Moral Education” and “Elementary Science” could be the other subjects for grade three to grade five.
Contents and activities for learners in Bangla and English books should emphasize on learning and developing of four skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) of language. Keeping poems, rhymes, stories etc there might be a chapter in Bangla books for all grades (as serial) named “Amar Desh (My Country)” regards to know about Bangladesh. To make more enjoyable to students, this chapter might be written as story based. Similarly, a serial chapter regards to introduce the world might be kept in English book for grade three to five. This is because of discarding “Bangladesh and Global Studies” books in grade three to grade five.
Livelihood Education could be the key subject regards to develop learners’ belief and values that every profession deserves respect as every one of those people are contributing to the society. This may be the subject for grade three to five that will present mainly elementary knowledge of developing information with meager home based doable tasks. The philosophy behind introducing LE as skill-oriented and values developing subject is enabling students to develop love, respect and appreciation for work and workers. There may be some broader learning areas in this book such as Family Living, Elementary Agriculture, Industrial Arts, Entrepreneurship, Basic ICT Knowledge and Occupations/Professions in Bangladesh.
Considering primary school as a sacrosanct place to learners and parents, the purpose of school not merely confines to impart knowledge but also to ensure holistic development of learners. So, comprehensive assessment regards to evaluate all four competences must be ensured. Students’ attitude, values and behavior have never been assessed by paper-pencil test. But without assessing attitude and values alongside assessing knowledge and skills, learners’ real education might not be ensured. So, “Anecdotal Notes” may be used to assess attitude and values. Teachers might be asked for compulsory use of “Anecdotal Notes” for every learner to assess their behavior, supportive attitude with classmates, rapport developing capability to students with different religion and disabilities, tendency of doing tasks together with classmates irrespective to sex and religion, mentality to support others, attitude to respect teachers and seniors, tendency of telling truth etc.
In addition, home based tasks (HBT) might be given to students from grade three to five regards to evaluate their achievement in developing attitude and values to be respectful to people and occupations. Under HBT students may be given doable assignment such as support parents’ to family’s livelihood professions or household’s daily works, rearing up babies and old, gardening at roof or house premises, keeping house tidy, making homemade food etc. Adding received grade by reviewing “Anecdotal Note” and HBT reports with core subjects’ grade, students might be brought under final place determining grading.
(The writer is working for primary education. E-mail: [email protected])
