ENGLISH-VERSION education at our primary and secondary levels is passing through testing times because of shortage in quality textbooks and qualified teachers. Every year, translated books of the Bangla medium are used for teaching students opting for the English-version education in the capital and elsewhere in the country. Not only these translated books are full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but teachers also continue to prepare erroneous question papers that very often confuse our students – making them difficult to understand what has been asked to answer. In the latest instance of such mistakes in question papers was found in Wednesday’s ‘Bangladesh and Global Studies’ papers of the Primary Education Completion (PEC) examinations 2017.
The very first question in the paper read – “What would happen if no the Mujibnagar govt was formed” and then “Why was built 177 secret room at Sompura Mahavihara in Paharpur”- sadly, this has become the quality of our teachers.
An acute crisis of well-developed books and curriculum for the English version is posing serious problems in classrooms for the past few years. Though the demand for English-version education is increasing in the country, but almost no attention is being paid to improve the quality of books and teachers’ performance. This is an alarming situation both for our students and their parents. We draw immediate attention of the National Curriculum of Text Books (NCTB) and the Ministry of Education, to address this prevailing predicament the soonest. Our students mustn’t be provided with flawed and incorrect textbooks and question papers, that to say, poor quality education and especially English.
Being the number one international language as of now, English-version education secures bright future for countless many. The job market is also showing increasing demand for English. So, guardians prefer to teach their kids in English as the cost is lower compared to English-medium schools. And if suitable and well-qualified teachers are falling short, there is a lot be done. In fact, in the face of an acute crisis of qualified English teachers, it’s rather unnecessary to teach in the English version.
The point, however, when Bangla textbooks are translated into English, they are likely to create problems. And most shockingly, renowned teachers of schools and colleges are engaged in this flawed translation works. This must stop. What is being taught in the country’s innumerable classrooms of the English version is a matter of serious concern. The policymakers should take up this matter seriously as it deals with the future of our students and also the nation. Quality and accurate teaching of any subject should never be compromised at our schools.
