THE school education system in Bangladesh is overburdened with public examinations, one that is unique in the world. Firstly, our educational system seriously lacks skilled or semi skilled teachers and other logistics. In this background the experiments with public exams at Class V is not only unprecedented, it has made the system work like an overloaded donkey which is going nowhere. A recent study by World Bank (WB) found it is imperative for Bangladesh to rationalize the number of public exams as students need to face four high-stake examinations now held in Classes V, VIII, X and XII before they complete the secondary education. The number is more than in any other South Asian country. The fact contradicts common reasons as to what essentially are the distinguishing characteristics that make it necessary to have so many more exams for our kids.
According to a WB study, many states in India previously conducted annual board examinations at the end of Class V and VIII to determine who would be promoted. But later all Indian states banned board examinations until Class X. In India, Pakistan, the Maldives and Bhutan, students take public exams after Class X and XII. In Sri Lanka, after Class XI and XIII and Nepalese students after Class VIII, X and XII. Over the past decade, other South Asian countries have reduced the number of public exams while Bangladesh added more.
In education minister Nurul Islam Nahid’s view the introduction of primary and junior secondary examinations at Class V and V111 has decreased the number of exams since students had to sit twice at these stages — one for annual exams and another for scholarships. However, he is not correct since scholarship examinations are not mandatory and only selected students attend those exams.
The WB study further reveals that most school examinations in Bangladesh measure students’ memory recall of textbook contents. These exams neither provide a clear indication of students competence nor offer learning practices. In fact, 75 percent students at Class 111 to V don’t learn anything substantive and the finding said while questioning the unrealistic marking practice from one teacher to another. Researchers think that the increasing number of public exams has come at a serious compromise to the basic approach to education and policy makers must rethink about it and review the system. Another study showed only 25 percent of Class V students in 2011 showed some proficiency in Bangla and 33 percent in Mathematics. Their rating in English was below that of Bangla.
Due to the hurdles which occur due to taking public exams at lower grades, the number of early dropouts is on the rise and it is exponentially growing at successive higher levels of public exams, and this in turn going to defeat the spread of literacy particularly in the rural countryside. We therefore emphatically urge all the concerned bodies to seriously review the need for taking public exams at an early age which is rather frightening the students to abandon schools. We must have a policy in place which will retain students at classrooms in the first place and try at the same time to induce quality. The matter needs urgent consideration. There must be a better way to test our children.
