That the ugly head of corruption has seeped through the education system is no longer something to be swept under the carpet. Ranging from false certificates through certificates on payment to pre-planned leakage of question papers, schooling has taken on an entirely different face.
The new Education Minister Dipu Moni has her hands full, and the beginning has come through a ban on coaching centres during the ensuing secondary and higher secondary examination period. One understands that this is directed at preventing question paper leakage.
But the roots of degradation have reached so deep that the unfortunate incident of 30 teachers of Willes Little Flower School summoned by theAnti-Corruption Commission for out-of-school coaching has emerged. This is the tip of the iceberg, and the mushrooming of coaching centres in residential areas suggest that teaching in schools just isn’t enough to help children make it through the curriculum.
As it is, private schools aren’t cheap. Coaching centres mean an additional expense for fixed income groups and they don’t have expansive pockets. Where this money comes from is more of a question for the Anti-Corruption Commission in addition to probing teachers for possible non-tax paid earnings.
Dipu Moni also has the challenge of raising the standards of education that provide a level of basic knowledge to prepare students for higher education, thereby scotching the embarrassing results in admission tests. Coaching centres too share the burden because they only provide tuition to attain a certain GPA, and nothing beyond.
This is where schools must take responsibility and syllabuses must be geared to the width of learning. The hitherto used “unseen” part of curricula has been consigned to the dogs, with the result that any unknown quantity results in protests and re-examinations.
In a society where certificates rather than learning are appreciated, the context of out-of-the-book learning becomes woefully redundant. Yet, education that doesn’t inspire looking beyond books to test eager minds is irrelevant at best.
The current system of education needs an overhaul to match with a more open society as well as match employer requirements. The massive number of unemployed isn’t just due to a lack of jobs; it’s also due to the lack of rounded knowledge that employing organizations look for.
The twin basics of science and arts as well as digital knowledge need to be beefed up sufficiently -- it is sadly outdated currently. Studies have to be relevant to the world around us so as to provide meaning and interest for young minds.
The gap between that which is dished out and that which is relevant transcends the traditional thinking between objective and subjective weightage. Science has transformed ways of thinking and this hasn’t been incorporated into our education system.
Newer minds need to provide input into our education system, in line with where the world is heading. Short of that, and we shall slide further down the scale that lists global and Asian seats of learning. The subsequent result of that will be a continuous brain drain, whereby the best talents are lost abroad and we are left with the mediocre. And if extra money is to be spent on coaching, perhaps that too should be earmarked for the schools rather than private centres.
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist. He can be reached at mahmudrahman@gmail.com.