Happy nations are content, and thereby, hard to find. Social scientists worth their ilk have devised so many indices by which to come to a conclusion. From “happiest countries,” through “city liveability,” “corruption indices,” and so much more, the search continues, throwing up more conflicting views than integration.
If a chain is as strong as its weakest link, it follows naturally that social fabric will be a mark of contentment, provided discontent is addressed in equal terms. The recent brouhaha over what is and isn't included in Bangladesh's school curriculum is an example in principle.
Discontent is best dealt with before it boils over, as it has done. Too many elements have been allowed to snake their way in creeper style to throttle most of what was considered sacred-quality education.
It's one aspect to set up schools to meet requirements of a young, growing population. The administration and teaching staff at schools are equally, if not more, important.
On one hand, over 421,000 teaching positions in government schools are vacant. Sixty eight thousand vacancies exist in non-government institutions. Mere recruitment doesn't solve the problem.
Mandatory training in modern education techniques are sorely lacking for all the investment and focus of local and overseas training teams. The quality of teachers recruited is where the compromise begins -- and permeates, horizontally and vertically.
Those already within the system have to compromise further. It's not unusual for non-English specialized teachers to have to teach the subject and it runs similarly with others. Thinking space for teachers in general is encroached upon by demands of pecuniary comfort and stability.
The most potent incendiary to the latest outrage brings to the fore the inevitable conflict between religion -- essentially Islamic views -- and the broader scientific view of evolution propagated by Charles Darwin.
The debate is not without resolution, given the Quran is an all encompassing narrative designed to explain life from the beginning and reaching across into the future foreseeable to humans.
The general religious view of Adam and Eve cast out from heavenly pastures to this world isn't that of a barren earth. Darwin traced man's evolution not precluding other creation ranging all the way back to bacteria and mitochondria.
The challenge lies in unravelling this complex issue and making it easy to understand for young minds that are yet to be able to comprehend anything but the world around them.
It shouldn't take the education minister to tell us that basic and factual errors would be rectified and looked into for negligence or intentional sabotage. The existing machinery in the ministry and divisions thereof, should be sufficient for such a purpose.
That some of these errors go back a decade is stupefying, to say the least. Where were the check and balance and review systems?
Add to all this the difference in syllabus at English Medium schools (where everything from rhymes to stories are not based on our social and cultural platforms), private schools , madrasas, and government institutions, and it puts forward several, at times conflicting, approaches and objectives of education.
History tells us of Islamic scholars having studied and taught science, mathematics, and medicine, to name a few. Do our Islamic teachers know that Dubai have on display, at one of its shopping malls, a range of instruments used for medical operations and dentistry centuries ago?
Likewise, is this acknowledged by those that prefer religion to be a private matter? Children's learning cannot be limited to books alone. The world around is temporal for mankind but a clear reflection of what the scriptures have laid out.
Perhaps that's why Nordic countries are using classrooms and outside them, to explain the sciences so that they resonate with what young minds perceive rather than shoving theories down unwilling throats.
Quality education that is at speed and adjusts with ever evolving scientific discovery, is the only way forward for the “smart” future that is now on the cards. For now, the findings of the two committees, one formed to evaluate errors and suggest changes, the other to identify negligence or intent at pushing dubious agenda, will be the focus.
One hopes it'll be a whitewash, and effective measures taken thereof.
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.