Policymakers, educators, and students have said that the education curriculum of the country should be reformed to reflect changing global realities.
The reformation should build skills in students that will help them gain better opportunities in the job market, said the participants at a roundtable organized by Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) on Thursday.
Stressing on the need to include teaching of soft skills, practical skills, and 21st century skills in the national education curriculum, the speakers, who included educators, development activists and students, also emphasized the need to focus on overall mental health and wellbeing of students to promote learning, creativity, and academic achievement.
To facilitate a broader conversation on issues that matter to youths, BYLC, the country’s first leadership institute, had organized a youth leadership summit in 2018 where 350 university students and young professionals co-created a youth manifesto outlining their priorities for the future.
The findings of the manifesto, which focused on the quality of education and development of relevant skills for a changing world, were presented at the roundtable.
While stressing on the need for integrative and interdisciplinary education, special guest Dr Erum Mariam, director of BRAC Institute of Educational Development, said: “The government’s role is to act as a catalyst and set the tone for reform in education, and to create an innovative platform for students to express and learn.
"It’s our job to support the government in this regard.”
Another special guest at the event, Barrister Shah Ali Farhad, special assistant to the prime minister, stated that in the past, the government worked to fill the gaps in the basic education infrastructure of the country.
In the last five years, the government's focus has been on improving the quality of education. The government will work with teachers, students, and other stakeholders to chalk out a comprehensive plan on education for the next five years, he added.
“It’s the collective responsibility of policymakers, development practitioners, teachers, and parents to help prepare the youth to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world, while also ensuring their mental and physical wellbeing,” said Ejaj Ahmad, president and founder of BYLC.
