Development

Sir. We uphold our much-talked about determination for and also political commitment to‘the alleviation of poverty through human resource development.

Let us Just see the present scenario in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination results. Candidates obtaining first division are in abundance securing letter marks in almost all subjects and also 'stars’. So. how such system can be apt for Judging or assessing quality of education and talent? If this is the example of making human resource development, if only horizontal expansion of education (and such type of system) is our only motto, we must say. our future is obscure.

This sort of seventy nine to eighty per cent success story will plague the entire higher secondary level education. The total number of Govt. Colleges will not be able to accommodate all first division holders, not to speak of the rest. Higher education, from the point of view of both academic and education administration will be left distorted and disarrayed.

Matters do not end here. A good number of first division and star marks holders after being admitted In the colleges, due to their in-built weakness, they will not probably be able to- cope with higher secondary level education. Because no question banks are there, they will take, resort to guide books avoiding the main texts on major subjects. Even a section of college teachers will reap a "bumper harvest" from private tuition and note-selling business. Mashroom growth of coaching centres already are in

fulTswlng. Can these short-cut methods ensure success in the higher secondary level and provide the nation quality education?

Not only that, following the same trend in the result, of the degree level also, students seek an easy way to be graduates by taking some easy, traditional and non-dynamic subjects which are of little practical use. Such subjects are designed only to bring about changes in the cognitive side. They avoid reading subjects like economics, physics and mathematics. So. the curricula, teaching methods and nature of holding examinations from primary to higher level In general and from secondary to higher secondary levels In particular are not commensurate with our dreams of poverty alleviation through human resource development.

So. on the one hand, education should be production-oriented and income generating one. Youths passing any level of education will then find Jobs. That means creation of selfemployment is to be ensured. As such, the ’entire examination process should be designed and arranged accordingly. On the other hand, education administration is to be made prompt, forward looking. dynamic, accountable and free from the bureaucratic attitude. redtapism and corruption. Only horizontal expansion of education and the so-called increasing number of certificate holders cannot make the programme for human resource development a success.

The sooner we realise it, the better for us all.

Haradhan Ganguli

Asstt. Prof, Economics, Tangail College

'Default culture"

Sir, 1 wish to draw one very important matter to the attention of The Daily Star readers, the BNP Government, the JS members, trade bodies and the general public. A supplement was brought out in The Daily Star of 24 August 1994 with Interviews of the Finance Minister and the Finance Secretary. Frotn what appeared In the highlight at the front page, I took note of the used term "default culture". I believe the word "culture" normally indicates some thing good and graceful and should not be preceded by a word "default" which indicates something degrading and disgraceful.

If tjiere were groups of business people who were identified as indulging in such activities as implied in the word "default’’, they ought to undergo the legal process, if they underwent such a process and were found guilty of defaults and fraud, the amounts of money involved from the exchequer must be recovered from them by taking whatever measures needed. Alternatively, such persons should be bundled together and sent to prisons on appropriate charges. In a country like China, which is a good friend of Bangladesh, such persons are even shot to death. We learn nothing even from our friendly countries. Moreover why not the Islamic laws of punishment are applied to them, as is done in Saudi Arabia, for such anti-social acts? It is undeniable that some of them have done incalculable harm to the nation. What is the sense in putting only H M Ershad into prison?

M T Haq

4/5-Pallabt. Mirpur, Dhaka-21.