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New Question Method

Students in the dark as books not ready

SURANJITH DEABNATII
The students of class IX are in the dark about their studies as the government after announcing new question method for 2010 SSC examinations and onwards has neither published new textbooks nor trained up teachers.
The newly introduced question pattern called 'Structured Question' (SQ) was supposed to take effect from 2009 as per a decision taken in 2006. But the government deferred it for one year giving the National Curriculum and Textbooks Board (NCTB) another year to publish a newset of books.
The deferment came in the wake of concerns from the then class IX students, guardians and teachers, who found it impossible to go with the new system without new books.
Students and teachers have expressed deep concern about SQ system saying its samples provide them with no clues as to how they can prepare for the examinations.
The present class IX textbooks
contain only a model question in the end, very insufficient for both students and teachers to get a clear idea about real questions.
Students traditionally prepare themselves on the basis of chapterwise questions, but the SQ method offers a variety of questions aiming at improving students' learning quality.
Under this system, examinees will have to answer several bits of information on a single topic. There will be 60 marks for structured questions instead of 50 marks now mandatory for essay-type questions and 40 marks for multiple-choice questions.
However, the new system will not be applicable for both the papers of English and Bangla second paper.
Education ministry sources say about 90 percent teachers are still clueless about SQ method scheduled to be introduced from the 2010 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations.
Of the 10 percent who received training, some even cannot answer
the worried students’ questions, as the two-day training programme was not adequate, teachers and guardians allege.
Moreover, NCTB was supposed to introduce SQ based textbooks this year. NCTB officials told The Daily Star the students will have to wait for one more year for the books.
The education ministry sources say the students who are now in class DC would get to see structured questions and distribution of marks instead of the existing questions.
"Students will have to wait only one year for getting fresh SQ enlisted textbooks. Now one model question pattern was added in the end of the textbooks so that they can gather ideas about SQ method," said NCTB Chairman Pro fDrM Mas ir Uddin.
However, most students have failed to gather any clear idea about the new method examining only one model question, teachers and guardians observe. They also don’t
silver punch-marked coins it can be said that it was a Mahajanapada," said Prof Sufi Mustafizur Rahman.
"This means it was the earliest state in Bangladesh and in the Indian subcontinent as well.” the archaeologist added.
"Geographical importance and findings of Wari-Bateshwar interestingly match the description and identity given in Greek and Latin literature about Gangaridae and indicates that Wari-Bateshwar was a partofit,"headded.
Prof Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti, noted Indian archaeologist and faculty member of Cambridge University, in an essay published on the Archaeological Heritage by Asiatic Society said: "If Wari-Bateshwar is considered as a main and fortified city, it can be considered that it was the capital or main centre of an ancient Janapada."
" But the main problem is to determine the name of the Janapada," he added.
A study on 150 coins, unearthed and collected from Wari-Bateshwar and its adjoining areas, by the excavation group led by Prof Sufi Mustafizur Rahman of the Department of Archaeology at Jahangirnagar University (JU) found existence of both Janapada and imperial series coins. This indicates the earliest money-based economy contemporary to the subcontinent and the world as well.
Back in 1942, following discovery of some coins on the bank of the Arialklia, a place seven kilometres south off Wari-Bateshwar. Nalini Kanto Bhattyashali. founder curator of Bangladesh National Museum, said those were of Mauryan and pre-Mauryan period and shown the early nature of the settlement.
It was thought earlier that use of coins was not existed in Bangla before 300 BC. Earlier, silver punch-marked coins of only Imperial series were found in Mahasthangarh.
The discovery of coins provides
substantial and significant information about a well-established urban civilisation as part of the second urbanisation on the context oflndian subcontinent
The existence of coins found in Wari-Bateshwar also suggests trade, banking system and administration besides bearing sociocultural and sociopolitical condition prevalent at that time, archaeologists explain.
Study also reveals that punchmark found on the faces of the silver-coins ofWari-Bateshwar is distinctive in symbols, shapes and forms that reveal that the Mahajanapada was a distinctive one in addition to the 16 Mahajanapadas so far unearthed in the subcontinent by archaeologists and described in Jain and Buddhist literature.
Earlier, another Janapada was found in Pundranagarh in Bangladesh.
Archaeologists who say Wari-Bateshwar might be a part of Gangaridae explain that the wide range of areas through which the Gorges downstream flowed is known as the Ganges delta.
Though Wari-Bateshwar is nearer to the old Brahmaputra river the area is geographically known as the Ganges delta in a wider sense, they add.
The discovery of Rouletted Ware (RW). Knobbed Ware, sandwich glass bids and oilier artefacts indicates that the place had relations and trade witfl the Mediterranean and Southeast Asian countries, the archaeologists desenbe.
Moreover, according to the statement of Ptolemy all die estuaries in the river Ganges are in the states owned by people called Gangaridae.
Archaeologists, however, say till now it couldn't be confirmed specifically which place in the subcontinent was Gangaridae. h is widely believed that south part of die West Bengal was occupied by Gangaridae.
They also add that radiocarbon date of the charcoal samples tested by the Netherlands' Centrum Voor kotopen Onderzoek has confirmed
that there were habitation and indus-try in the area in 500 BC.
Prof BN Mukherjee of Calcutta University earlier in the book Banga. Bangla and Bharat said the present West Bengal and North 24 Parganas, Hugly, Haora and Medinipur, some parts ofBardhaman and till the mouth of the Padma (the adjoining point of the Padma. Brahmaputra and Meghna) in present Bangladesh was on the border of the ancient country named Ganga or Banga. He said the seaside areas of Bangladesh were occupied by Gangaridae.
The coins of Wari-Bateshwar weigh from 1.7gm to 1 9gm The symbols found punched on die faces of die coins include boat, sun and fish. The silver coins are found usually in round and square shapes.
COINS LOST IN NEGLIGENCE Though the silver punch-marked coins were first discovered in 1933 in Wari-Bateshwar and reported to National Museum authorities immediately, the government did not take any initiative to conduct research or protect those.
As a result, a huge number of coins were lost, destroyed or used by individu -als till the year 2000. In many cases discovery of coins remained unreported as individuals sold those secretly or made omamentsout of the silver coins.
Hanif Pathan, father of local researcher and teacher HabibuUah Pathan. collected 20/30 coins for the first time in 1933 after labourers unearthed a hoard containing punch-, marked coins while digging earth
Hie father and son wrote several essays on different newspapers in an attempt to attract the attention of the government and archaeologists in vain.
The largest hoard of coins was found in 1956 in the area. A man named Janni found around 4.000 silver punch-marked coins weighing over nine kilograms in a terracotta hoard. The man sold the coins at lie 720.
"At least 99 percent of the coins unearthed so far from 10 points since
1933 have been lost," said Habibullah Pathan.
"The coins prove that the place was a rich trade centre," he added.
The latest terracotta coin hoard was discovered in 2004 by the excavation team led by Prof Sufi Mustafizur Rahman and handed over to the Department of Archaeology.
"The hoard unearthed during excavation is the only piece of hoard in the country that was unearthed in its complete shape and unimpaired. People never saw even a broken hoard of coins in the country," said Sufi Mustafizur Rahman.
The excavation that digs into the ancient archaeological site now awaits cancellation due to severe fund crisis.
The excavators earlier managed funds from different private organisations but this year they have failed to manage any and fear cancellation of the work anytime. know how they would prepare themselves for the SSC exams in one year after getting fresh books in class X.
"As a teacher I couldn't clearly understand the SQ method. How will I impart knowledge about it to my students?" said Prof Rafiqa Afroz, principal of Ispahan! Girls' School and College.
Only two out of 70 teachers in the educational institution received training on SQ method, she added.
T was panicked when I realised that I couldn't work out the method seeing the only model question available. Our teachers also couldn't tell us anything clearly about the new question pattern,” said ABM Kaihat Rahman Joy, a student of class IX at Motijheel Ideal School and College.
"Most of my class mates are still in the dark about the SQ system."
"The system might be better. But students have no clear idea about it due to a lack of new textbooks,” said lyasmin Ara, whose daughter studies at Viqarunnisa Noon School.
"Besides, class IX students get the system out of the blue which is very difficult for them at this level," sheadded.
This year, NCTB did not take proper measures to print new textbooks allegedly to get benefits from a syndicate of printing ■houses. - J . / . / ' ■ AnegaCiuhs arc rife that a clique of dishonest printing press owners led by top leaders of Bangladesh Printing Industries Association (BPIA) illegally printed a huge number of additional textbooks last year couldn't sell several lakh of those.
"Around 20 lakh traditional textbooks remained in store. The BPIA president himself had around five lakh old textbooks. For this reason these printing owners bribed the top NCTB officials for not publishing the fresh textbooks," a former leader of BPIA told The Daily Star.
The NCTB chairman denied the allegation and said his officials and employees were not influenced by anyone.
"New SQ textbooks were not published because many books were washed away due to floods and cyclone Sidr and affected students would have to buy old books again," he said.
The decision of not publishing the Structured Question pattern textbooks was made in January last year. But I took the charge as the NCTB chairman in August. So I was not involved in this decision," he told The Daily Star.
However, leaders of Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association (BPBA) said NCTB did not publish new textbooks for the benefit of some dishonest printing press owners.
"We held several meetings with NCTB top officials in October and November last year and assured them that we could provide 23 new textbooks with SQ exercises in 15 days. But NCTB did not pay heed to our assurances," M Abu Taher, president of BPBA, told The Daily Star.
He also said NCTB would have got additional royalty if officers agreed to the proposal.
Guardians of students from different renowned high schools meanwhile formed a human chain at different places in the capital a few days ago demanding deferment of the system once again.
They demanded that the caretaker government introduce the SQ method from class VI instead of class IX so that students can be familiar with it at an early stage.
"Only 10 percent teachers were trained up about the SQ method and even most of the trained teach-ers could not understand it clearly," said Utpalla Bhattacharya, mother of a student of class IX at Motijheel Ideal School and College.
NCTB Chairman Prof Masir also agreed that the SQ method should be introduced from class six instead of class nine.
"We've trained up 8,800 teachers on SQ method under Secondary Education Sector Development Project (SESDP). It is true that many teachers did not understand it clearly because it is very difficult to make question rather than answer," he added.
Ministry sources say the introduction of structured questions is a component of a Tk-793 crore SESD project.