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Formulating an education policy

A.B.M.SZAHUR
The need for a suitable education policy to build a strong nation is immense. It is unfortunate that we haven't yet been able to introduce a full-fledged education policy since our independence in 1971, though nine education commissions were formed and nine education policies formulated during the period.
THE need for a suitable education policy to build a strong nation is immense. It is unfortunate that we haven't yet been able to introduce a full-fledged education policy since our independence in 1971, though nine education commissions were formed and nine education policies formulated during the period. Till now, the nation has been deprived of a realistic education policy.
The new government is pledge-bound to introduce a good and acceptable education policy in the country. Our indifference towards adopting a modern sciencebased, non-discriminatory, secular and people-oriented policy has created divisions in our society. If we are to be united to achieve digital Bangladesh by 2011 we shall have to concentrate hard on formulating and implementing a suitable education policy.
An 18-member education policy for-
mulation committee was formed on April 8 under the chairmanship of National Professor Kabir Chowdhury. Very rightly, the education minister, Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid, has allowed only 3 months' time to the committee to complete the recommendations so that they can be analysed properly in time to enable the government to build digital Bangladesh.
We have seen that, except for the AL, governments failed to show any education policy though we had 10 years democratic rule under BNP and BNP-led alliance government and 14 years of military rule under presidents Zia and Ershad.
During these 24 years we saw stoppage of the implementation of the Kudrat-e-Khuda Commission recommendations, and production of reports for announcement but not for implementation. This brings up the suspicion whether these governments believed in keeping the common people uneducated because knowledge and education could prove to be a spark for the people to raise their heads against all injustices.
We hope that the new government will present us a realistic education policy. However, it has to be careful about fulfilling the needs of our society. We are lagging behind even India and Sri Lanka in this regard. We do not as yet have adequate facilities for imparting scientific and technical education.
The quality of our education needs vast improvement. Our teachers, particularly primary school teachers, are of poor quality. The standard of english and mathematics is particularly very poor, mainly due to inadequate number of qualified teachers. For a sound education both these subjects are essential. To solve this problem the concerned teachers should be imparted intensive training for a reasonable time (say 6 months).
Modern education means secular education, which means education not related to religion. If education is not based on logic it cannot create unity of conscience and creative work. Unity based on blind faith, at best, can create a religious community but not social cohesiveness. Thus, the education curriculum should be based on secular principles.
Bangladesh aspires for establishing a true democracy. Setting up democracy without a high level of education is virtu-
ally not possible. The quality of education imparted should also be good.
For good governance, or efficient democratic administration or balanced social and economic progress, education is essential. This is why huge investment was made in the education sector by advanced countries like USA, Japan and former USSR. It may be pointed out that there will be remarkable increase remittances from our workers abroad if we are able to export more skilled personnel instead of unskilled hands.
Our democracy would have been more effective if the level of education of our voters could be improved. With the spread of secular education the covert activities of Islamic militants may diminish.
The new government appears to be concentrating on increasing the facilities of teachers to attract brighter students to accept teaching as their career. It is also striving to introduce a "one channel education system" for the unity of the nation.
We are hopeful about adoption of a good education policy because it is learned that the new education policy is going to be based mainly on the well-thought-out recommendations of the Kudrat-e-Khuda Commission.
AB.M .S Zahur is a former Joint Secretary.