A step forward yet concerns remain
FROM PAGE 12
components, but the more demanding aspects, like cooking, still pose a challenge,” said Susmita.
Speaking to The Daily Star, several teachers said training, logistical support and getting parents on board are the biggest challenges for the successful implementation of the new curriculum.
Mohammad Nurul Amin, a senior teacher at Rangamati Government High School, said the training was nothing out of the ordinary.
“There was a lot of confusion about the assessment method, which has been changed multiple times. How are we supposed to grade students using triangles, circles and squares if there is no exam or written scripts?”
Amin also highlighted the logistical challenges a rural student would face compared to a student in an urban area where the schools are better equipped.
“Students [in rural areas] often seem confused about what they should study. Some of them can use the internet, but not everyone has reliable access. The level of creativity being asked of students is excessive given their level of basics,” he added.
Masud Alam, head teacher of Maharaja Girijanath High School in Dinajpur, said the five-day training they received was not enough to understand the intricacies. He said further training was needed to better prepare teachers for the complexities of the new educational structure.
Nasreen Sultana, an assistant teacher at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, however, was optimistic.
“If the students are enthusiastic, then there is a lot to learn from these textbooks. Students of our school are enjoying the new curriculum. They are no longer scared of exams but lack seriousness. It has only been a year, though. Any new change like this needs time,” Nasreen said.
SM Hafizur Rahman, a professor at the University of Dhaka’s Institute of Education and Research (IER), voiced concerns about the preparedness to adopt this curriculum.
“Transformations in education can be incremental or drastic. This change is drastic. It’s a good approach that we are becoming skill-focused. But are we ready for this?”
In the new curriculum, the subject knowledge of a teacher is very important and for that extensive training is required.
“Training for the new curriculum was conducted using the cascade model under which training is provided to some teachers initially and then those teachers train others. But this model has a negative perception among many experts.”
Infrastructural support for such a change is not available in many schools, Hafizur said.
“Besides, after the implementation, visible monitoring should be done to collect data and for that enough manpower must be deployed.”
Regarding the parents’ concerns, Hafizur said the government should have prepared more for the ongoing debate as the parents of 2023 are more conscious than the parents of 2012.
M Tariq Ahsan, a member of the Curriculum Development and Revision Core Committee at the NCTB and also a professor at the DU’s IER, said that the competency-based curriculum is nothing new.
“This had been already there at the primary level since 2012. The big transformation now is that it’s happening in teaching-learning and assessment as well and not just the curriculum.”
Commenting on preparedness, he said: “In the past, new curriculums were adopted across the country for all grades and subjects at once. This time, it will be adopted over 10 years because changing the curriculum is not the only objective, the whole education system will be transformed.”
He said the concerns of different stakeholders are signs that the transformation is challenging the beliefs of people regarding education.
“But spreading propaganda about what’s not in the curriculum is not the same as expressing concern. We are listening to parents and have asked schools to hold parent-teacher meetings. Communication materials are also being prepared.”
Moshiuzzaman, a member of the NCTB, said: “We are aware of the inconsistency in training, as we’re dealing with a large number of teachers. We have planned to provide teachers with high-quality online video resources following their training, so they can clear up the gaps in their understanding.”
He also said more training will be conducted before classes begin next year.
For the parents who are concerned that students are not studying as much, he said: “Children never accept anything that is forced upon them. But if they do it willingly, they will learn. In this curriculum, children will be active, they will do tasks themselves, so they are bound to learn. They won’t study for exams, but they will learn through enjoyment, through the desire to build something.”
There are around 4.03 lakh teachers at about 1.19 lakh primary schools and kindergartens teaching more than 2 crore students. Besides, around 2.37 lakh teachers at 18,874 secondary schools are teaching 89.30 lakh pupils, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics and the Directorate of Primary Education.
Arafat Rahaman and Kongkon Karmaker also contributed to this report.