Making up for lost education
One of the most devastating fallouts of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the huge gap in education especially for students whose academic year has been completely disrupted with important board exams such as the HSC being postponed. More than one million students are expected to take the HSC exams, for example, at over 9,000 educational institutions across the country.
The education ministry no doubt is trying to find ways to make up for the loss in lessons and delayed exams. At a recent webinar Education Minister Dipu Moni has said that the government is considering cutting short the exam days, holidays and the number of subjects of the HSC and equivalent exams postponed due to the pandemic. These may give some relief to students but there are still many hurdles to cross in addressing this formidable challenge.
Education experts have given various suggestions to reduce the burden faced by students who have not gone to school for months, with many of them not having access to the government's televised classes or online classes because of lack of internet services in their areas. Recommendations include cancelling the Primary Education Completion Examinations (PECE) and equivalent exams after class-V and Junior School Certificate (JSC) and equivalent exams after class-VIII for at least the current academic year and not raising supplementary duty on mobile phone services so that students can avail online education.
Meanwhile a report in this daily has revealed the dire situation of students in remote regions like the CHT where schools are closed and there is negligible or no access to television or the internet. In Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Rangamati and other areas of CHT there are thousands of students of primary and secondary school, most of them cannot benefit from online education or the televised classes on Sangsad TV initiated by the government.
The result is that thousands of students will be behind their counterparts who at least have some access to lessons increasing educational disparities even more.
The government therefore has a mammoth task ahead in addressing the loss of education, lack of access to alternative education and the domino effect this gap will have in the future of these students. Getting education experts on board is crucial to devise strategies to address the education crisis. This may also be a good time to revise the whole education system and make it more practical, modern, dynamic and inclusive so that the loss in education can be made up as much as possible and no child is left behind.
Comments