Study reveals TV lessons not bearing fruit
The government yesterday extended the closure of educational institutions till December 19 amidst fears of a second wave exacerbating the ongoing pandemic situation in Bangladesh. Following the shutdown of all educational institutions from March 17, recorded classes for secondary students were aired from March 29 through Sangsad Bangladesh Television, aiming to minimise academic session loss. However, the effectiveness of the televised lessons remains questionable.
A recent study from Bangladesh Education Reporters Forum has highlighted some worrying statistics about the current state of education. Carried out on 1,126 secondary and higher secondary students in Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet, the study revealed that 94 percent of students are aware about TV education being broadcast during the pandemic, but 89 percent of them do not watch the lessons. Additionally, 97 percent of students reported that their family income has reduced, and 65 percent of secondary students said online education increased their educational expenditures and is putting additional financial burden on parents. Such prolonged lockdowns have left hundreds of thousands of children stuck at home, harming their education and leading to various psychological problems as well. As a result of the digital divide that exists between rural and urban areas—for example, schoolchildren in many char areas cannot access the government's remote education programmes because they don't have access to electricity—initiatives to launch educational programmes through television have been unable to make up for the loss of education arising out of school closures.
We hope that the Ministry of Education will engage with experts as well as students in order to mitigate these problems and complete the groundwork needed to facilitate education without putting undue financial burdens on students and their families. The education gap must be removed and the lack of access to TV lessons rectified. It is crucial that the government come up with better plans that will ensure that all children receive some form of education till schools reopen. Without sincere interventions, there is a risk of mass dropouts, particularly as poor families, struggling to tide over the pandemic, put their children to work or even worse, marry their daughters off. The government must employ more resources to make sure all students have access to either online learning tools or can learn through televised classes. Besides access to television and uninterrupted electricity (a major challenge in remote areas), there must be collaboration with education experts and relevant NGOs to make these classes lively and engaging.
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