Female edn gets priority in draft national policy

The draft National Education Policy 2009 underscored the importance of female education as it adopted several strategies to ensure women empowerment as well as their overall development.
The policy recommended brining out women from the cocoon of household chores, including family welfare, child rearing and housekeeping and ensuring their active participation in poverty alleviation and socio-economic development.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid submitted the draft copy of the new education policy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Monday.
The draft policy, which was uploaded on the education ministry website, envisages basic changes to set the country's outmoded education system in tune with the fast-moving world.
It was aimed at decreasing gender disparity and encouraging women to science, vocational and technical education.
The policy suggested specific allocation for female education sector in the budget and formation of a special fund for increasing female education rate at all levels of education.
It recommended incorporating positive and progressive images of women and their equal rights in the primary-level curriculum for changing social behaviour towards women.
A number of life sketches of great women and write-ups of other women would have to be included in the curriculum of primary and secondary levels, it said, adding that the topics 'gender studies' and 'reproductive health' would have to be included in the curriculum of secondary level.
Students irrespective of male and female have full liberty to choose subjects in the secondary level and female students would not be encouraged to special subjects like home economics.
“Female students would have to be encouraged to science as well as professional education like engineering, medical, law and business,” the policy said recommending allocation of necessary budget for higher education of women.
It suggested that polytechnic institutes for female students be increased so that the students who cannot get admitted into the secondary level can receive technical or vocational education.
It also recommended arranging special stipends and bank loans on low interest rates for the poor and meritorious female students so that they pursue higher studies and do research works.
Women's participation in education-related policymaking and decision-making issues in primary, secondary and higher education levels would have to be ensured, the policy added.
It asked the education institutions to strictly follow the rules and regulation formulated on sexual harassment and torture.
The government formed a 16-member committee on April 6 to review the report of Shamsul Haque Education Committee of 1997 to formulate a modern national education policy in line with the report of Qudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission of 1974.
On September 2, the committee submitted its final draft seeking to educate all, irrespective of their religion, gender, socio-economic condition and geographical location.