Published on 12:00 AM, October 04, 2010

National edn policy placed in parliament

The national education policy 2010 has outlined a plan for building an efficient education administration with various measures including formation of a permanent education commission and an accreditation council for proper implementation of the policy.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday placed the education policy in parliament for discussion.
It aims at introducing several compulsory subjects at primary and secondary levels of general, madrasa and vocational education for establishing a unified schooling system.
The policy lays down the process of modification and changes in it to meet the requirements of time in the national and global arena.
For this, a permanent education commission will be constituted through enactment of a law, and it will enjoy autonomy in discharging its functions.
“The commission will give advices to the education ministry, and ministries related to education and the University Grants Commission for implementation of the education policy,” the policy said.
The commission will also monitor whether the education policy is being implemented properly and effectively, and will submit annual report with recommendations to the government and parliament.
The education policy said efforts will be made to introduce coordinated education laws in line with it incorporating all existing laws and rules on education.
It also describes the procedure to ensure recruitment of quality teachers, their transfer and improvement of efficiency of teachers in all types of educational institutions brought under the monthly payment order (MPO).
Like the Public Service Commission, the proposed education commission will select competent teachers on the basis of merit for primary and secondary schools, colleges and ebtedayi madrasas which receive financial assistance from the government.
The policy also says the accreditation council to be constituted will monitor the functions of private universities to see whether they are able to provide quality education. It will also provide grade to the public universities and higher educational institutions on the basis of their performance every year.
The cabinet on May 30 approved the education policy 2010, which seeks to bring all students in the country, irrespective of their religions, genders, physical limitations, socio-economic condition and geographic locations under one system.
In the preface on the policy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought cooperation from all to implement it.
In the introductory speech, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid described the long process of preparing the education policy.
Since the country's independence in 1971, seven education commissions and committees were formed to frame an education policy. But their recommendations were not implemented due to lack of political will and other reasons. And in the absence of a policy, some sort of discrimination has developed in the education system.
The present government formed a 16-member committee on April 6 last year to formulate a policy.
The committee reviewed the reports of Shamsul Haque education committee of 1997 and Qudrat-e-Khuda education commission of 1974, and came up with a draft report on September 2 last year.
The policy was put on the education ministry's website--www.moedu.gov.bd-- yesterday.