Edn not served rightly by state
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday the state did not perform properly its constitutional duties to ensure free and compulsory education for the people.
Participating in the discussion on the national education policy 2010 in parliament, the premier read out the constitutional provision on free and compulsory education, and made the comment.
Article 17 of the constitution says, “The state shall adopt effective measures for the purpose of establishing a uniform, mass-oriented and universal system of education and extending free and compulsory education to all children to such stage as may be determined by law; relating education to the needs of society and producing properly trained and motivated citizens to serve those needs; removing illiteracy within such time as may be determined by law.”
Ending over three-hour long discussion, the House adopted the national education policy. Twenty lawmakers participated in the discussion on the motion piloted by AL legislator Suranjit Sengupta.
The premier said her government plans to decentralise the education administration. The upazilas parishads will be authorised to look into overall primary education in their areas and recommend to the government necessary measures, if any.
“We will free the country from illiteracy soon and build a modern technology-based golden Bangladesh,” said Hasina, also leader of the House.
The government has formed a committee headed by the planning minister to work out how to ensure free education for all students up to honours level, Hasina said.
The premier described various measures taken by her government to ensure qualitative education, and welfare of the teachers.
Describing some salient features of the education policy, she said her government will work tirelessly to implement the policy.
Earlier participating in the discussion, the AL-led ruling Alliance lawmakers lauded the education policy and urged the government to start implementing it without delay to improve the education system for building a developed nation.
A number of lawmakers also spoke about corruption in the
education sector, and stressed effective steps to curb the menace.
Some of them said the education policy is a 'historic' one.
The BNP-led opposition lawmakers kept off the House.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid placed the education policy in parliament on October 3. The House was scheduled to discuss it the next day. But some lawmakers sought deferral of the discussion for taking preparations for it.
But yesterday's discussion demonstrated lack of preparations as many of the lawmakers spoke rhetorically without focusing on specific aspects the education policy.
At one stage, Speaker Abdul Hamid interrupted whip Sagufta Yasmin as she started speaking on political issues.
Participating in the discussion, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said the government should increase annual budgetary allocation for education to six percent from two percent of the country's GDP for implementing the education policy.
Nurul Islam Nahid said the policy will help build a democratic and modern society free from any sort of discrimination.
Kicking off the discussion, Suranjit said many education
policies were discarded in the past on political grounds.
“But this education policy is not the property of any party or the government; rather it is the country's property. Our education system will get a new look through its implementation,” he said.
Rashed Khan Menon, chief of the parliamentary standing committee on the education ministry, proposed inclusion of education as fundamental right in the constitution.
Mujib ul Haque, Jatiya Party lawmaker, proposed introduction of legal education at the secondary level make the students aware of their rights and duties.
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