The government must monitor

Eminent academician Prof Dr Siddiqur Rahman was a former director of Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University, and one of the members of National Education Policy 2010 formulation committee. Recently he talked to Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan of The Daily Star about the reforms required in English medium schools.

Q. Students and their guardians alleged that many English medium schools are taking excessive fees from their students but they are not providing quality education. Why is this happening?

A. First we have to ask why our guardians are sending their children to English medium schools? One of the major reasons is the declining quality of our education system that cannot ensure proper language skills and interpersonal skills necessary for the job market.

English medium institutions, as they teach according to the UK and the US curriculum, have created a perception in our society that their students will be proficient in English and learn other skills which are sought after in the global job market. As a result, many guardians do not hesitate to spend a huge amount of money to teach their children in an English medium school. As there is no monitoring from the government, these schools are being operated on the whims of their owners who often consider these institutions no less than a money making venture. Such mind-set and lack of monitoring enable them to extract as much money as possible from students while providing minimum services. You will find many schools which do not have adequate infrastructure, playground, and qualified teachers but still they are taking high tuition fees.

It is very true that many of these institutions cannot provide quality education despite the fact that they are taking a lot of money. We have seen that very few of these students can qualify in university admission tests. The government must monitor how much they are charging and what services they are providing.

PHOTOS: PRABIR DAS

Q. Why could these schools not be brought under monitoring and supervision yet?

A. In the National Education Policy-2010, we had taken several measures to ensure monitoring and supervision in English medium schools. We recommended teaching four core subjects in all streams of education. These core subjects are Bangla, Mathematics, Science and Bangladesh Studies. There was no restriction on higher level maths or science or any other subject additionally but all the institutions were required to teach these subjects according to the curriculum and textbook issued by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB). The goal of this proposal was to reduce the learning gap among students of different types of institutions and the government could monitor how these curricula are being implemented.

We also recommended forming an independent body to monitor the performance and service quality of English medium schools. However, these recommendations could not be materialised due to the absence of the Education Act in Bangladesh. Since the Education Act could not be promulgated, the state organisation could not enforce the recommendations made in the policy.

Q. What are your recommendations to reform these institutions?

A. We need to take some immediate measures to reform these institutions. The government can set a maximum limit of fees in these schools according to the quality of their services. Recruitment of qualified teachers, better teaching-learning practices in the classroom and practice of co-curricular activities must be ensured.

Like in all other private schools, a managing committee with representation from guardians should be formed to run an English medium school. The government should form an independent commission to oversee the performance of English medium schools. Guidelines given by the High Court in 2017 were also very relevant to reform these schools.