Secondary Education in Bangladesh

Proshanto Kumar Saha

Assistant Teacher

Thakurakona Rahim Uddin High School.

e-mail: [email protected]

Mobile: 01716-284662.

            Education is the backbone of a nation is known to all. But Secondary Education which is the backbone of education and social development is unknown to many of us. Though Primary Education is the base of Education, the learners are too small to understand the benefit of education and the process of education. As a result, many of them cannot utilize the knowledge which they achieve from Primary education. On the other hand, little part of learners can receive higher education. So the main and foremost role is played by secondary education and finally, secondary education plays an important role in the field of social development. A man, who receives secondary education, can apply his/her education in real life even without achieving higher education. Especially most of the rural women can’t get higher education but they play an important role in social development. Now, the question is, “What is social development?” Social development means population control, sanitation, health, nutrition, childcare, behaviour, child education and cultural development. Secondary education also creates social awareness about their rights and responsibilities. It also frees the people from vulnerable and exploitations from the politicians. This also frees them from doubts and superstition. Getting secondary education, the people would be better able to appreciate national problems, thus strengthen the hands of the government, rather than misguided by vested and sectarian interest.  If we look at the society, we can see most of all the above factors are dominated by women. And if we compare a primary passed women or an illiterate women to a secondary level passed women, we find a great difference between them in social development activities. A secondary level passed woman is more conscious than an illiterate woman. According to history, we find that Alexander the great said, “If you give me an educated mother, I shall give you an educated nation.” We can here mention another quote given by Lord Brougham, “Education makes the people easy to lead, but difficult to drive, easy to govern, but impossible to Enslave.” Actually, they said about the secondary level education. Because they knew that higher education is not possible for mass people and the women who received primary education could not apply it in their life. So, the secondary education must be more practical. Besides, course and teaching method should be designed more consciously and reality based. It is imperative for any government to ensure, that there is a proper education system for its youth who are the future of the nation. This should not only take care of aspirations of the people but also cater to the growth and economic development of the country.  But our present education system has failed on counts and hence has outlived its usefulness.  Unfortunately, we in Bangladesh have still persisted with the system devised by the British, which enable them to rule over this hapless country for over two hundred years. This system suited them to meet their requirement of clerks and assistants. It is indeed a matter of shame that even about a half century of our independence we have still not been able to remove the shackles of this outdated system. Apart from preparing him for gainful employment, it does not even prepare them for life. The overemphasis of passing through theoretical examination, at the end of the year, leads to highly subjective assessment of individual’s true potential and depth knowledge. Thus we find students resorting to selective cramming to obtain excellent grades in the examinations. Those with more ingenuity are able to resorting to cheating and manipulating marks, reducing the system to a farce. This is but an irony, for instead of imbibing good values, it rewards those resorting to cheating and using unfair means. Though the present government has included some real life based courses in our National Education Policy, they are not implemented properly. So, for development of the society, secondary education should be mandatory. Besides, for increasing the awareness of the mass people, seminar, symposium and champagnes should be arranged. To ensure the qualitative education, teachers should be well trained and recruiting authority should ensure appointing well qualified teachers. It is therefore imperative, that as we enter the new millennium, we replace the structure of exam with more humane, objective and forward looking system. Where there is more stress on character building and practical. We want a system where the youth will not only grow up with health but also with wholesome knowledge for his own as well as the nation’s progress. Finally I would like to request the government and all other concerns to be more practical and exam system should be changed. It should be included Viva, practical as well as theoretical matter in our exam system. For which student have to be more practical rather than memorizing. Besides, it should ensure that no student can answer any questions from any guide or note books. Then the students will try to understand the theme of the topics and will be able to make questions and answers by own self. The teachers should be trained and have to motivate the student not to memorize. The authority must imperative to monitoring all the functions and activities. In the field of secondary education government have to imperative to monitor his officers and staffs who are responsible to monitor the teachers and the institutions. Because there are several institutions and posts of the government to monitor the secondary level institutions but these offices and officers only take some paper documents. Actually they never monitor the activities of the teacher and institutions. Even if some officers visit some institutions, they want to show their power instead of giving feedback.

I hope that the government will take proper steps to ensure the proper monitoring with feedback as well as arranging monthly seminars in upzilla level so that the teachers can share their idea and experience with others. Finally, I hope that Our education system will be developed and our young generation will be prepared as a true educated person instead of a certificate holder.    If we can ensure this, our social as well as economic development will grow rapidly.