Transform primary schools as centre of excellence

Illustration: TBS

With five decades of experience in teaching, I have observed some fundamental shortcomings in our education system. The primary issue is the lack of political will, which has resulted in one of the lowest education budgets in South Asia in terms of GDP percentage.

When the Kudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission was formed, there was a glimpse of hope that our education system might take a new direction. The commission had recommended allocating 5%-7% of GDP to education. However, that never materialised. Decades have passed since then, yet no political initiative has been taken to significantly increase the education budget.

Improving education requires hiring competent teachers, providing them with a separate pay structure, and enabling them to teach with dedication and expertise. However, recruiting meritorious teachers has been consistently neglected – primarily due to a lack of political will.

While we have spent substantial amounts on various sectors, particularly on infrastructure development, we have failed to build the capacity of our own people to undertake these projects. Instead, foreign entities execute these tasks in exchange for hefty payments or loans, which only burden us further. We take pride in such developments, yet they do little to enhance our own capabilities.

Secondly, no government has ever truly established a comprehensive education commission. While commissions have been formed, they have never been backed by adequate funding. What is the point of a commission if there is no financial commitment? Reports are published with grand statements, yet no budget is allocated to implement the recommendations.

Despite this, I had suggested a step-by-step approach to essential reforms, starting with the declaration of a centre of excellence for primary schools. The government should prioritise primary education by making the highest investment in these schools. Salaries and benefits for quality teachers must be allocated in the budget. Unfortunately, there is no clear education policy or strategic direction. Even now, there is reluctance to establish an education commission.

A commission for education reform is more urgent than ever. If this government had truly prioritised education and allocated even 3%-4% of GDP in the budget, future governments could have continued this momentum.

The 2010 education policy clearly stated that primary school should extend up to Class 8, yet no government has implemented this provision. The policy remains ignored.

The third major issue is the bureaucratisation and politicisation of education administration. Decision-making in the education sector is dominated entirely by bureaucrats. A secretary in one ministry today is transferred to oversee education tomorrow – yet how much does he truly understand about education?

If our education system remains under the control of bureaucrats and politicians – many of whom are more interested in serving their own interests rather than improving the system – then how far can our education truly progress?

There is serious doubt about whether policymakers genuinely care about education. The quality of education has hardly improved, and no political party has made a clear, unwavering commitment to education. We have yet to see a pledge to allocate a fixed percentage of GDP to education and increase primary school teachers' salaries.

Back in 2008 or 2009, I suggested that primary school teachers should be paid at least Tk40,000 in line with market rates. Many laughed at the idea. Yet, if such salaries had been implemented, university graduates wouldn't have to stand in long lines outside libraries all day just to prepare for the BCS exam – a national embarrassment.

The politicisation of education has worsened to the extent that school governing bodies are often led by politically connected criminals. These individuals, who have no real interest in education, take over school management, hold meetings sitting in the headmaster's chair, and dictate school affairs. The same political influence is seen in how textbooks are altered based on ideological considerations, rather than educational needs.

So far, I have explained the background of our failure in knowledge and innovation. Information is knowledge, and by processing information, we generate meaningful learning. However, this fundamental concept is missing from our curriculum. It is not something that can be introduced in just one or two classes – it needs to be embedded from Class 1 onwards.

Unfortunately, we have never succeeded in this effort. Instead of fostering knowledge, we have created a memorisation-based education system, where students focus only on rote learning. We are producing test-takers, not true learners.

Even more troubling is the rise of coaching centres, which have taken over the role of schools. Why should students have to rely on private coaching for lessons that should be taught in schools?

Advancing knowledge requires high-quality, dedicated teachers who are committed to continuous learning and research. Additionally, essential logistical support – books, libraries, and computers – must be readily available.

Our children are exceptionally talented, yet they are not properly taught their mother tongue, let alone English. Even at the university level, our approach to knowledge production remains flawed, heavily reliant on rote memorisation. The semester system, instead of fostering critical thinking, has turned into a factory for memorisation. But where is the space for real academic inquiry in universities?

Only a tiny fraction of university budgets is allocated to research. Take Dhaka University's science laboratories, for instance – they are often underfunded and inadequately equipped. However, I believe that agricultural universities are an exception, as they engage in practical, impactful research. Their work has contributed significantly to increasing crop production, expanding fish farming, and cultivating new fruit varieties – all of which have had a direct impact on national progress.

The limited research that does take place is largely driven by the personal dedication of individual teachers rather than institutional support. Agricultural universities stand out because they conduct research that directly benefits the country's economy. Yet, when it comes to scholarships for higher education abroad, the government has no significant programmes in place.

Students who pursue foreign education do so entirely on their own initiative, without any structured support. While Buet maintains a high academic standard, institutions like Ruet and Cuet still have a long way to go in reaching that level of excellence.

If we can improve our engineering and technical education centres, they could become hubs of innovation. However, this requires adequate budget allocation, the recruitment of quality teachers, and the capacity-building of institutions from primary schools to universities. Schools and universities must be equipped with all necessary resources and incentives to attract talent.

If the right incentives are in place, just as graduates today rush to take the BCS exams, they would instead compete to become university professors or primary school teachers. This shift in priorities would bring about real change in our education system.

We need to look at examples from neighbouring countries. There was a time when Malaysian students came to study in Bangladesh. Now, Malaysia has transformed its education system to such an extent that students from Bangladesh and many other countries go there for higher education.

If we do not prioritise knowledge-building from the school level, we will never develop a strong education system at the university level. Many students entering universities struggle with Class 7-level English and Class 8-level Bangla, which highlights the failure of their early education.

Why does this happen? Because primary school teachers are still in distress. Instead of focusing on teaching, they are forced to protest in the streets, demanding decent salaries. If we had a system that ensured quality teachers were well-paid and respected, they would not have to resort to protests. In no developed country do primary school teachers have to take to the streets for fair wages.

A fundamental question remains – how can we foster innovation if our universities do not actively engage in knowledge creation? Instead of prioritising academic research, the Prime Minister's Office used to provide scholarships for bureaucrats to pursue higher education, while university professors are largely deprived of such opportunities.

This creates a paradox: public servants receive funding for PhDs, yet university faculty – who are actually responsible for producing and disseminating knowledge – are denied similar support. How can a country progress under such a system?

Bureaucrats may need training, but what will they achieve with PhDs? Will they enter academia? Will they engage in research?

Fifty-three years after independence, we should have been aiming for the skies, yet we have made little real progress. The root cause, time and again, is political dysfunction. There is a vast disconnect between the needs of the people and the priorities of those in power.

Today, global capital influences and controls education systems worldwide. The question is, can we break free from this model? Instead of blindly following foreign prescriptions, we must develop an education system tailored to our national needs. While learning from global best practices is important, our policies should not be dictated by external influences.

Syed Manzoorul Islam. Sketch: TBS