New education curriculum sparks concern over inequality and more

My student, who is currently studying at class Nine in one of Dhaka's renowned secondary schools, called me after her half-yearly exams to inform me that she was not going to prepare for her upcoming exams. That was because her teacher opted for an "open book" exam and every student already knew the correct answers as the questions had been leaked the night before the exam. My younger brother, who is also a high school student at a 'not-so-top' school in Sylhet, reported a similar scene.

I was supposed to be worried after hearing all these, but do not know why, I did not. Rather, I thought the curriculum was in reality mitigating the inequality between the rural and urban students even though experts claimed the new curriculum was receiving criticism from guardians and teachers alike.

But did we want to decrease inequality in a manner which prompted both my student and my brother to not choose to study for their tests? Definitely not.

Firstly, if we look at the elements of the new textbooks, they appear to be tailor made for urban students who have access to arguably the best teachers of the country (though the new curriculum promised it would reduce the cost of education as students would not be needing guide books or extra tuitions). But the question remains whether the curriculum is feasible for the rural students. The answer is a resounding no.

For example, the new curriculum teaches English as a single paper whereas in the previous curriculum, English was taught in two parts. The second paper focused on grammar and the first paper dealt with literature. The new curriculum heavily deducted the second paper, resulting in negligible grammatical and mostly keeping comprehension parts.

Previously, students outside of the major cities used to learn grammar from two sources: their school teacher and another supplementary grammar book. With these options no longer being available, how can we expect them to learn grammar, which is certainly the most important aspect when it comes to learning secondary-level English?

But for the urban students, it is not that big of a problem thanks to their access to private tutors.

Previously, the average performing rural students had the practice of starting their exam preparations on the eve of their tests. The new curriculum does not demand that. Furthermore, in hindsight the curriculum also discourages students who used to start their preparation weeks prior to their exams.

All they need to do is complete some assignment and group works assigned by the class teachers which are fairly easy because one can avail all the data and information from the internet.

It is true that, new curriculum makes the lessons more engaging and fun to learn for the students. But the question remains whether the students are really getting anything out of this more 'fun' curriculum. Do the rural school teachers have the capacity to teach them like their urban peers being taught by their school teachers? There are no definite answers. But, the overall condition is indicating something negative.

Another concerning thing is that rural school teachers are heavily underpaid which leads them to teach at coaching centres or even offer private tuitions to students whose families can afford them. The new curriculum is going to increase the fear among the average guardians regarding their kids not studying at all, and it will boost these teachers' coaching business in every possible way. And, it has two big problems: firstly these poor students being tutored by semi-skilled or not-so-skilled teachers and secondly, the mounting financial pressure on their families.

When the new curriculum came into light, many educationalists voiced their concerns regarding its applicability and the potential challenges. The guardians and the school teachers were worried. We expected the authority could understand our concerns. But, surprisingly, our concerns were never heard.

Lower middle class or lower income parents invest in their children's education so that their children can earn a 'good' life. They actually do not have any other option apart from educating their sons and daughters. For a rural kid, enrolling into a top university and getting a good career is something that the parents always wish for. Though the previous education curriculum was not that good, still there were elements through which the hard-working students could make it to the top local and foreign universities.

But, this new curriculum is basically a tough one for the rural students. Learning basic things like grammar and all would cost them a lot. On the other hand, for the urban kids, it was, is and will not be a problem.

The writer is currently working as a Program Growth and Development officer in a renowned development organisation. He completed his graduation in International Relations from University of Dhaka.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.