Bangladesh News

Quality should be as important in improving education as literacy rates, said speakers at a policy roundtable yesterday. They also stressed the importance of increasing enrolment of minorities and disabled children in an effort to achieve universal education in Bangladesh by 2015.

The speakers also opened up discussion on the much disputed figures of literacy rate, saying there is a need for a common definition of literacy for greater consistency and coordination among different stakeholders in education development.

Education activists, former and current bureaucrats, NGO workers and academics participated in the roundtable styled “Education as a human right: Where are we?” jointly organised by Campaign for Popular Education (Campe), The Daily Star, Unesco and Brac University at Hotel Sheraton.

The participants pledged they will try, in their capacity, to ensure universal education, which is the second millennium development goal (MDG), by 2015.

Manzoor Ahmed, director of Brac University’s Institute of Education and Development, in his keynote presentation said except reduction in gender disparity, all other education-related MDGs for 2015 are not on track in Bangladesh.

He said more than half of primary school students, especially those with disabilities, living in urban slums, or those who are from ethnic minorities and ultra-poor families, drop out before completion.

Manzoor also said difference of quality in various streams of education–Bangla, English and madrasa–has reinforced divisions rather than facilitating social mobility.

“Education system and personnel management do not permit professionalism in key specialised areas and technical functions and decision-making,” he said.

In order to mitigate these problems, Manzoor proposed seven priority action points including guaranteeing minimum education quality, major decentralisation of local planning and greater school-level authority, increasing resources for education, expanding vocational skills at the basic level, and building education-professionals’ capacity.

He also said a permanent national education commission could be set up and a merger between the ministry of primary education and the ministry of education could be made.

Rasheda K Choudhury, director of Campe, noted in her opening remarks that the constitution states the access to education as a right of the Bangladeshi people, but it should be a basic human right.

She said all Bangladeshi children must be enrolled in schools by 2010 to achieve universal primary education by 2015. As the children from minority and indigenous groups and shoal areas alongside the disabled children are absent from schools, they need to be enrolled at the earliest.

Immediate past education minister Osman Farruk said there is a need for greater examination of the factors behind the high dropout rates. He identified infrastructure, quality of education, materials and distance as the principal factors.

Farruk also noted that primary education has to be made attractive to students, with a greater focus on teaching quality and a strengthened school feeding programme.

He said there is no point in self-gratification with inflated literacy figures.

Former caretaker government adviser and secretary Akbar Ali Khan expressed his fear that the education-related MDGs might not be implemented due to lack of funds.

He said Bangladeshi students only get $1 a day while meeting the MDGs requires $55 per day for each student by 2010. Akbar compared this lack of education funds from donors with high agricultural subsidies given in Europe.

He stressed that in lieu of these funds, a smarter strategic vision is required which needs to engender more innovative, non-conventional methods of education.

Former education minister ASHK Sadique said political commitment can sustain education policy and the policymakers have to look at the policy from a global perspective.

Unesco Country Representative Malama Meleisea hoped Bangladesh will soon sign the UN Convention Against Discrimination in Education. He stressed that the government needs to implement policies and structures that ensure the sustainability of education if it is to meet the education MDGs.

Former adviser Kazi Fazlur Rahman, also chairperson of Education Watch, stressed the need for decentralisation of policymaking and administration for the education sector. He also said there is more to achieve than just literacy.

Former adviser CM Shafi Sami observed that there is a need for political will for improvement in education while it also requires simultaneous improvement in human security.

Former cabinet secretary Sadaat Hossain said there is no need to be pessimistic about education in Bangladesh as primary school enrolment currently stands at 97 percent. He also said the current caretaker government should leave major education policy decisions for the next elected government to make.

Bangladesh Economic Association President Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said there is a need for a special arrangement for students who are left behind. He said there is a need for greater monitoring of maintaining a minimum standard of education quality in primary schools.

Ahmad noted that making primary education free is not enough and supplementary services need to be given to induce poor students to schools.

Prof Zillur Rahman Siddique, former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, said there needs to be greater and innovative community participation in education policy making.

Abdul Quaiyum, joint editor of Prothom Alo, said a greater social role to supplement the bureaucratic and administrative policy making on education is required.

Ayesha Khanam, general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, disagreed with Manzoor Ahmed that gender disparity has reduced in education. She said she feels the country’s education policy needs to be based on the philosophy of secularity, democracy, and equity.

Kazi Rafiqul Alam, president of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said the government should boost the literacy movement by injecting more money which is being recovered from the anti-corruption drive.

Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Shaheen Anam said girls have to deal with discrimination in education, sexual harassment and lack of security and sanitation facilities.

She also said there needs to be greater monitoring of the quality of education and more access to information on the use of government resources in education to ensure accountability and effective use of state resources.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Indigenous Poeple’s Forum Sanjeeb Drong said the indigenous people of Bangladesh are “truly politically handicapped” as indigenous children do not receive education in their mother language.

“We deserve the right to education in our own language, at least in primary schools,” he said.

The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam was the convener of the roundtable.

Other participants in the roundtable include: Shoaib Siddiqui, interim country director ActionAid-Bangladesh, Khandakar Jahurul Alam, president of NFOWD and Mostafa Quaium Khan, executive director of Coalition for the Urban Poor.