Education is a well-organized combination of body, mind and soul. Students and teachers must have a method of mutual learning and teaching that is universally acceptable and far-reaching. In our country, taking exams is a very common practice in the education system. Students have to face a strange kind of admission test before they are admitted to the school. Otherwise, no student can be admitted in any class. This trend continues in all levels of education in Bangladesh. It is good to have a merit assessment of students but if it is done in a certain format then it can create a kind of phobia in the mind of students.
In 1789, the English poet William Blake wrote a poem called The School Boy. The school boy was choked in the suffocating atmosphere of the school. She felt unhappy with the harsh and unhappy teaching of the teachers. She wanted to enjoy the song of birds in every tree on a summer morning outside the school. She begged her parents to rescue her from that school bondage. Standing at the end of 2021, we still hear the echo of the boy’s pitiful pleas in Blake’s poem. The boy is basically the symbolic form of our children. Getting an education is a fundamental right of every child and this education must be through joy. And under that joy there will be attraction. The student needs to be awakened to the dream that he will not fall asleep. In reality, we will move forward on the path of that dream.
The subject of teaching through joy is absent in the primary curriculum but there is a huge burden of exams, because of which the children’s fairytale childhood has been strangled to death. The fact that a ten-year-old child is taking part in a board exam – the issue is putting so much pressure on the family and the child – has not been taken into account by anyone involved in education. Not only in class five but also in class eight, junior school certificate examination has been started since 2010. As a result, the children grew up in fear of exams. The birthright of a child to have a reliant and joyful childhood has been twisted.
Nothing will ever bring back a lost childhood in a child’s life. Creative methods have been introduced in secondary education since 2007 and Primary since 2012 with the aim of ending memorization based education. It was said that by practicing this method the students would go a long way in knowledge and skills. In reality, nothing much has happened. In many cases teachers did not understand this method properly. But the booksellers have done a very good business. The coaching center was also in full swing.
There has been talk of reducing stress and burden on subjects and textbooks. Students are asked to be motivated to excel in knowledge and skills, not for a certificate. Continuous assessment has been given priority over testing. No test was held till class III. These students will be assessed based on learning activities. Periodic assessment from class IV to class XII as well as examinations have been included. Ten types of learning fields have been selected considering the time and situation after the Fourth Industrial Revolution and COVID-19. Notable among the topics are: language and communication, life & livelihood, physical & mental health, safety & security, values & ethics, and art & culture.
Language is the main medium of person-to-person communication. Much can be said from different perspectives about how much our students are acquiring these language skills. It is only when they apply for a job after completing their formal education that one realises their linguistic skills! Again, most of the students are not able to acquire the skills of writing and speaking English even after compulsory reading of English subjects till class XII. That is why language and communication are very important. The most important of the 10 things is: life and livelihood. According to Herbert Spencer, “The job of education is to make people fit for life and livelihood.” Making people fit for a living may seem easy, but making them fit for life is not an easy task.
What is life? Everything in the world is involved with life. The main goal of education is to combine the daily life of a person with a positive attitude towards everything close to life so that he can become an ideal citizen. Health is the key to all happiness – we have been hearing since childhood. But who doesn’t know that in our country, the issue of physical health protection is the most neglected. In a country like ours, mental health is unthinkable. The prerequisite for any work is to stay healthy. If students are not physically and mentally healthy, how will they learn to read? Especially in this age of information technology, the issue of mental health is very important. Students will surely learn values and ethics from family, school and playground environment and teachers. Students will not be able to fully absorb the language, race, country and world without acquiring real knowledge about art and culture.
Students outside the family first face socialization in school. The role of the teacher is the main one there. Teachers need to be kind, caring and student-friendly. Above all, the teacher must have unconditional love for the student. The teacher must have sufficient knowledge of the subject to be taught. Besides, the teacher’s own life should be dependable and joyful. In this case, talented and young people should be encouraged to come into the teaching profession. The issue of increasing their financial well-being and social status is very relevant. It is very important to gain experience in this regard from the advanced education system.
In the new curriculum, assessment is given more importance than examination – this is certainly commendable. What could be more enjoyable than learning through co-curricular activities? Naturally the question arises as to the curriculum that will be conducted under the supervision of the teachers with their knowledge, skills and mentality. Transparency and fidelity are also important in the continuous assessment of students through co-curricular activities. In that case, the government needs to ensure, among other things, the place of trust and objectivity through specific policies. Whatever the subject of co-educational activities, the learning process of the student should be done with joy. Co-curricular activities will inspire a student to be curious, creative and develop his or her intelligence properly.
Despite the conflict with the education policy formulated in 2010, the new curriculum announced by the government has to be called a great initiative. But without involving the expert teachers who are directly experienced in teaching at the school and college level, if only university teachers prepare the curriculum and books, will it be possible for the government to reach the sacred goal of establishing an education method where students can learn through joy and happiness? I believe, school and college teachers can share their effective ideas to compose quality, up-to-date and student-friendly textbooks for a beautiful education system in Bangladesh. Finally, the education has to be ever joyful, delectable, pleasant and very lovely.
The writer is Principal, Daffodil International School (DIS), Dhaka
[Collected from The Daily Sun dated 16 February 2023].
