Priority should have been building schools, not Padma Bridge

We need the most reform at the primary and secondary education levels. Our current education policy was established in 1854 by the British. The core idea was that if someone took the initiative to establish a school, the government would provide a 10% grant. We still carry this legacy, as reflected in the name 'University Grants Commission.' The British government provided this grant to lower schools: if you established a school, provided the land, and constructed the building, the British government would cover 10% of the teacher's salaries. This tradition continues even today.

In Bangladesh, 97% of secondary schools are still managed privately. Teachers' salaries are irregular, with no standardized pay scale or job security. How can you expect good secondary school teachers in such a situation? The entire foundation of education lies in secondary schools, yet we have no real concern about it, at least at the policy level. It's a neglected area. There is some discussion around primary education, mainly because the United Nations and NGOs talk about it, so we follow suit. My friend Binayak Sen has applauded the increase in female enrollment in primary schools. We take great pride in achieving near gender parity in school enrollment in Bangladesh, with almost a 50-50 ratio of boys to girls. This is indeed a significant achievement.

However, after fifth grade, about 80% of students drop out. Even if we conservatively estimate, around 25% drop out. Why do they drop out? There’s a common belief that girls are married off at an early age, often before reaching the eighth grade. Many boys also drop out, leaving their studies to start working. This situation has been legitimized by a UN initiative, the UCEP schools, which offer non-formal education. No one wants to discuss this issue; they simply say that four years of schooling is enough for poor children, while our children need to study for five years. Meanwhile, the children of the wealthy are sent to cadet colleges starting at age seven. Why do cadet colleges start from the seventh grade? Because the primary education stage is considered to be six years long. This was learned from Europe.

The UCEP schools begin from the seventh grade, and our cadet colleges have followed this model successfully. Look at the structure of the cadet colleges; Faujdarhat Cadet College started in 1957, coincidentally the year I was born. These schools offer six years of education. But why this disparity? Cadet colleges were established to produce military officers, not Rabindranaths. The primary goal of cadet college education is to create military officers, but only half of them actually become officers. However, they do receive a good education and go on to other prestigious positions.

I'm not suggesting that cadet colleges should be closed; rather, I believe every high school should be like them. The reality is, we lack the capacity for this. I'm not even talking about the money we've wasted or the funds that have been laundered abroad—Debapriya Bhattacharya can discuss that. I just want to ask a few questions: Where is Rehman Sobhan now? Where is Debapriya? They once said that creating an economic corridor through Bangladesh for India would improve our financial situation. I wonder what they would say now. I eagerly await the investigation report they will provide.

It wouldn't take more than the money we've wasted—if we spent just 10 to 15 percent of that amount, we could turn every high school into a cadet college. How can children study if they don't have enough to eat? What do cadet colleges do? They feed the students, allow them to play sports, and have physical training sessions. I don't particularly like the overly military discipline, but I noticed that the relationship between students and teachers there is good. The classes are small, but look at high school classes: they are large, packed with students, and those sitting at the back can't even hear what the teacher at the front is saying.

When Dhaka University started, it began with 700 to 800 students. The distinctive feature of tutorial classes is that they consist of 10 to 12 students, allowing them to develop a close relationship with their professors, who supervise their tutorials. The term "class" actually refers to a tutorial class. This was different from Kolkata University. Dhaka University was established as a residential university.

If education is to continue, there is only one rule that applies worldwide: "There is one race across the world, and that race is humanity." You can divide people by religion, but when it comes to the age and needs of education, it is the same for all, regardless of nationality. A student's most critical years are up to the age of 18. Depending on the country, you might add another two years, but that's it. In earlier times, it was said that if a child starts school at age 6, they should complete sixth grade by age 12. Between ages 13 and 18, foundational education should be completed. Even then, you might not know what goals you want to achieve in life. When you enroll in college or university, the two years you spend with your teachers, having various discussions, writing on different topics, and visiting libraries, help shape your preferences. This is essential for learning, but we fail to do this, making education unenjoyable for us.

We often say that rote learning is the root of all evil. However, if a student can't memorize, or doesn't learn the value of hard work from an early age, they will lack interest in learning later on. There's a lot of debate about education. Rousseau suggested that no books should be given to children until they are 16—they should learn from nature. But this is an overly romantic view. Rousseau wrote an entire book on education called "Emile," where his main point is that there should be one student and one teacher. Is that ratio possible? No, it's not. On the other hand, Antonio Gramsci said, "Education is labor." Education is hard work, so you must invest in it. You have to teach children discipline. The early school years, from first to sixth grade, should be active learning. Children need to learn what to read, how to learn Bengali, how to understand math, what their relationship with nature is, and how humans relate to one another. This is what we call moral values—understanding good and bad.

The discipline of applying logic develops from an early age, and then it must be nurtured with creativity. The joy of solving math problems is creativity. Through this creativity, they should be taught. To teach children, skilled teachers are also necessary. Do we have those skilled teachers? If we can properly nurture children in primary and secondary schools, we won't have to worry much about them later. We've neglected primary and secondary education the most. In the last 78 years, we haven't paid any attention to it. How can you find good teachers for a salary of 10 to 15 thousand taka? How can you provide quality education to teachers? This is what we call an empty promise. We don't have that kind of money, and even if we did, we would spend it on other things—like building metro rail or the Padma Bridge. Before building the Padma Bridge, our priority should have been to build primary schools.

(This excerpt is taken from Professor Salimullah Khan's speech at the discussion titled 'Post-Uprising Bangladesh: Some Proposals on Education.')

Salimullah Khan: Thinker and Professor, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.