Quality of education needs improvement

Education is a crucial tool for improving the quality of life for citizens in any country. In this regard, one of the major achievements of the education sector in Bangladesh is the increase in the pass rate of SSC and equivalent examinations. The results of the SSC and equivalent examinations for 2024 were published last Sunday (May 12).

According to the education board, the overall pass rate in this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations for the 9 general, madrasa and technical boards is 83.04 percent. This year, a total of 20 lakh 24 thousand 192 examinees from 11 education boards appeared in the examination. In a comparative evaluation, the pass rate has increased this year compared to last year.

However, the reflection of good results of many students is not seen in their working life in that way. At the same time, employers and educationists have raised questions about the extent to which the quality of education is increasing in line with the increasing pass rate. The issue of lack of quality has also been seen significantly in university admission tests in recent years.

Even three decades ago, the pass rate in secondary examinations was between 30 and 50 percent. And at present, the pass rate is almost double that of the past. Educationists believe that the current grading system of education, the laxity in paper evaluation and the changes in the education system are responsible for such results.

Let's now know some statistics: No university in Bangladesh is on the list of the top 500 universities in Asia. Countless public universities in the country do not have their own land and buildings. The results of the admission test for the first year undergraduate program of the 2023-2024 academic year of Dhaka University for 'Arts, Law and Social Science Unit', 'Science Unit', 'Business Education Unit' and 'Fine Arts Unit' show that an average of 88.99 percent of the total admission seekers in 4 units could not pass. The Vice-Chancellor of the university said that such a situation is due to the lack of cognitive power of the admission seekers. These statistics are very recent.

One issue has been widely discussed for the past few years after the publication of the university admission test results. That is, what percentage has passed. If the 'pass rate is low', there is a lot of discussion and criticism about it on social media. The media is also publishing news headlines about the pass rate these days. This has led many to question the overall state of the country's education system. At the same time, they are becoming skeptical about the talent and ability of the students. Education must be job-oriented and productive. In this case, the most importance has been given to research in the education sector.

The more research is done on education, the more its problems and crisis areas will come out. If these are identified and resolved, it will be possible to ensure quality education. The 2 to 3 hours examination that is conducted every year to test and pass the merit in the country does not allow the students to reflect their true merit. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate a student throughout the year. In this case, the 1948 Declaration of the United Nations clearly states that primary education should be for all. Secondary education should be vocational, which will create an employable population. Higher education will be recruited on the basis of merit. Those who are meritorious will take higher education. In this case, there is a lot of inequality and discrimination in the country's education system. There is a lack of good teachers and allegations of teacher recruitment on the basis of nepotism and political considerations. This has had an impact on education.

Finally, I would like to say that congratulations to all those who have passed this year's SSC and equivalent examinations. Those who have failed, there is nothing to be disappointed about. Because if you try, you will succeed. At the same time, the authorities will have to emphasize on modern training of teachers, organizing various creative co-curricular activities, regular monitoring and research for the development of the quality of education in the country. Otherwise, the pass rate in the country will increase but the quality of education will not increase.