Why no commission for education reform?

The interim government has formed several commissions to implement reforms in various sectors. These committees have already submitted their reports with recommendations to the government. However, the unfortunate reality is that no commission has been formed to reform the nation’s backbone — the education system. Although several commissions in the past have submitted reports for educational reforms, no government has implemented the recommendations of these education commissions. As a result, the current education system is unable to meet the demands of the times. We are producing a highly educated workforce, but there are doubts about how well-educated they actually are and whether they can contribute to building a prosperous state. Without creating a modern, technology-driven, and vocational education system, the nation will never reach its desired goals. The workforce our education system is producing is not capable of competing on the international stage.

Once, Bangladesh’s educational institutions ranked highly in international ratings. But that is no longer the case. There is now less emphasis on research in the country’s universities, and as a result, the current education system is not contributing significantly to the development of talent. The budget allocation for the education sector is insufficient every year. Most of this allocated money is spent on infrastructural development. The budget for education research is very limited, which means we are unable to produce high-quality researchers from universities.

According to UNESCO, at least 6 per cent of a country's GDP should be allocated to the education sector. The majority of this allocated money should be used for research activities. However, the amount allocated to education in Bangladesh’s national budget every year is less than 2 per cent of the GDP. A large portion of the funds allocated to education is spent on infrastructural development, leaving little to no funds for research. As a result, the quality of education is steadily declining. In general, the standard of education has been deteriorating to the point that it is beyond description. The quality of education in this region in the 1960s was much higher, but after independence, it gradually started to decline. Now, the situation is such that the graduates we are producing are practically semi-educated graduates. Most of them cannot be considered well-educated graduates. The pursuit of knowledge and intellectual development, as we understand it, is severely hindered in our universities, which is why we are witnessing this decline in educational quality. Based on my experience, I have identified two main reasons for this.

Firstly, after the establishment of Bangladesh, the national decision was made to provide higher education in Bengali. The responsibility was given to the Bangla Academy to write the necessary books in Bengali and translate foreign books into Bengali. However, the Bangla Academy has not been successful in fulfilling this responsibility. As educators and researchers, we have also failed to produce an adequate amount of books to meet demand. As a result, students are dependent on foreign language books, particularly those written in English. Unfortunately, most students are unable to properly grasp the content of books written in English. Therefore, the flow of knowledge has not expanded as it should have. This is because there is no substitute for books when it comes to acquiring knowledge.

Knowledge can be acquired through books, and it is also possible to gain knowledge from the lectures provided by teachers in the classroom. However, for a teacher to conduct a class effectively, they must rely on books to prepare. Therefore, there is no substitute for books when it comes to acquiring knowledge. Unfortunately, in our context, we do not have access to an adequate number of high-quality books. Additionally, since most of these books are written in foreign languages, especially in English, it is not always possible for a student to fully comprehend the content by reading them. Many students resort to memorizing notes from previous students and participate in exams based on those notes. This method does not facilitate genuine learning. If students are unable to understand what they read in books, where will they acquire knowledge from?

Secondly, if there were alternative ways to acquire knowledge in Bengali, such as having an adequate number of books available in the Bengali language, students could have gained the necessary knowledge from there. Globally, learning in one's mother tongue is considered the easiest and most effective method. This is why it is essential to have a sufficient number of books in various subjects available in the mother tongue. Unfortunately, we have failed to meet this need. Since independence, the majority of individuals appointed as teachers have been of very low quality. Some of these individuals were appointed as university professors even though they did not have the minimum qualifications to be a teacher. Primarily, they were appointed based on political loyalty. Of course, not all teachers fall into this category. There are some good teachers who regularly engage in studying and research. However, there is a large number of teachers whose qualifications are questionable. The main goal of those unqualified individuals who are appointed as university professors is not the enhancement of educational quality, but rather how to maintain their job by satisfying certain vested quarters.

In a noble profession like teaching, no one should be appointed based on political considerations, especially if they are unqualified. Unfortunately, in recent times, we have observed with sadness that, in most cases, political loyalty has been given the highest priority when it comes to teacher appointments. Particularly in the last 15 and a half years, teachers have been appointed based on political allegiance rather than merit and qualifications. As a result, after being appointed as teachers, many of them have engaged in political activities instead of focusing on intellectual development. Their efforts have been directed at pleasing the ruling group, rather than flourishing education. A university professor is one of the most respected individuals in the country, but if they engage in political allegiance, how can the quality of education improve? There are even university professors who have used students to maintain their positions. They have ignored or turned a blind eye to acts of violence. Terrorism has entrenched itself in most universities. Such violent activities have severely disrupted the educational environment. Political appointee teachers did not take any action to curb the violence carried out by the ruling party’s student organization, as they feared it would jeopardize their own positions. Taking advantage of this, some leaders and activists of the pro-government student organizations became deeply involved in extortion and criminal activities.

As a teacher, I have no hesitation in admitting that we have failed to provide appropriate education to our students. We have failed to deliver the level of education expected by the nation. A teacher deserves universal respect, but due to widespread political alignment, sycophancy, and partisanship, the dignity of teachers has been diminished. After the July- August movement, there have been incidents where teachers were attacked in different parts of the country. Teachers were humiliated. This is deeply unfortunate. Such behavior towards a teacher is never acceptable. However, due to some teachers’ excessive loyalty to political parties, angry students have disrespected them. As a teacher, I strongly condemn such insolent behavior.

A teacher is a universally respected figure. It is not appropriate for a teacher to show loyalty to any political party. Unfortunately, it is a sad truth that the behavior of some teachers today makes them seem more like active political party workers than educators. This is completely unacceptable. There was a time when qualifications were prioritized in teacher recruitment, and at that time, the quality of education was not as severely declining. The highest authority in a university is the vice-chancellor. However, nowadays, vice-chancellors are appointed from among those teachers who can show absolute loyalty to the government. There are even rumors that some vice-chancellors have had to pay certain groups to secure their positions. But the vice-chancellor should be someone who is an academic, a researcher, and someone who is always engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. Only such a person will be able to understand the needs of students and ensure their proper development as citizens. They should be someone who can speak the truth in any situation. But if we appoint someone who only engages in political allegiance, how can they work for the betterment of students?

For the past 15 and a half years, the country has not experienced democracy. People have been unable to exercise their voting rights. However, has any university vice-chancellor ever told the government to restore democracy and people's voting rights? Instead, university vice-chancellors remained busy praising the government. They spoke the same language as the head of the government. Upon hearing their praise, the government believed that no one else could do better, and they were presented as role models of development. However, any development that violates democracy, the rule of law, and basic human rights can never be genuine development. But what did we witness in 1971? Many university teachers spoke out against the Pakistani rulers. Some even sacrificed their lives while protesting against injustice, yet they never strayed from the path of righteousness.

It is being learned that private universities will start awarding doctoral degrees. Personally, I do not support this initiative at all. The quality of education in most private universities is not up to standard. In some private universities, degrees are practically sold. By spending money, one can buy a certificate. While some private universities maintain a decent standard of education, the majority do not meet the desired level. Unfortunately, most of the private universities are owned by businesspeople who consider the university as a business institution. As a result, higher education has become commercialized. Mainly, the children of the upper class attend these private universities. Many private university owners view universities just like any other commercial project, similar to the garment industry. However, private universities were initially established with noble intentions. The law under which private universities were founded in 1992 was very logical and timely. At that time, despite a large number of students passing their exams, they could not find space in universities due to a lack of seats. At that time, I was the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Dhaka University.

We, a delegation of teachers, met with then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to highlight various issues faced by educational institutions. We informed Begum Khaleda Zia that many students, after passing secondary exams, were unable to gain university admission due to a shortage of seats. Many students, unable to enroll in good educational institutions in the country, went abroad to countries like India and others for further studies. The Prime Minister, after hearing our concerns, was very saddened. She said, "It is concerning that so many students are leaving the country for education. To prevent this, you must make provisions for increasing student enrollment." We informed her that universities could not simply enroll more students as seats were limited. We then requested permission to establish private universities. After hearing our request, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia showed a lot of interest in the matter.

Subsequently, a draft law related to the establishment of private universities was prepared, and steps were taken to pass it in the national parliament. I was personally involved in drafting the law concerning the establishment of private universities. After the law was passed, four or five private universities were established, which gained recognition as good-quality institutions. However, later on, due to political considerations, the government began granting permission for the establishment of private universities, leading to mushrooming number of universities. This created an opportunity for the establishment of universities whose educational standards are now being questioned. Many private universities became involved in unfair competition. Some universities even began selling certificates in exchange for money.

Dr Anwarullah Chowdhury: Former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University and Former Ambassador
Transcribed by: M.A. Khaleque