National Education Policy Essay
Introduction: Education is the
harmonious development of body, mind, and soul. The tasks of education are to
create a complete citizen physically, mentally, and orally and prepare him for a
profession whereby he could earn his own livelihood and contribute to society. So education is the prerequisite to any kind of development of an individual
or a nation. So every nation should have an education policy for ensuring
quality and need-based education. Education policy refers to curriculum
development which includes analysis, goal setting, designing syllabus,
methodology, and evaluation. In a word, education policy serves as an axis on
which the whole education system revolves.
History of education policy in
Bangladesh: During the British and Pakistani rule we did not have any education
policy. At that time education was mainly reserved for the wealthy class. It was
very scarce but those who had the means of acquiring it were no longer
considered second-class citizens. After the liberation of Bangladesh, the
government formed as many as seven education commissions and committees but not
a single recommendation has been fully implemented.
Education system in Bangladesh: The
education system in Bangladesh is three-tiered and highly subsidized. Article 17
of the constitution of Bangladesh provides that all children between the ages of
six and ten years receive a basic education without any tuition fees. The three
main educational systems in Bangladesh are:
- General education system
- Madrasah education system
- Technical and vocational education system.
Education Commission: In order to
introduce a modern scientific, effective, and life-based education system the government
gives the highest priority to the improvement of the education sector. With this
objective, the government of Bangladesh formed seven education commissions and
committees since the independence of the country.
Qudrat-e-Khuda Education policy:
Commission: In 1972 the first education
commission was formed headed by the leading educationist and scientist Dr. Qudrat-e-khuda.
The commission submitted its report to the government in 1974. Qudrat-e-Khuda
Commission suggested some major changes in the primary, secondary, and higher
secondary stages of education.
Mofiz Uddin Education Commission: After
the publication of the Qudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission report, some of its
recommendations were implemented. In 1979 another commission headed by Mofiz
Uddin was formed to receive the report. The committee submitted its report
in 1988.
Shamsul Haque Education Committee: Since
the report and recommendations of the Qudrat-e-Khuda Commission could not be
implemented the need for original qualitative change in our education system
was felt by the government. With this view, the government of Bangladesh
constituted a 56-member committee headed by Prof. Shamsul Haque in 1997. The committee
has made all our efforts to develop an education policy for introducing a
pragmatic education system suitable for the country.
Dr.
MA Bari commission: An expert commission led by Dr. MA Bari was formed in 2002
to identify immediate implementable reforms in the education sector. The commission
suggested several recommendations which were considered later by the education
commission in 2003.
Mohammad Moniruzzaman Mia Commission: In
2003 another education commission headed by Dr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman Mia initiated a set of reforms to develop our educational system. The commission
submitted its report in March 2004.
National Education Advisory Council: Another
council in the name of the National Education Advisory Council was formed headed by
Kazi Ahmed and Abdul Baten.
National Education Policy Formulation Committee: The government constituted the National Education Policy Formulation Committee headed by Prof. Kobir Chowdhury on April 8, 2008, to formulate a modern national education policy in line with the Qudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission.
The committee submitted its report to
the Ministry of Education on September 2, 2009. Education Minister Nurul Islam
Nahid handed over the draft copy of the country’s new education policy to the
Prime Minister on September 7, 2009.
The committee recommended some major
changes in the primary, secondary, and higher secondary stages of education.
Management of Education: The Ministry
of Primary and Mass Education is entrusted with the responsibility of supervising
and controlling primary education. Secondary and Higher secondary levels of
education are controlled by the education boards. Directorate of Secondary and
Higher Secondary Education and the Education Ministry as a whole. The Madrasah
Education Board controls religious education while the Technical Education
Board controls technical and vocational education at the secondary level.
At the tertiary level Universities are
regulated by the University Grants Commission. Each of the Medical colleges is affiliated
with a public university. The government formed as many as seven education
commissions and committees since independence, but the reality is that not a
single recommendation by them has been implemented which has left our education
in a mess.
Conclusion: Ensuring a quality need-based and time-befitting education is the duty of the government. So a permanent
and up-to-date education policy is essential for the development of the education
sector of Bangladesh. Otherwise, we are sure to lag behind as a nation.
