The Ministry of Education has been working since 2017 to introduce an outcome-based new curriculum following the developed countries’ education system. And finally, the ministry has partially introduced a new curriculum for primary and secondary level students since the begging of the current year.
But after implementation of the new curriculum for Class 1, VI and VII, people from all strata have criticised the ministry’s move and demanded the cancellation of the new curriculum. Even an unspecified number of guardians and university teachers, including those of Dhaka University, took to the streets protesting the new move.
All attempts to prevent the new curriculum went in vein as Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni took stand in favour of the new curriculum. In her every public speech, she showed her firm stance to implement the new curriculum saying that this is one of the best curriculums in the world. The minister also said she will implement the new curriculum at any cost.
Education experts, however, say that the ministry started implementing the new curriculum without preparing the teachers. They have urged the government all the year round to prepare the teachers for the new system.
They tried to show the reason behind almost failure of the immediate-past creative system saying that the ministry introduced the curriculum without taking proper initiative to make the teachers skilled.
As a result, 46 per cent teachers are still unable to prepare the question papers for the quarter and annual examinations. It took 11 years for 56 per cent teachers to adopt the creative system.
But a group of human rights activists were in favour of the new curriculum and they formed human chains to end misleading propaganda against it.
Apart from the new curriculum, non-government teachers’ hunger strike for nationalisation of their institutions, errors and controversial topics in new textbooks, appointment of 27 thousand teachers by Non-Government Teachers' Registration & Certification Authority (NTRCA), debate over the combined university admission test, and new policy for kindergarten and panic among students during strikes were the most-talked issues.
Protests throughout the year
A group of guardians under the banner of “Sammilito Shikkha Andolan” formed human chains, held press conferences and seminars demanding the cancellation of the new curriculum.
Rakhal Rahi, convener of the organisation, claimed that they took to the streets as their children were not gaining knowledge of their subjects.
They further claimed that they showed the fact about the curriculum but Detective Branch of Police arrested four individuals, including three teachers, on the charge of criticising and spreading propaganda about the new national curriculum and textbooks on social media platforms.
In the last week of November, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board filed a case describing the online activities as “misinformation”.
University Teachers' Network held a rally on the Dhaka University campus on December 13 protesting the new curriculum.
Prof Nasir Uddin of Jagannath University and one of the organsiers of the platform said, "In the new curriculum, 30 per cent of science activities have been kept and the rest have been removed. Art and culture, life, and livelihood subjects have been given priority, not science and mathematics. These may be part of technical education, not mainstream. If this continues, administrators and executives will have to be hired from abroad soon."
The protesters said the teacher-student ratio now stands at 1:37 at primary level and 1:45 at secondary level. The teacher-student ratio (TSR) in Bangladesh is far higher than the international standard ratio of 1:20. In most middle income nations, the ratio is 1:24 at primary level and 1:18 at secondary level.
MPO teachers’ hunger strike
The MPO-listed teachers observed a hunger strike for 23 consecutive days from July 21 demanding the nationalisation of the education system. Thousands of teachers joined the hunger strike and about a hundred teachers were admitted to hospitals for treatment as they fell ill during the strike.
Finally, the agitating teachers returned to classes on August 1 after getting assurance from deputy education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury MP.
Errors in books and controversial topics
There are many mistakes in English book for class VI. Similarly, plagiarism was detected in science textbook for class VII. It was found that contents from the website of the National Geographic were translated verbatim, using Google Translate, and without citing source. Mistakes were also found in three textbooks for the ninth and tenth grades.
Islamic parties also blamed for error presentations of some topics in the books.
Islami Oikya Jote President Maulana Abul Hasanat Amini said, “An attempt is being made to destroy the faith of Muslim students by adding obscene photos, idols, Darwinism and opposing facial hair and parda (hijjab) in textbooks.”
New curriculum at a glance
In 2023, students of classes I, II, VI and VII received textbooks under the new curriculum. Students of classes III, IV, VIII and IX will get new books in 2024, and 5th and 10th graders will receive new textbooks next year.
The ministry will distribute new books to the students of class XI in 2026 and class XII in 2027. As a result, students will sit for the SSC examinations under the new curriculum from 2026, and the HSC exams from 2028.
New policy for kindergarten
The country has around 55,000 private educational institutions – including nursery schools – which employ about eight lakh teachers. There are about 80 lakh students and 8 lakh teachers in schools.
The schools were running without taking any approval of the ministry or the relevant education boards. But from this year, schools must have an approval from the relevant boards. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to run the institutions.
It has mixed reactions from the government and school management. But the education experts welcomed the government’s decision.
Experts’ opinions
Professor Emeritus at Brac University Dr Manzoor Ahmed told The Business Post that it is possible to implement the new curriculum if initiative is taken to prepare teachers, devise a good recovery plan for school education, and implement it to prepare the ground for achieving the objectives of the new curriculum.
“Otherwise, the teachers and the students will be forced to depend on the traditional notes and guides. And the implementation of the new curriculum will turn into a wasted effort.”
Prof Dr Siddiqur Rahman, former director of Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University said, “The immediate-past curriculum could not be implemented properly due to a lack of quality teachers. Now the new one would face similar challenges due to teachers’ incapability.”
What does the ministry say?
The ministry says the curriculum depends on competency like a student's ability to communicate, collaborate, express themselves, honour other people's opinions, think critically, solve problems, learn languages, communication, mathematics and reasoning, science and technology, the ICT, environment and climate, and values and morality.
Subject orientation, delivery and distribution patterns will also change. Content will be made following the framework of the new curriculum.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni MP told The Business Post that some coaching centres, Facebook accounts and individuals with anti-government leaning were spreading propaganda about the new curriculum to mislead students and their parents. “But we are highly firm to implement the curriculum.”
