The government often claims that a rising pass percentage in major public exams, such as SSC and HSC, reflects a marked improvement in the education sector. The Independent, however, found the claim to be far removed from the actual scenario. On July 18, education minister Nurul Islam Nahid claimed at a press briefing that the overall quality of education has improved considerably only because of some steps taken by his ministry. He even praised his own department for the recent upward trend in the pass percentage in public exams.
The minister also said the pass percentages in English and science subjects have seen an increase of at least 10 per cent over the last year. He attributed it to the arrangement of extra classes for weaker students in about 4,000 educational institutions as well as to the training imparted to teachers at home and abroad.
The minister made similar claims after the publication of the SSC results on May 7 this year. The overall pass percentage this year stood at more than 86 per cent.
The Independent, however, in its investigation found no valid reason to back the minister’s claim. According to government survey reports, the quality of English and mathematics teachers remains below par in the country. The investigation reveals that the government’s initiative to offer extra English and mathematics classes, under a donor-funded project worth Tk. 1200 crore, has been suspended because of corruption. Another project for the training of English teachers, worth Tk. 40 crore, has also been shelved because of a funds crunch. Again, the government’s initiative to improve science education has also met the same fate.
Investigations carried out by The Independent show that nearly 50 per cent of the successful candidates in SSC and HSC exams this year did not have basic knowledge of English and mathematics when they were in class VI and VIII.
Though Nahid claimed that extra classes for English and Mathematics in more than 4,000 educational institutions had benefited the students immensely, The Independent investigations have exposed the dark side of the story.
On March 10, 2011, Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP) director Md Sirajul Islam sent an order to 121 upazila secondary education officers, directing them to stop the programme as teachers had allegedly taken money without even making arrangements for extra classes. A copy of the order reads, “You [upazila secondary education officers] are asked to prepare and send the list of teachers who took the money without taking extra classes by March 31.”
When asked about corruption in the project, Islam said, “This project has cost us Tk. 20 crore since June 2009. The teachers pocketed a considerable amount of money. I wanted to make the project free from corruption, but I had to leave.” He was transferred from the project in April this year.
The SEQAEP, worth Tk. 1200 crore, is financed by the World Bank (WB). In 2011, the WB threatened to suspend its funding after discovering that supplementary materials for English and Mathematics were purchased after flouting public procurement rules.
A probe committee, headed by a joint secretary of the education ministry, found at least 12 officials of the project to be guilty, and recommended departmental action against them.
A 27-member committee was formed in September 2010 to identify the obstacles to science education and find ways to make science subjects popular with students. But the committee never submitted its report to the government.
The committee was granted extensions twice by the ministry, one till January 30, 2011 and another for two more weeks. “I cannot invite them to a meeting as I can’t provide sitting allowances for the members. The report has not been prepared till today,” said Prof. Md Sirajul Haque, member-secretary of the committee.
Committee chief Prof. Rashid was not available for comment. The chairman of the University Grants Commission, vice-chancellors of Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Khulna University of Science and Technology are members of the committee.
-With The Independent input
