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today's paper >> back page >> published: 00:14 may 31, 2016 >> updated : 01:02 may 31, 2016
TV report shows abysmal state of education in Bangladesh
Tribune Desk
A TV report on the qualitative aspect of students who obtained GPA 5 – the highest score in a public school exam – in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam has revealed a horrific picture of how much knowledge the students are gaining in reality.
The report, made by a correspondent of private TV channel Maasranga Television, was aired recently where the reporter talked to random students from schools around Bangladesh.
The reporter asked the students basic questions both from their SSC curriculum and on general knowledge. The answers that came were nothing short of shocking.
The first question that was posed before the students was: What do GPA and SSC stand for? None of the students could answer the question.
When they were asked where Central Shaheed Minar is, or when the International Mother Language Day is, they said they did not know.
One student was asked where the capital of Nepal was. His answer was Neptune.
One of the students tried to explain why they had little to no grasp on general knowledge.
“I passed the SSC from science group. So I did not pay much attention to Bangla, history or social science; I only worked hard for the science subjects. I also do not read newspaper or books other than the text books,” he told Maasranga.
Which theory of Isaac Newton is taught in SSC, he could not answer.
Another science student was asked who Pythagoras was. His answer was: “A novelist.”
Educationists blamed the students' tendency of rote-learning instead of understanding what is written in the text books and their dependency on private coaching classes.
“We have seen how GPA 5 scorers have failed to pass the university admission tests,” said Dr Zafar Iqbal, educationist and professor at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. “It does not matter if the number of students obtaining GPA 5 increases every year, when the quality of that education is not ensured.”
Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman said: “Every Bangladeshi national should have the basic idea of their country's history, regardless of which group they belong to – science, business or humanities.”
The reporter also talked to several employers who voiced similar concern.
“We ask job applicants to write a short essay on common topics – for example, traffic congestion – when we interview them. The aim is to see their communication skills and thinking process. The results are disappointing every time. It is pretty bad,” said Aslam Beg, senior vice-president at Kohinoor Chemical Company Ltd.
Mixed reaction on social media
The report, which went viral on social media, generated quite a mixed reaction among people, reported UNB.
While one side is blaming all this on the rote-learning mentality of students, some even calling them “undeserving” and “empty-headed,” another side blames the country's education system.
Another group is criticising Maasranga for showing the students' faces on national TV.
One such viewer, named Razibul Huq, blamed the reporter for not blurring the students’ faces.
“It was an amateur mistake on his part, because he blatantly vilified the students on national television, with motif [sic]. In a country where teenagers commit suicide over trivial matters, this would force them to be the brunt of all the jokes and humiliations of their friends and peers.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/banglad...port-shows-abysmal-state-education-bangladesh
TV report shows abysmal state of education in Bangladesh
Tribune Desk
A TV report on the qualitative aspect of students who obtained GPA 5 – the highest score in a public school exam – in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam has revealed a horrific picture of how much knowledge the students are gaining in reality.
The report, made by a correspondent of private TV channel Maasranga Television, was aired recently where the reporter talked to random students from schools around Bangladesh.
The reporter asked the students basic questions both from their SSC curriculum and on general knowledge. The answers that came were nothing short of shocking.
The first question that was posed before the students was: What do GPA and SSC stand for? None of the students could answer the question.
When they were asked where Central Shaheed Minar is, or when the International Mother Language Day is, they said they did not know.
One student was asked where the capital of Nepal was. His answer was Neptune.
One of the students tried to explain why they had little to no grasp on general knowledge.
“I passed the SSC from science group. So I did not pay much attention to Bangla, history or social science; I only worked hard for the science subjects. I also do not read newspaper or books other than the text books,” he told Maasranga.
Which theory of Isaac Newton is taught in SSC, he could not answer.
Another science student was asked who Pythagoras was. His answer was: “A novelist.”
Educationists blamed the students' tendency of rote-learning instead of understanding what is written in the text books and their dependency on private coaching classes.
“We have seen how GPA 5 scorers have failed to pass the university admission tests,” said Dr Zafar Iqbal, educationist and professor at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. “It does not matter if the number of students obtaining GPA 5 increases every year, when the quality of that education is not ensured.”
Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman said: “Every Bangladeshi national should have the basic idea of their country's history, regardless of which group they belong to – science, business or humanities.”
The reporter also talked to several employers who voiced similar concern.
“We ask job applicants to write a short essay on common topics – for example, traffic congestion – when we interview them. The aim is to see their communication skills and thinking process. The results are disappointing every time. It is pretty bad,” said Aslam Beg, senior vice-president at Kohinoor Chemical Company Ltd.
Mixed reaction on social media
The report, which went viral on social media, generated quite a mixed reaction among people, reported UNB.
While one side is blaming all this on the rote-learning mentality of students, some even calling them “undeserving” and “empty-headed,” another side blames the country's education system.
Another group is criticising Maasranga for showing the students' faces on national TV.
One such viewer, named Razibul Huq, blamed the reporter for not blurring the students’ faces.
“It was an amateur mistake on his part, because he blatantly vilified the students on national television, with motif [sic]. In a country where teenagers commit suicide over trivial matters, this would force them to be the brunt of all the jokes and humiliations of their friends and peers.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/banglad...port-shows-abysmal-state-education-bangladesh