MANY newspapers observe that the Awami League-led government has done significant progress in education. The good thing is that the education policy has been passed during the government. Students get the textbooks in right time. Samaponi examinations in grade V and Junior School Certificate examinations have been introduced. All the history regarding Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been modified in the new text books and the achievement of freedom fighter and late president Ziaur Rahman has been left out. 
Those who are working in the education sector know very well what is happening. Earlier, students did depending on coaching centres, guide and note books from grade V and grade VIII.  I have few years’ experience working with disadvantaged students and found that they were also involved in coaching and private tuition.
Coaching centres have mushroomed, even in remote areas. The business of guide and note books has flourished, from the primary to the tertiary levels of education. But the government has hardly taken any effective measures to contain coaching, guide and note books businesses.
A report was published in a reputed English-language daily that Bangladesh has the less contact hour even among the SAARC countries. There are a lot of unnecessary holidays in the education sector. The teachers of secondary schools have got only around 40 working days for preparing the students for the 2nd term examinations. Is it possible to complete a huge syllabus in only 40 working days? There are some unscheduled holidays as well. The government knows it very well but hardly takes any initiative about this. And the same is happening for the other exams. There were 5,000 unnecessary educational institutions in the country, the report also said.
Allegations have it that less qualified people being recruited as teachers in exchange for bribes to influential members of the ruling party. Meanwhile, crime and sexual harassments have increased significantly even in some leading educational institutions.
If the government wants to improve education, it needs to establish a separate public service commission for recruitment of teachers and also significantly increase teachers’ salary.
The incumbent government should establish some educational institutions to prepare people for the global market. The government can earn a huge amount of foreign currency by sending these better prepared people to the developed countries in the world.
Mawduda Hasnin
Raninagar, Rajshahi