Unlocking Education in Bangladesh: Overcoming the Challenges of Policy Implementation
When discussing the education system of Bangladesh, an important issue arises – the relationship between the change in the management group and the reform of the education system. Since independence, all governments have taken various steps to improve the quality and structure of education, where the formation of various education commissions has played a special role. However, the recommendations of these commissions were often not fully implemented, mainly due to political instability, administrative weakness, and budgetary constraints.
Among the education commissions formed in the education system of Bangladesh since independence, the most notable is the Kudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission (1972). This commission, formed under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, reflects the spirit of the liberation war and works towards the modernization of education in general. In particular, the proposal to make primary education 8 years and to introduce a grading system in the education system is recommended. However, these recommendations could not be fully implemented due to political instability and financial constraints.
Then, after the political unrest of 1975, the new government came to power and formed the Sharif Education Commission in 1977. The main objective of this commission was to improve the quality of education and make primary education compulsory. Although some important recommendations were made to improve the education system, many of the commission’s recommendations were not implemented due to economic crisis and political unrest. Later, during the military regime, the Mofizuddin Education Commission was formed in 1981, with special emphasis on religious education. However, due to failure to control political influence and administrative corruption, the desired progress in improving the quality of education was not achieved.
As a result, many of the recommendations of this commission were not implemented. During Sheikh Hasina’s first term, the Shamsul Haque Education Commission was formed in 1997 to improve the quality of education by reviewing the recommendations of the Qudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission. But, due to political instability and economic constraints, these recommendations could not be properly implemented. On the other hand, during the BNP government, the Mohammad Moniruzzaman Mia Education Commission was formed in 2003, through which 880 recommendations were made to modernize education. However, many of the commission’s recommendations could not be implemented due to technical limitations and lack of sufficient funding. Finally, during Sheikh Hasina’s second term, the National Education Policy was enacted in 2010, which sought to maintain the continuity of the previous education policy. Although it has been proposed to make 8-year primary education and lower secondary education compulsory, many challenges are faced in implementation. The 2021 National Curriculum recommended the use of technology and continuous assessment, but some immediate problems were encountered in implementation. Therefore, although each education commission made important recommendations, political instability, economic crisis, and administrative restrictions were major obstacles to their implementation.
The relationship between the change of government in the education system of Bangladesh and the formation of the education commission is directly related to political power and the process of policy making. Whenever a new government comes into power, they tend to use the education system as a main vehicle to reflect their political philosophy, ideals and policies. In this process, education is considered an important tool, as education plays an important role in shaping the mindset, social values, and political outlook of the people of a country. Therefore, by establishing control over the education system, the new political forces are trying to establish their ideals in the next generation.
It is important to develop modern infrastructure to ensure the use of technology in the education system, so that students can receive modern education. Regular training workshops should be organized to improve teachers’ digital skills so that they can carry out technology-based teaching effectively.
Besides this, each new government feels that there are some limitations or inadequacies in the previous government’s education policy, which from their point of view is neither appropriate nor effective. For example, they feel that the weakness left in the education system by the previous government could be harmful to their political objectives and the future of the country. That is why new governments often establish new education commissions to introduce new policies and make structural changes in the education system. Among these, efforts to ensure changes in textbooks, curriculum and assessment methods are notable.
In particular, new governments often tend to promote their political ideology in terms of textbooks and curricula. They try to give students the history of a party, the contributions of political leaders, and their ideological doctrines through textbooks. For example, by highlighting the contribution of a specific political party or a specific government leader, an attempt is made to instill it in the students. It is used as an effective strategy to firmly establish the government’s political position in future generations.
Furthermore, all governments want the education system to become more modern and in line with international standards during their tenure. The use of technology in education and the importance of digital platforms is essential to survive successfully in today’s world. In that context, new governments often establish new commissions and recommend the use of technology, e-learning and digital tools in the education system. So they want to make the education system more modern and up-to-date, which indicates that their tenure is a success.
Also, new governments are trying to reflect global trends in education with the aim of establishing an education system of international quality. They are working towards building a globally competitive nation by modernizing the education system. However, in many cases such efforts are not entirely successful due to organizational weaknesses, budgetary constraints, and a lack of long-term planning.
Therefore, each new government tries to implement its political agenda by introducing reforms and changes in the education system, which has regularly led to the formation of new education commissions. A number of steps can be taken to ensure continuous improvement of the education system and reduce political pressure:
• Formation of an Independent Education Commission: The formation of an independent and impartial Education Commission is very important for the development of education in the long term. This commission will draw up a long-term plan to improve the quality of education completely free of political influence. It should create a consultative group including academics, researchers, students, parents, and representatives from the private sector, which will reflect the views of all parts of society. In addition, the policy making process can be made more transparent, more accessible to the public and more acceptable by creating opportunities for the public to have an opinion and participate in the Commission’s proceedings.
•Education Continuity Policy: The new governments should maintain the continuity of the previous education policy and emphasize on improving the quality and structural development of education. Therefore, long-term planning and consistent implementation of recommendations in education is essential. In this case, a strong legal framework should be formed, which will make the implementation of this policy mandatory, so that the continuity of the education policy will not be disrupted even if the government changes. In addition, it is important to form an integrated education policy with the Ministry of Education as well as other ministries (such as Information Technology, the Economy, the Ministry of Labour) for the development of the education sector.
• Increased budget and funding: Adequate funding allocation is essential for the development of the education system. To withstand the economic crisis, a continuous budgetary system should be developed, with specific allocations for each level — primary, secondary and higher education. Private institutions should be encouraged to invest in education and increase funding through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) schemes. It is possible to play a supporting role in education infrastructure and quality improvement. In addition, funding and technical support should be secured from international organizations such as the World Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO and donor countries, which will further accelerate the development of education.
• Prevention of Institutional Corruption: Strict steps should be taken to reduce political influence and corruption in educational institutions. There is a need to ensure transparency in teacher recruitment, training, and administrative functions. Strict disciplinary action should be taken to prevent corruption, so that there is no room for any kind of irregularity in this sector. An impartial and effective complaints mechanism should be introduced to enable students, parents and the local community to complain directly about any irregularity or injustice in the administrative activities of educational institutions or the activities of teachers, which would be accessible and transparent to all.
• Use of technology in education: It is important to develop a modern infrastructure to ensure that technology is used in the education system, so that students can receive a modern education. Regular training workshops should be organized to improve teachers’ digital skills so that they can carry out technology-based teaching effectively. In addition, a centralized e-learning platform can be established, where students can easily access textbooks, online courses, video lectures and other educational materials.
If the above measures are implemented properly, the education system will be free from political influence and will be able to move forward on the path of development. A permanent, transparent and long-term plan is essential for improving the quality of education, which will ensure continuity and stability in the education system.
Author: Assistant Professor, Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka.
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AD/GKS