Dhaka: The government has chalked out a specific action plan to execute Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's 15-point directives to improve the quality of education, particularly ensuring a politics-free environment in educational institutions. Under the action plan, field-level work has begun to introduce uniform lesson plans and class routines in schools and colleges across the country.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the plans include ensuring quality teaching in classrooms, monitoring teachers' classroom activities live, expanding sports and co-curricular activities alongside encouraging students to attend schools, imparting subject-based teacher training, and introducing rewards for good performance. Work has also started on the proposed establishment of a dedicated National Education TV Channel.
Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, Abdul Khaleque, stated that ensuring quality education is one of the major commitments of the present government. Relevant offices and agencies under the Ministry of Education have already been instructed to implement the Prime Minister's directives through a time-bound action plan.
An official of the Secondary and Higher Education Division mentioned that work on formulating a code of conduct for MPO-listed teachers has begun following the Prime Minister's directives. A draft in this regard has been prepared and is being reviewed. The final rules will be formulated after necessary revisions.
There is a common view that teachers' excessive involvement in political activities and lack of accountability have made them less attentive to their professional duties in recent years, resulting in poor academic outcomes. Dhaka Education Board Chairman Professor Syed Aktaruzzaman pointed out that teachers cannot avoid responsibility for poor results in educational institutions.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the Ministry of Education on July 28 and gave the officials 15-point directives for improving the quality of education. He asked the officials to place their opinions and proposals for improving the quality of secondary education, preventing dropouts, enhancing teacher skills, and addressing the existing challenges in the education sector.
According to the working paper presented at the meeting, officials highlighted issues such as lack of enjoyable learning, poverty, child marriage, dependence on coaching, and smartphone addiction as contributing factors to rising secondary school dropout rates. They also noted a growing tendency among working parents to send their children to Qawmi madrasahs for security reasons.
To address these challenges, officials recommended revising the code of conduct to prevent teachers from directly engaging in politics, constituting a 'teacher pool' with retired teachers to address shortages of mathematics and science teachers, introducing an 'end-line survey' to assess training outcomes, centrally monitoring classroom teaching through CCTV cameras, launching a 'National Education TV Channel', and introducing uniform lesson plans.
The ministry has tasked the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) with implementing and monitoring the progress of the Prime Minister's directives. The DSHE, in a meeting on August 20, drew up a time-bound action plan and assigned responsibilities to different wings of the directorate.
Under the action plan, AI- and technology-based teachers' training will begin this September. However, under an ICT project, 305,288 teachers and officials have already received training. Efforts are also underway to launch a 'Master Trainer Pool' and a 'Teachers' Exchange Programme' involving skilled teachers, while a uniform lesson plan is being prepared in coordination with the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).
To strengthen digital monitoring at the field level, updating the WhatsApp numbers of head teachers in the Personnel Data Sheet (PDS) has been made mandatory. Assistant directors of the DSHE will directly monitor classroom teaching through live video calls using the 'DMS App'.
The report also mentioned that specialised training would be provided to address shortages of mathematics, English, and science teachers, while medals and awards would be introduced during National Education Week to recognize teachers' good work. A draft action plan for launching the 'National Education TV Channel' using the technology of Sangsad Television has also been finalized. Instructions have been issued at the field level to ensure co-curricular activities as well.
DSHE Director General Professor Dr. Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel confirmed that they have distributed the work among different wings, setting specific deadlines for each of them. Shawkot Hossain Molla, the focal person for monitoring the implementation of the Prime Minister's directives, stated, 'We are directly monitoring how each institution is carrying out the assigned tasks.' Some decisions were short-term and could therefore be implemented quickly, while some activities are underway.