He pointed out the faults of the entire education sector and criticised the existing system of holding exams in a discussion in search of a child-friendly society at the Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Opposing public examinations at the primary level, he said, “Here, a student’s target is to be get the first place, not good education. The entire education system is exam-centric now.
“Examinations at the primary level are not needed,” he said.
The professor emeritus of Dhaka University also said there was ‘not a bit of entertainment’ for the children in the curriculum.
“We are destroying the children’s connection with knowledge and education in this exam-centric education system,” he added.
Prof Anisuzzaman was a member of the Qudrat-i-Khuda Education Commission formed after the Liberation War to set the course of education in independent Bangladesh.
He also worked in the education commission headed by Prof M Shamsul Haque in the 1990s.
When Prof Anisuzzaman and educationists suggested including dance in the primary and secondary education curricula, a group of extremists opposed the move.
“When the education commission is speaking about adding rhymes, fine arts and dance to the curriculum, the education ministry is not giving it a thought. They have paid heed to some illogical carping,” Anisuzzaman said.
He said the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman administration prioritised study of ethics up to grade VIII in all education systems.
But after the assassination of Bangabandhu, the officials of madrasa education system made a religion-based curriculum, the professor said.
“We faced problem whenever we wanted to control and change the exams system. We wanted a part of the students’ marks to come from their schools, but we couldn’t do it.”
He also said a new system had to be launched for a relative of HM Ershad during his military regime.
The rule to allow students to take tests for only the subject he or she had failed the previous year was adopted at the time, according to Prof Anuisuzzaman.
He also thinks both teachers and students cannot cope up with the creative question system.
Poet-journalist Abul Momen presided over the discussion organised by a school, Sahajpath. BRAC University Prof Emeritus Manzoor Ahmed, among others, spoke at the event.