Bangladesh's new school curriculum ditches traditional exams in favour of continuous assessment

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has ruled out the prospect of evaluating students through traditional written exams amidst an ongoing debate about the new curriculum's assessment system.

The emphasis will be on assessing students based on their competencies, with continuous evaluation throughout the academic year culminating in a symbolic representation of their performance, such as triangles, squares, and circles, instead of numerical scores or grade points.

The shift has been met with mixed reactions from parents, some of whom are calling for changes to the new evaluation approach.

In response to the concerns, Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury requested a review of the new evaluation system in January.

As educationists deliberate on the structure of public examinations under the new curriculum, there is a clear consensus against reverting to the old exam system, according to Prof Moshiuzzaman, an NCTB member.

"We are discussing the framework of the public assessment system. We will apply multiple strategies in the public exams under the new curriculum. It will include written assessments, presentations and group work," Tariq Ahsan, a professor of education and research at Dhaka University.

The evaluation will utilise an app called 'Noipunno', featuring a 7-point scale, and discussions are ongoing about enhancing the app with new features and artificial intelligence capabilities, he added.

Prof Moshiuzzaman also addressed the concerns raised by parents and suggested that those operating coaching centres and selling guidebooks might be fuelling misinformation for their own benefit.