New school curriculum triggers fierce debate, protests in Bangladesh

Some believe people involved in the private coaching business are fuelling anger over the new curriculum for their own interests

Amid protests ahead of the general election, a raging debate over the new school curriculum at the end of the academic session has become a headache for the government, which has already faced criticism for experimenting with the education system.

Parents have staged street protests and filled social media with angry posts, some are motivated by false claims that have prompted the government to warn against deliberately spreading misinformation.

Protest leaders say they have been forced to take to the streets to “save their children’s future and education".

Students of the second, third, eighth and ninth grades will take lessons following the new curriculum in 2024 after the first, sixth and seventh graders studied under the new curriculum this year.

A slate of changes has been brought, including the elimination of exams up to the third grade, public exams before the Secondary School Certificate tests and the distinctions in the streams of science, arts and business streams in classes IX and X.

To reduce stress, classwork assessments will continue throughout the academic year before collective assessment at the end of the year. Some subjects will have a full learning-based assessment.

Earlier, in 2012, the government had prepared a curriculum to promote creative education with an emphasis on information technology in view of the National Education Policy of 2010. At that time, people raised questions on various issues, including the creative method, Primary Education Completion or PEC exams for Class V and Junior School Certificate or JSC tests for Class VIII.

The latest changes aim to wean students off rote learning and exams while focusing on class activities -- a way to deepen the understanding of subjects, according to the education ministry.

The ministry says the curriculum was revised to make the lessons enjoyable to experience, rather than having to memorise studies for exams.

UNDER SCRUTINY

Critics of the new study plan allege it attracts children to insignificant lessons and turns them away from genuine lessons with no written tests.

A group of parents demonstrated by forming a human chain under the banner of “Sammilito Shikkha Andolan” to demand the cancellation of the revised curriculum.

The curriculum is a matter of huge controversy on Facebook and YouTube, where many share posts trolling the new teaching method.

Last week, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board filed a case describing the online activities as “misinformation”.

The law enforcers arrested four people for allegedly spreading lies on social media to humiliate the government.

The NCTB issued a notice on Sunday saying a group with vested interests was fuelling anger among parents with lies and misinterpretation. It threatened legal action against anyone spreading such content.

Professor Moshiuzzaman, an NCTB member on curriculum, said three of the four who were arrested are involved in private coaching centre business. “It proves that the owners of the coaching centres are involved in spreading misinformation.”

“Questions were first raised about lessons on puberty, cooking and housekeeping, but we responded.”

Prof Moshiuzzaman said the critics are questioning the use of mobile phones by the students to search for lessons, which they say is causing addiction to mobile devices.

“But not all the children of the country are using phones. We did not ask for information from the internet only. They can gather information from books, magazines or even another person.”

Moshiuzzaman said the critics also spread lies about drawing a picture of Prophet Muhammad, making uniformed children dance on Hindi songs, and teachers jumping like toads.

“They are resorting to lies as they found nothing to criticise the curriculum about. People with political and financial interests are behind this disinformation campaign.”

The education ministry has been saying that the proper implementation of the new curriculum will help the students step away from dependency on coaching centres, notes and guide books.

Education Minister Dipu Moni said the sellers of notes, guide books and those connected to coaching business, along with politicians, could be linked to the protests against the new curriculum.

Sammilito Shikkha Andolan is leading the protests against the new curriculum. The four arrestees were linked to the movement.

Rakhal Rahi, the convenor of the association, claimed they are not linked to any business or political group.

“No guide book sellers or coaching businesses are involved in the movement. It’s not right to belittle the parents in such a manner.”

“When the parents see their children study and what they are doing, they can perceive what is about to happen to them. That’s why they’ve taken to the streets.”

Rakhal said implementation of a curriculum must meet some conditions or else the consequences are not good, and that is what is happening in Bangladesh.

“No curriculum brings complete change to studies, but this one has turned everything around. Teaching, learning, evaluation, public exams -- all these have been taken out. No smart countries show such boldness?

Shyamol Pal, vice president of Bangladesh Textbook Publishers and Sellers Association, also dismissed involvement of guide book traders in the movement.

“Where so many students are involved, what would 50-60 publishers do? The publishers have other businesses too and printing guide books isn’t their main job.”

WHAT DO TEACHERS, STUDENTS, PARENTS SAY?

Jhimu Akter, who clinched first place in the seventh grade at Narsingdi’s Harisangan High School, said the new curriculum helped her complete her studies in the classroom.

“There’s no pressure of homework. It feels great to engage in group activities with friends. We don’t need separate [private] tutors or guide books.”

Her mother, Rahima Begum Rani, said she observed that Jhimu was more interested in lessons now and was more cheerful.

But Rahima thinks Jhimu would have studied more at home if the tests were like before.

Abdul Karim, the father of a seventh grader from Faizur Rahman Ideal Institute, said he had to hire a private tutor for his daughter Sakia Karim Raka for three-four months every year.

“Now they’re learning first hand. I didn’t have to hire a private tutor this year. She’s drawing different stuff in her copies. It seems good.”

Sumona Biswas, the headmistress of Nalanda High School in Dhaka, said they have no issues with the new curriculum and that the students were enjoying their lessons.

She said the curriculum is as it should be and if any faults were found, it could be corrected.

“The process is spot on. The evaluation will be continuous and even minute progress will be observable. The children won’t feel any pressure. The method is approved around the world and we can see that the children are doing well. They’re not having to worry, not crying their eyes out after failing a test.”

Sumona posed a question to those scrutinising the curriculum -- “The children used to commit suicide after failing an exam before, would you rather support that?”

She said the students were learning science first hand and running around with tapes and calculators to measure the area of a field.

“A group of people just won’t understand and another group is trying to make it a political issue.”

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education, also thinks that coaching business could be related to the movement against the new curriculum.

“People from the middle class and lower middle class, not the parents in the rural areas are talking about this. I’ve seen the videos, the parents [protesting] are linked to coaching centres.”

“The coaching trade is worth Tk 320 billion. What harm would it bring if a portion of the profit is used for movement?”

Rasheda also questioned why the demand was to scrap the curriculum instead of revising it.

A former advisor of the caretaker government, Rasheda said: “Some teachers write guide books. We have proof of that. There’s word about using devices [in classrooms], but why isn’t the government being asked for it? The schools can have devices for the students’ use. The investment in education has to be increased to make it a reality.”

Prof Mohammad Tariq Ahsan of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research, said 98 percent of the things that are being debated over were “made up” and the curriculum had no relations with those issues.

“Cooking has caused much controversy. But cooking is only a part of a session on one day. The whole book has so many other topics, but those are not being scrutinised.”

Tariq, a member of the core committee of the national curriculum development and amendment, said: “The controversy is being orchestrated intentionally. The main thing is we are undertaking a long process to resolve any challenge with the curriculum. It’s something that has never happened in Bangladesh before.”

“The 2012 and 1996 curricula were launched simultaneously nationwide. And we are moving ahead slowly for 10 years now with the new curriculum as the changes are huge. People have to learn and understand. The process has to change as well.”

“There’s a group here who understand that it will damage their long-prevailing business methods. The curriculum takes out the necessity to memorise. But those opposing it are doing so intentionally, without providing logical feedback.”

[Writing in English by Syed Mahmud Onindo; editing by Osham-ul-Sufian Talukder]