Fahim Hoq :
Education is the backbone of a nation. So, maintaining a good standard of education in general and in school in particular is very important. The standard should be such that students no longer feel the need to do extra-prep-course outside the school. One way to achieve this is to ensure that the student-teacher ratio, number of students per teacher, is low in order to ensure high interaction between the students and the teachers. At present, this ratio in Bangladesh is 51:1 – higher than any other country in South Asia; the ratio needs to be brought down to about 30:1. Unfortunately, it is rising every year.
Moreover, some schools in our country do not have any library and laboratory. A few schools that do have them’ provide very few facilities due to limited resources. A rich library will help a student read a lot more books, and help them gain more insight into the particular topic, without having to spend any extra money. Laboratories will help a student perform scientific experiments, which will not only help them remember the theory but also increase their interest towards the subject.
I would also like to see opportunities for more extracurricular activities. Debate, Music and Art Club not only provide recreation but also give the students opportunities to express themselves beyond academic achievements. Besides, those who want to be a painter or a singer will benefit a lot from such classes. Some schools in Dhaka City or in any other urban area do not have any playgrounds; hence students are deprived of the option to be engaged in physical activities. In my view, all schools must have a playground as physical exercise is necessary to keep a child healthy.
One might think so many changes to improve the standard of our school will be very difficult. But, when my parents were students, they had access to large playgrounds, large laboratories, music and debate classes, and had more opportunities to go on field trips. In those days, interaction and understanding between the students and the teachers in school were so high that students did not need to do too much prep-courses. In fact, my parents told me that the bond between a teacher and a student used to be as strong as the relationship between a parent and his or her child.
Which begs the question – ‘Were they better off then?’-Perhaps! In our modern school, we have access to internet, better qualified teachers. In other words, both livelihoods have their advantages. But, if we could somehow combine the best of both for our future generations, then we will produce even more gifted students; and they will have a significant impact on making Bangladesh a developed country.
(Fahim Hoq is a former student of Academia – an English Medium School – Dhaka)
