Only brilliant teachers can ensure quality education

It is amazing that we have diversity in education but no reflections are seen in education, literature or in economic activities.

The education systems we are nursing do not possess a single character. There are differences in teaching methods, languages and content. Even general English school education has three wings — science, commerce and arts. Religious education also following two lines.

Alia madrashas and Kowome madrashas are following different syllabus. English medium learning is conducted and guided by Cambridge University of UK. Students are taking Technical education from Polytechnic and vocational institutions. But they are weak in communication.

Now time has come to unify all types of education in a broad-based system. At least primary and secondary education should be maintained uniformly. Planning of language teaching should be organised according to the requirements of foreign job markets.

So, importance should be given to learning English, Arabic, Malayalam etc. Communication skill is more important to serve a company.

Once, the main challenge was eradicating illiteracy—teaching an entire nation to read and write. Many countries have still not achieved this goal. In Bangladesh, the available data indicates that about 21 to 30 percent of the population is still illiterate.

Today, even workers engaged in agriculture cannot rely solely on practical skills; they also need basic literacy. Subsequently a great change occurred by the introduction of information technology.

Now computer, laptop and mobile are used in education, the use of artificial intelligence is on the way to following. Students are advised to learn robotic science, because we are falling behind in facing the challenge of mastering new technologies.

Instead of considering a student’s interest or aptitude, what subject they are good at or likely to excel in, choices are often made based on which field is more likely to secure a job. In many cases, parents have already decided whether their child will become an engineer, a doctor, or pursue an MBA.

However, nowadays, even obtaining a degree does not guarantee a desired job. And even when jobs are secured, salaries and benefits are often so low that it becomes difficult to sustain a family.

Government jobs are like a “golden deer”—highly desirable yet elusive. Still, many spend years preparing for competitive exams like the BCS.

Those who succeed try to enter government service, while those who fail often suffer from frustration. In the private sector, employees usually have to work harder for lower pay and fewer benefits, while constantly facing the fear of losing their jobs.

The actual number of educated but unemployed individuals is not known to us. Available statistics suggest this number is around 3 million, though experts believe the real figure could be double.

Even if we assume it is 3 million, and if 300,000 jobs are created annually, it would still take 10 years to eliminate unemployment. By then, new graduates would add to the total.

The government must manage a dual pressure: improving the quality of education while also ensuring employment for the educated. To improve educational standards, the quality of teachers must be enhanced.

This requires increasing the number of teachers training institutes and colleges, as well as emphasizing educational research. So far my knowledge goes that there is an acute shortage of good mathematics teachers in our country.

Similarly, it is important to assess whether there are enough qualified teachers in basic sciences. The demands of experienced teachers are high in every country. Now the question should be answered: what do we mean by a good teacher?

During my student life, I had the good fortune of coming into contact with many excellent teachers. Let me mention a few of them before returning to the main discussion. Mr.Ananta Kumar Maitra was the headmaster of our B.K. Primary School in Bagerhat. He used to walk three miles to school, yet he was never late in entering the school compound.

This discipline is a quality of a good teacher. Mr.Sunil Chandra Debnath was our mathematics teacher at Gilatala Union High School. His skill and precise teaching methods easily removed students’ fear of mathematics.

Having deep knowledge of the subject is a key trait of a good teacher. Our geography teacher, Abdur Rob, was an exceptional teacher—both in integrity and in the strictness of his teaching.
I had the opportunity to learn under three outstanding headmasters.

Mr.Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay was distinguished by his strong personality. Mr.Abdul Halim was skilled in awakening students’ latent talents through extracurricular activities. And Mr. Kuber Chandra Biswas, a beacon of South Bengal, introduced students to Shakespeare and tried to shape them into enlightened individuals.

During the beginning of my college life, I was attending the first class of renowned Prof. Ramprasad Debnath who asked everyone to say something on poet Rabindra Nath Tagore. Last one I spoke to impressed him. Later on he selected me as the secretary of a literary society.

This is no doubt a quality of a great teacher. Prof. Shah Halimuzzaman advised me to write an article for the college magazine and I wrote it, which he published as the first article in the magazine.

It inspired me a lot. Good teachers are great inspirations also. Poet Abubakar Siddique in Bangla; Shahid Moazzem Hossain in Economics; Saad Jaglul in Political Science; Golam Mostafa and Golam Rasul in English; and Rezaul Karim and Ikramul Haq in Philosophy were all were outstanding professors who taught us to rise questions and to look around the world rather to confine in books and classroom lectures. They enlarged our thinking horizon in different areas.

While studying at Rajshahi University, I had the privilege of participating in discussions with the Vice chancellor Dr. Khan Sarwar Murshid in seminars, in his office, and at his residence on various topics.

Outside the classroom, I had the opportunity to engage closely with professors such as Dr. Kazi Abdul Mannan, Dr. Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Dr. Golam Murshid and Dr.Asaduzzaman, who were extra-ordinary

In my view, a good teacher is one who embodies discipline and integrity in fulfilling responsibilities. They must have a clear understanding of the subject matter in the classroom, listen attentively to students, and respond patiently to their questions.

A good teacher must be skilled in communication and should also assess how effectively students are able to apply the knowledge they acquire, guiding them accordingly.

In today’s world, technologies such as smart boards and lecture capture systems allow a teacher’s classroom presentation to be automatically recorded. With an efficient IT team, these recordings can be stored on servers and made accessible to students in distant locations.

Such technologies are already being used in the education systems of different countries. We believe that the University Grants Commission of our country is well aware of these developments.

It is now essential to introduce international-standard Learning Management Systems to revitalize the education systems.

We should bear in mind that without good salaries, benefits, and working conditions, it will be difficult to attract experienced and qualified teachers in subjects like maths, physics, chemistry, and biology.

Maintaining a healthy educational environment has also become challenging. Budget allocation for education must be increased to more than five percent of our GDP. To reach the desired goal we need firm determination and strong national unity.

(Author: Advisory Editor, The New Nation)