Pry edu to be reformed using Japanese idea

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj on Wednesday said the government has taken extensive reform initiatives to make Bangladesh’s primary education system modern, skills-based and child-friendly.

He made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with a high-level delegation led by Takahashi Junko, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Bangladesh, at his office in the Secretariat.

Bobby Hajjaj said the government has sought Japan’s successful experience in education, along with its cooperation in curriculum development, teacher training and improving administrative efficiency.

“We are currently working on formulating a new curriculum for primary education. Special emphasis is being placed on improving civic education, sports, cultural education, mathematics and science education for Grades 4 and 5,” he said.

He added that the government wants to create a challenging and enjoyable learning environment for students.

Referring to Japan’s civic education system, the state minister said Bangladesh wants to learn from Japan’s experience to develop a sense of responsibility, discipline, ethics and civic values among students.

He also said the government plans to establish “math labs” in primary schools in phases. Like science labs, these math labs will aim to make mathematics education more attractive and technology-based.
Bobby Hajjaj said JICA’s technical support, training and advice would be important in implementing the initiative.

As part of structural reforms in primary education, Bangladesh is also reviewing the education administration systems of Thailand and Turkey, he said.

“Initiatives have been taken to upgrade the responsibilities, accountability, Key Performance Indicators and monitoring systems of field-level offices to international standards,” he added.

Members of the JICA delegation expressed interest in continuing their cooperation in the development of primary education in Bangladesh.

They also discussed possible collaboration in curriculum development, teacher training, extracurricular activities, improving education administration and creating a child-friendly learning environment.