Lt Col Mohammad Anisuzzaman, PhD, AEC :
Bangladesh Army has been playing a tremendous role in Bangladesh’s progress since 1971. Bangladesh Army is not only committed to protect the nation from the external threat but also has taken the responsibility to play a role in different sectors of development.
The education sector is one of them. An army-run educational institution is a brand name in Bangladesh. It is evident that the contribution of the Bangladesh Army in improving education is quite explicit and praiseworthy as well.
Bangladesh Army has been contributing to enlightening the nation by establishing schools, colleges (general, medical and cadet), and universities (general, technical and special), which are directly and indirectly administered by Bangladesh Army and have been running efficiently across the country.
As a result of the leaders’ foresight, each Cantonment has adopted a master plan that calls for the establishment of educational institutions as part of better and more efficient educational planning from pre-primary level to graduation level.
Army-run institutions have been successful in forging strong relationships with every level of educational institutions in Bangladesh. Currently, the Bangladesh Army has made significant contributions to the development of education by establishing and managing 62 Cantonment Public Schools and Colleges (both in Bangla and English medium) as well as 01 public university throughout the nation, 12 cadet colleges, 04 engineering universities and institutes, 06 medical colleges, 02 Institutes of Business Administration known as Army IBA, and specialized school (Proyash) located at 10 different locations for children with special needs, which is basically designed for the Neuro-Development disordered children.
Most of the educational institutions administered by Bangladesh Army are at the school and college level and they are dispersed extensively around the nation, particularly inside or close to the Cantonments.
The ability of these schools to admit children of civilians is one of their most appealing features. The key characteristic of these institutions is the dual-medium instruction of the curriculum in Bangla and English.
There are many reasons for which the Army-run educational institutions are reliable in Bangladesh. First of all, in the field of running educational institutions, Bangladesh Army ensures proper monitoring by higher authorities. Generally, the trained Army Officers of Bangladesh Army directly lead these institutions. In this field, The Central Co-ordination Committee is headed by the CGS and the Chief Coordinator of the CCC is a Brigadier General, Director of Education.
Besides, within every six months all Principals of all institutions sit together, convene to get directives, share ideas and information. Its reflection is also seen in their educational institutions. There is a strong chain of command in the field of leading educational institutions.
Secondly, in most cases, each and every educational institution in the Cantonment is directly run by an Army Officer. For ensuring proper management, well-trained Military Officers from different arms and services are posted. The Head of the Institution ensures institutional discipline following the instructions commanded by Bangladesh army. Through his or her military attributes, students are taught discipleship and leadership.
Thirdly, an Army-run educational institution provides the best education amenities, including a standard educational environment, a large playground, a computer lab, a science lab, a library, and an auditorium, as well as sports courts. Here, the students get all types of facilities that they need for their physical and mental health.
For mental health support, generally an academic co-ordinator is recruited at an Army-run institute. He/She always counsels students to help them for their mental support in their crisis moments. Here, an academic co-ordinator plays the roles of a mind-builder.
Fourthly, Bangladesh Army recruits the skilled teachers to teach in their educational institutions. All teachers are trained up through internal training facilities. They are gradually skilled up by periodically training. These teachers help in making sure that the foundation of these students is made stronger so that they can compete with students from across the country. Here, a teacher is like a mentor.
All the teachers are also committed to taking extra care of weak students. They even go for home-visiting to nurture the weak students. Teachers also try their best to lead their students to cope with global advancement.
Besides, the achievements of these institutions are noteworthy. Every year, thousands of students are getting admitted to these institutions. Each year, thousands of students from these institutions take public examinations. These institutions have a very impressive passing rate.
The passing rate is about 100%, and the GPA (Grade Point Average) securing point is very impressive. Along with increasing enrollment, the passing rate and the number of GPA-5 students are also increasing year after year, in addition to pupils achieving high rankings in Bangladeshi public examination results.
If the results of both SSC and HSC are noticed, it is evident that Bangladesh Army-run institutions’ results are always praiseworthy. Every year, in every public examination, Army-run institutions take top positions in the country.
Finally, co-curricular activities are important subjects in Army-run institutions. Here, through involving students in different clubs, they are taught culture and inspired to build themselves as ideal citizens. These co-curricular activities are also for making them ready for the competitive world.
To sum up, Bangladesh Army has undoubtedly made a significant contribution to the educational system of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Army-run educational institutions have already earned a reputation for their remarkable success in leading students who consistently achieve outstanding results in public examinations. Such excellence is mainly attributed to rigorous scrutiny of intakes and the good quality of instructional ability.
The institutions are under the direct management and supervision of the Bangladesh Army and are committed to keeping pace with the competitive world and ensuring quality education for the students of Bangladesh.
(The writer is Principal, Jolshiri Cantonment School and College,
Rupganj, Narayanganj.)
