BIIT demands immediate formation of education reform commission

On the occasion of international education day, the Bangladesh Institute of Islamic Thought (BIIT) held a press conference demanding the immediate formation of an education reform commission, along with comprehensive reforms in the education system.

BIIT proposed a roadmap for addressing the crisis in the country’s education system and its future development at a press conference held on Friday at the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association,

Dr. M. Abdul Aziz, director general of BIIT, said that since the country’s independence, many policies and plans have been formulated for the education system of Bangladesh. However, in most cases, these attempts were efforts to impose the ruling elites’ thoughts and ideas on the public. These policies failed to give adequate attention to the country’s culture, values, and philosophy. As a result, the curriculum has been filled with elements driven by individual and corporate interests, arbitrary changes, and short-sighted decisions, leading the education system to the brink of collapse.

It was also mentioned at the press conference that after the fall of authoritarian powers through the mass uprising, a new chapter in the country’s history has begun. In this new perspective, reforming the education system has become a necessity.

BIIT suggests that the national education policy, vision, mission, objectives, and goals should be reconsidered and based on the nation’s identity and values. To eliminate the disparity between rural and urban education systems, balanced initiatives should be undertaken, and priority policies should be introduced for marginalized communities. Furthermore, more attention must be paid to the quality of education, with a focus on quality rather than quantity in the expansion of higher education.

Proposed steps for improving education quality include transforming selected universities, such as Dhaka University, into research-based institutions and expanding the activities of agricultural universities in a country that is dependent on agriculture. Additionally, it is proposed to establish a separate salary scale for teachers and administrators and to create an ‘Education Service Commission’ for teachers.

It is also mentioned that the curriculum should ensure the integration of life skills and social values, with the inclusion of religious topics at the university level. Emphasis should be placed on students’ moral values and responsibility, and every university should include subjects related to the country’s industrial and economic framework in its curriculum. The curriculum should also make the study of Bengali, English, and Arabic languages mandatory.

It has been proposed to establish a separate national institute for teacher training, and a system of evaluation based on research and moral values should be established for university teachers. These steps are expected to play an important role in upgrading the country’s education system to international standards, they hope.

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