Quality teachers a must for quality education

Quality teachers are a must to ensure quality education for the students, said the speakers at a discussion.
They said joint efforts by all including the government, public representatives and people in general are also needed for maintaining congenial academic atmosphere.

The discussion titled 'Quality education needs quality teachers' was organised jointly by Campaign for Population Education (CAMPE) and People's Empowerment Trust (PET) at the LGED auditorium in the city as part of the Global Action Week that was observed from April 24 to 30.

A total of 15 lawmakers from government and opposition parties including parents, teachers, students and NGO activists took part in the discussion.

Speakers at the discussion focused on various problems facing the country's primary education from their own perspectives.

These included punishment of students in the classrooms, dependency on textbooks, lack of adequate infrastructure, scarcity of playground, corruption in appointing teachers, taking of classes by untrained teachers and salary discrimination.

Earlier, students who came from different primary schools raised some questions to the lawmakers.

An indigenous girl from Khagrachhari demanded facilities for pursuing primary education in her own language.

Teachers from different schools said although they are the architects of the nation their salary is very nominal and some cases it is even lower than that of a driver or a peon of the government office.

About the punishment of students, the teachers said although some teachers are still doing this unethical thing, the tendency to beat up students is decreasing day by day.

A physically challenged teacher demanded their integration into the mainstream as they do not have any quota in primary education.

They also suggested transparency in recruiting process in order to get quality teachers, appointment of subject-based teachers, neutral and accountable school governing body and promotion depending on their performances and qualifications.

After hearing from the students and teachers, the lawmakers said love rather than punishment is more helpful in teaching and training of teachers is also important in this regard.

Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman MP said appointing teachers under political consideration is one of the main obstacles to get quality teachers.

Lt Colonel (retd) Faruk Khan MP said the provision for punishing the students should be stopped as it only creates a negative impression on the students.

"I will speak in parliament on June 7 to end the system of punishment and increase the salary of teachers," he added.

Referring to the demand of indigenous girl, they all agreed that there should be a system where the indigenous students can study in their own languages.

The lawmakers also assured the teachers that they would do their best to raise their salaries and ensure their welfare.

Speaking as chief guest, State Minister for Education ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon said there is no alternative to education to turn the country's huge population into human resources.

He said the government is taking an initiative for indigenous students to practise their languages in their own schools.

Members of Bangladesh Parliamentary Caucus on Education and organisers of CAMPE and PET were also present at the discussion.

Source: The Daily Star More

User comments

"Systematic teaching of principles of life/wisdom/human values"

Author: Sushil Jain

Time: 18.08.2006 18:11

Comment: It is great to see that a lot of effort is being made to make the world better. I wish to share some observations:

1. There is a tendency to deal and solve each issue/problem in isolation.
2. The root cause of the issue/problem is overlooked/missed. Therefore, solution or solutions are short term (non-sustainable).
3. Complete Education (current education + wisdom) is not provided. While there is no denying of the fact that teaching of science , other subjects currently being taught in schools are important for employment and development, there is a great need for systematic teaching of principles of life/wisdom/human values as a subject in schools, colleges, training institutions.

Without this the education is not complete, the human quality is not uniform, no self regulation in people, poor self-management, inefficiency, frustration, etc. This leads to more and more dependence on regulations, laws, punishments. This is the root cause of most problems that we see in the world today. Actually there are no problems. Problems are created when people do not have the opportunity to learn the priniciples of life/wisdom/human values at the right time and behave as per their random programing. Then you try and solve them by making more and more laws.

Laws are good for 5-10% of the populations. But if laws are needed to control 90% of population, then there is definitely a problem with education. Who will catch whom? Who will punish whom?
This system is not sustainable for long.

Empowering the people with priniciples of life/wisdom/human values is only the long term solution for happiness and our dream of oneworld.

I am associated with Tej Gyan Foundation, an educational trust in Pune, India and working with a vision to create highly evolved societies based on the wisdom of life. Our experience can be shared with all interested in this area.

"RE: Systematic teaching of principles of life/wisdom/human values"

Author: Dr D M Joshi

Time: 25.03.2007 14:02

Comment: > Laws are good for 5-10% of the populations. But if laws
> are needed to control 90% of population, then there is
> definitely a problem with education. Who will catch whom?
> Who will punish whom?

Where school education is concerened there is one law that is scrapped in the country of its makers but Corrupt Indian Mentality is holding onto it for their dear pockets.

There is no need for any one to sit at any higher education qualifying test only after being certified by a head of a Government Recognised School that test taker had been enrolled in his school.

I have lived on University Campuses miles away from any Governmet Recognised school. Mothers of most toddlers are University Graduates and without any jobs.

Still these children get sent to nurseries affiliated to Government Recognised schools packed like sardines in autorikhaws because otherwise they will not be admitted at the age of 5 in fist grade of these schools.

Most 10th to 12th standard students prepare for entrance tests by paying heavy tuitions to tutors or tutorial classes where many of the Government Recognised School Teachers work outside of school hours, work so hard that during their salaried time they need to sleep.

If the law is scrapped, many of our students will not be burden on Public Money funded schools. Good teachers will not have to bribe School Administrations to catch a job to establish themselves as worth paying for tutors.

India will stop sullying their children with corrupt practice at nursery school age.

> This system is not sustainable for long.

It will run till agencies like National Knowledge Commission choses to cover their eyes with their ears towards bribes in Indian School Education. Strangely the scholars who established that bribes changing hands in Indian School Education is much too much bigger than what is in Indian Police Service are unwilling to get that corruption removed. Read http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/114625/1/7589

www.dmjoshi.org