ICT compulsory, but treachers of other subjects teach it

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) became a compulsory subject at the secondary and higher secondary levels 13 years ago. However, the necessary teaching posts were not created when the subject was introduced, nor was recruitment coordinated accordingly.

As a result, many government colleges still do not have their own ICT teachers, while not a single government secondary school in the country has a separate teaching post for the subject.

Teachers of physics, zoology or other subjects are taking ICT classes in many government colleges. Elsewhere, programmers, guest teachers or part-time teachers are conducting the lessons. In government secondary schools, trained teachers of mathematics, business studies and science rotate to teach the subject.

The crisis in ICT education has become even more evident at a time when Bangladesh lags behind several neighbouring countries in international indices of digital development.

According to the latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 53.4 per cent of the country's population uses the internet.

Although network coverage has expanded, the meaningful use of technology in education, public services, financial transactions and employment remains limited.

Teachers and educationists said that although ICT is a practical skills-based subject, regular practical classes are not held in many institutions because of the shortage of teachers.

As a result, students remain confined to exam-oriented learning instead of acquiring the digital skills they need. They believe that without ensuring effective ICT education in educational institutions, it will be difficult to reduce the country's digital skills gap.

In line with the National Education Policy 2010, ICT was made compulsory at the secondary and higher secondary levels in 2013. Since then, students have been taking the subject in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations.

However, the crisis has persisted because the subject was introduced without the necessary preparation in terms of creating teaching posts and recruiting teachers.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Director General of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Professor Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, said: "There is a shortage of teachers in various subjects, including ICT, in government secondary schools and government colleges. DSHE has sent proposals to the Ministry of Education for recruiting teachers based on the required posts and staffing needs. The ministry has forwarded the proposals to the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC). We hope the crisis will largely be resolved once the recruitment process is completed."

However, proposals from DSHE for creating new teaching posts often remain stuck in the ministry for a long time due to bureaucratic delays.

According to the Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), there are currently 708 government colleges in the country. Of these, 691 offer higher secondary education.

Among the 345 older colleges that became government institutions by 2000, 65 still do not have ICT teaching posts. However, 17 of them have lecturer posts in Computer Education.

Another 363 colleges were nationalised under the 2018 regulations. Of these, 102 still do not have ICT teaching posts.

Even where posts have been created, they have not all been filled. According to DSHE, a total of 255 cadre posts for ICT lecturers—one in each government college—were created in 2016. Later, another 18 cadre posts were added.

Through the 38th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, 145 ICT lecturers joined government colleges for the first time in 2021. In other words, subject-specific teacher recruitment began nearly eight years after ICT became a compulsory subject. Of them, 132 are currently serving.

The ICT posts in colleges nationalised under the 2018 regulations are non-cadre positions. As a result, teachers belonging to the BCS Education Cadre cannot join these posts. Consequently, many colleges continue to rely on teachers from other subjects, guest teachers or part-time teachers to teach ICT.

According to the recommendations of the Enam Committee on administrative reform, each subject at the degree and higher secondary levels should have at least one associate professor, one assistant professor and two lecturers. However, this structure has not been established for ICT in most colleges.

Even after the first recruitment, appointments have not continued regularly. Through the 45th, 46th, 47th and 49th Special BCS examinations, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has recommended a total of 103 ICT lecturers. However, they have yet to join their respective posts.

Meanwhile, the National University has decided to make ICT compulsory in several years of undergraduate studies. People concerned believe that unless the required number of teachers is recruited, this new initiative will also face implementation challenges.

The situation at the secondary level is even more alarming. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), there are 702 government secondary schools in the country. These schools have 15,293 approved posts for assistant teachers, of which more than 3,000 remain vacant. Another 383 headteacher posts are also vacant.

Yet, even 13 years after ICT became a compulsory subject, not a single separate teaching post has been created for ICT in government secondary schools. As a result, teachers of mathematics, business studies and science, after receiving training or when necessary, take ICT classes.

DSHE has recently sent a proposal to the Ministry of Education to create 872 ICT teacher posts. The proposal includes one ICT teacher post each for 532 single-shift schools and two ICT teacher posts each for 170 double-shift schools.

Although teacher recruitment at the secondary level is subject-based, the recruitment process is lengthy. A DSHE official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that once ICT teaching posts are created, steps should be taken to recruit teachers quickly through a special arrangement.

Dhaka College has around 2,400 students in Classes XI and XII. Yet, even 13 years after ICT became compulsory, the college does not have a single ICT teacher from the BCS Education Cadre.

A visit to the college on 19 July found that teachers of physics, zoology and other subjects were taking ICT classes. In addition, two computer programmers who had worked under an expired postgraduate-level project are also involved in teaching. Their salaries are paid from non-government sources.

Professor Abul Hasnat Masum Iqbal of the Physics Department, who is currently in charge of the ICT Department, told Prothom Alo that considering the number of students, the college needs at least two permanent ICT teachers of its own.

Motijheel Government Boys' High School also has no separate ICT teacher post. Several teachers at the school said that trained teachers of physics, mathematics and other subjects teach ICT. One of them said he himself had previously taught the subject to students in Classes VII and VIII.

The teachers said that because of the shortage of staff, it is not possible to conduct ICT practical classes regularly.

Netrokona Government Women's College has around 2,000 students in Classes XI and XII. However, the college has only one government-appointed ICT teacher. Principal Md Gias Uddin told Prothom Alo that although ICT is compulsory for all students, it is impossible for a single teacher to take regular classes for so many students. As a result, the college has appointed a guest teacher to continue teaching the subject. Several students also said their ICT classes are not held regularly because of the shortage of teachers.

The situation is the same at Netrokona Government College. The college has around 2,600 students in Classes XI and XII but only one government-appointed ICT teacher.

Government colleges are facing not only a shortage of ICT teachers but also limited opportunities for promotion. A proposal to create 291 ICT posts—from lecturer to professor—in 51 government colleges has remained pending at the Ministry of Education for a long time. As a result, many teachers recruited through the 38th BCS examination have become eligible for promotion to assistant professor but cannot be promoted because higher-level posts have not been created.

An engineering degree in the relevant discipline is mandatory for appointment as an ICT lecturer. At present, around 50 ICT lecturers serving in government colleges are graduates of engineering universities, including BUET, KUET, RUET and CUET. In the latest 49th Special BCS examination, about 22,500 candidates applied for just 25 ICT lecturer posts.

In other words, there is no shortage of qualified candidates. Rather, the crisis has become prolonged because of the failure to create the required posts, recruit teachers regularly and establish a proper promotion structure.

Asked, SM Hafizur Rahman, a professor at the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka, told Prothom Alo that information technology is evolving rapidly, and ICT textbooks have been revised to keep pace with those changes.

However, he said it would be difficult to implement the revisions effectively in classrooms without teachers who specialise in ICT. He stressed that the shortage of ICT teachers in schools and colleges must be addressed promptly to ensure the successful implementation of the updated curriculum.

Prothom Alo's Netrokona Correspondent contributed reporting.