Curriculum being changed so students not only learn by memorisation: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government is bringing changes to the curriculum and the method of education mainly to cut dependency on learning through memorisation to flourish talents and creativity of the students.

“We want our children not only to learn by heart rather they get scope to flourish talents and creativity so that they can move ahead with their merits. So, changes are being made in the curriculum and education method,” she said.

The prime minister made the remarks while unveiling the results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations-2024, digitally by clicking a button at her official residence, Ganabhaban, here.

She said her government has introduced pre-primary education to teach the children through play.

“There is a way to educate the children through toys and we are creating that scope,” she said.

A child can easily learn the name of seven continents through jumping one to another continent on a world map, she remarked.

“We have to do such things so that the children can learn through playing. If we do so, they don’t need book-learning,” she said.

In doing so, the prime minister said her government is giving necessary training to the teachers and increasing their salaries and other benefits.

She asserted that her government has attached topmost priority on education as they know that no nation can develop without education.

“Our target is to eradicate poverty. Poverty alleviation is not possible without an educated nation. So, we consider expenses in education as investment,” she said.

The prime minister said her government wants to prepare an appropriate educational system to cope with the competitive world.

The government is prioritising science, technology, information and vocational education alongside regular education, Sheikh Hasina added.

“Our children will not only do BA and MA, but also will be educated in science, technology, information technology and vocational literacy to make them prepared completely,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina released the results after receiving the combined results of the SSC and equivalent examinations from education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury.

The chairmen of 10 education boards - nine general and one madrasah - and director general of technical education board also handed over the result statistics of their respective boards to the prime minister.

The results were published at the respective educational institutions and online simultaneously around 11:00 am.

Students can avail their results through SMS after the official announcement.

They can also get their results by visiting the website www.educationboardresults.gov.bd.

Around 2,024,192 students of 29,735 educational institutions appeared in the SSC and equivalent examinations at 3,700 centres.

Starting on 15 February, the exams concluded on 12 March.

Referring to the increased number of female students both in pass and participation rate in the SSC exams, Sheikh Hasina asked all concerned to find out the reasons why the number of male students decreases.

“We have to explore the reason why male students are less and why the number of students is decreasing,” she said.

Even in the passing rate, the female students outnumbered the male which appears to be good, she added.

“We have to look into the matter,” she said, asking the boards’ chairmen to look for the cause after returning to their respective workplaces.

Sheikh Hasina said they have taken several measures including setting up 12 science and technology universities to increase the rate of technical education.

As a result, the technical education rate has risen to 22 per cent which was only 7 per cent in 1996 when the Awami League government assumed power for the first time, she said.

“We have a target to increase the technical education rate to 30 per cent by 2030 and 41 per cent by 2041,” she said.

She continued that her government is establishing a technical training school in every upazila to spread the technical education.

The prime minister expressed her hope that the children will work for the welfare of the country and its people and will be smart citizens of Bangladesh after being educated.

She congratulated the students who passed the SSC and equivalent exams and asked those who could not pass this time to read attentively to become successful next time.

“Don’t be disheartened. Take preparation properly for the next time,” she added.

The prime minister also asked the guardians not to rebuke them (who didn’t pass the examination) as they can take any step after being frustrated.

Rather, encourage them to pay more attention to education for the next exams, she said.

Education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, PM’s education adviser Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and state minister for education Begum Shamsun Naher spoke on the occasion.