Draft education act: Coaching, guidebooks remain

The education ministry had started working on the formulation of the education act in January 2011 in a bid to fully implement the national education policy and stop coaching, private tuition and use of notes, guidebooks and such supplementary books. Ten years on, the ministry is now preparing a law incorporating a provision on coaching and guidebooks.

Sources at the education ministry say the draft law is near finalisation. After completing certain details, the draft law will be handed over to the cabinet division to be placed at the cabinet meeting. The education ministry may hold an inter-ministerial meeting before that. The Secondary and Higher Education Division secretary, Md Mahbub Hossain, told Prothom Alo that more opinions will be taken on the draft law before sending it to the cabinet.

The formulation of the education act has been on for 10 years. Work comes to a halt when the draft is discussed and debated. The cabinet had even sent back the draft law once in the wake of criticism. The criticism, in fact, was centered on coaching, private tuition, notes, guidebooks and supplementary books.

This time the education ministry has not only given opportunity to the guidebook traders but has also moved to ban publishing textbook-related content and possible questions and answers in newspapers for general students. Newspapers have been publishing the writings of the country’s top teachers for the students who can’t afford coaching and study the poor quality guidebooks. The education ministry proposed that, from now on, media would not do so without the government’s permission. But general students have been benefiting from such initiatives of the media for 30 years.

Sources said guidebook traders have exerted influence in many ways to impose conditions on the publishing of education pages in the newspapers. If traders succeed they will get extra benefit in their business. However, several people related to education said allowing academic coaching and use of notes and guidebooks will affect the quality of education in the long run. Teaching in classrooms will deteriorate further.

An existing law bans notes and guidebooks at school level. As a result, supplementary or practice books available in the market has become the alternative to notes and guidebooks. The proposed education law keeps the ban on printing, binding, publishing and marketing of notes and guidebooks with anyone violating to face jail term up to three years or fine up to Tk 500,000. However, printing, binding, publishing and marketing of guidebooks can be done with the approval of the government. But no educational institution or teacher can force students purchase or study guidebooks. If it happens, the act will be considered as an offence. The question has arisen, if that is so why is the provision on allowing guidebook being incorporated in the law?

Several people related to education sector told Prothom Alo, the sale of notes and guidebooks is rampant despite the ban. Currently, traders with the help of certain teachers are imposing so-called notes and guidebooks in different names, hampering creative education. If textbooks are taught properly in a creative method, supplementary books will have no necessity. Besides, notes, guidebooks, practice books and whatever these are, are not good for education. Studies must be conducted at institutions.

In 2019, the education ministry moved to legalise coaching in the name of ‘shadow education’ in the draft education law, which was sent to the cabinet division. The move drew flak following media report on coaching and supplementary book getting legal. Then the draft was recalled and initiative was taken to amend it. Then another draft was prepared leaving out the provision on coaching, tuition and supplementary books. Before that, the education ministry uploaded the draft education law on its website that stated anyone teaches private tuition and coaching will face jail term for six months or fine Tk 200,000 or both.

This time, on the one hand, the law is proposing to legalise coaching centres in addition to supplementary books, but on the other hand, it is advocating for imposing control on coaching by teachers at the their respective schools.

According to the draft, running coaching centres and teaching there will be considered banned in the law. But the condition is that teachers will not teach at coaching and students will not attend there when institutions remain open. Any coaching centre violates the law will lose its registration and face fitting punishment. No teachers will teach the students of their respective institutions at coaching centre. No teacher can tutor the students of his/her institutions privately in-person or any electronic and online method.

In case of the students, who fall behind, the institutions can arrange extra classes before or after the school time taking written permission from the guardians and abiding the government rules.

Several people concerned said study in the classroom will be hampered if the opportunity to run coaching center is allowed to teach student though private tuition.

The Open University has been conducting distance learning for long. But schools have now been started online classes amid Covid-19 pandemic. Primary and secondary classes are being broadcast over television and radio. Amid this situation, the proposed law stated public and private university would arrange courses or programme and offer higher education degrees through fixed distance learning and e-learning methods by taking approval.

No students will be subject to any kinds of corporal or mental punishment. Any teacher doing so may face consequences. However, a teacher can rebuke a student in a justified manner, for the betterment of the student and the discipline of the educational institution. A teacher will not be held responsible for any reaction to such a well-meaning rebuke.

Institution-based evaluation system, as well as the number and subjects of public examinations, will be fixed as per the curriculum approved by the government. The government has formulated a new curriculum, changing the exam method.

According to the proposed law, no managing committee of educational institution will interfere in the daily activities and teaching of the institution. No institution, including Bangla, English versions and those are being run as per foreign curriculum, will charge students with excess tuition and other unjustified fees. If so, the government will take action.

Regarding this, emeritus professor of Brac University Manzoor Ahmed told Prothom Alo all sorts of 'symptoms' are being discussed, but the main work is to teach students well at an institution. The existing method of teaching must change. At present, on the one hand, teaching is poor at the institutions. On the other hand, questions are being repeated in exams. This seems to be linked to the coaching and supplementary books.

Not only should exams be taken in creative method, but lessons in the classroom will have to be creative too. If teaching in the classroom is conducted properly, coaching or supplementary books will eventually vanish. Besides, what should get more importance in the education law is that education is a right. And the issue is getting less importance in the proposed law, he added.

This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna