The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Educationists and experts yesterday called upon the Government to increase salary and facilities for primary teachers to a reasonable level for the shake of ensuring better education for kids.

A very poor salary for teachers is the sign of serious negligence in the primary level education, the speakers observed at a roundtable discussion organised by Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB).

Adviser for Primary and Mass Education ministry, Rasheda K Chowdhury took part in the discussion on 'Problems in Primary Education: The Way Out' at the CIRDAP auditorium as chief guest.

TIB presented a research report at the function pointing out multifarious corruptions, irregularities and weakness in primary level education system in Bangladesh.

TIB placed 32-point recommendation for improvement of primary education. It suggested to introduce some incentive for primary teachers including promotion on the basis of their performance.

TIB trustee board chairman Prof Muzaffer Ahmed chaired the roundtable while secretary to the concerned ministry Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former chairman of Education Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Prof Moniruzzaman Mian delivered their opinion.

They said the teachers' performances are being hampered because of the current salary structure and lack of other facilities.

Rasheda Chowdhury underscored a long term strategic plan for improvement of primary education and said the next elected government would have to have a very strong commitment towards achieving one hundred percent literacy rate.

A string of problems was still hampering the primary education despite some remarkable achievements, the Adviser observed. Muzaffer Ahmed said primary school teachers were gradually losing inspiration to continue their jobs as there was no promotion mechanism in place.

The TIB chairman suggested introduction of "time scale" for the primary school teachers to make the job of a primary teacher more lucrative.

Prof Moniruzzaman said a community school teacher's salary is Tk 40 per day with which one cannot even buy a kilogram of rice.

"Amid such a reality how can a teacher go to school and take classes with a healthy mind and body?"

The TIB rport presented by its research officer Shahidul Islam said almost half (48 per cent) of students are dropping out before completion of their primary education.

Some of the students are going to NGO run schools being lured by some benefits while some others are getting admission into Madrashas where it is easier to pass in the examinations than the normal schools.

The report states of a massive corruption in the registration level of a newly built primary schools.

The TIB in its report said that inadequate teachers and class rooms, high drop-out rate, lack of subject-based skills of the teachers, financial crisis of schools to provide education materials and massive corruption in the primary education administration were crippling the primary education sector.