EDUCATION vs KNOWLEDGE

EDUCATION vs KNOWLEDGE

Bangladesh is one of those country who make his annual budged with the highest priority for education and the largest proportionate of amount is kept for educational sector. Except few fiscal years most of the budget can be found with the highest ratio of budget for education.

But education growth rate is less than 2%!!! Surprised? Yes it is. Our literacy rate is still around 50% (mind it, this is just literacy rate not even primary level pass!!). But this achievement is including efforts of the hundreds of the NGO’s who is spending millions of dollar every year in our social and educational development. If we work out the total amount of Gov & Non-Gov is not a small amount for a country like Bangladesh. So, where all the money has gone? What is the output all those efforts? 50% half literate people most who just knows how to sign his name only?

Education in Bangladesh is a very big subject to analysis that can’t be discuss in this small area. I will emphasis here only with to the Basic Concept of Education in Bangladesh. This is related to the quality of education rather than the number of educated person in our country.

A simple question:
What is the main objective of education?
- Get a certificate with a bright result
- Get an excellent job with promising career
- Build the future for a better living
- Etc………etc

Why should one study well? For a bright result
What is use of bright result? A promising career
What is the use of promising career? A better living and stable future

Yes, this is all a man need in his life. This is for a successful man. All the answers are from the brightest students of our country. All are good words, no doubt. But there was no answer with the word ‘Knowledge’. Education system become only career-oriented. Yes, knowledge has no place in our educational system. But that doesn’t mean people are not acquiring knowledge. There are students who studies for their own interest. The inspiration they are getting from outside not from the system. System teaches how to get a result. That’s it.

I am not going to tell this is problem of our education system only. This is the problem of our mind also. Our mind has been grown up years after year and generation after generation with this perception. The best students worried about the result only, not about ‘knowledge’. This is the tragedy of education itself. Not only students but the teachers, parents, policy makers, nobody ever give a thought about the main objective of education. When see the ‘nokoler mohotshob’ during all the central examination like SSC, HSC etc. where most of the students, teachers, guardians are devoted to this sneak activities, the knowledge become totally irrelevant.

Whatever the rate is number of literate person increasing every year. But what is the percentage of real educated person? There is no statistics. There are really some talented persons who can compete the world standard. I am not talking about those very small factions. I am talking about the greater part of society who evolve a nation, build a state of welfare. The maximum number of average students.

How an average student starts his academic life? First he learns some basic from his parents and then admitted to the school at the age of 5. Spend more or less 10 years in the school, 2 year in the intermediate level, 5 years in the university (excluding session jam 4 years). So, when he finish the student life without any major accident in the examination he become (5+10+2+5+4)=26 years old guy. If he is highly graced by go he can get a job within one year after finish the student life. If he is lucky enough to develop his career he may get a chance to marry in next 3 years when he is 30. This is an average life of a successful youth. But everybody are not favored by god by this way.

Lets discuss what knowledge acquired by an average student. School is the place of fundamental learning. But a large number of students are just passing the school without having enough of fundamental knowledge about language, math, history, society, science etc. But a certificate for his 10 years struggle with the syllabus of school book. Then there is next step to the college for intermediate study. This is for 2 years. Get a certificate. This is the stage of preparation of university level study. But knowledge? Not enough time, sir! You must go to the university for acquiring proper knowledge!!

Ok, after having severe fight 10% of student pass through the admission test. One become the proud student of a bright university. Honors and Masters is maximum 5 years course. But wait! You can’t get these two degree within this short period of time. Because you are too young and you must get matured before you obtain the certificates. So lets play around in the university campus for additional 4 years. This provision has been created by the politicians(owner of the country) in the power and out of power. He have to play ‘politics politics’ game in this additional 4 years to serve the nation in the future. Few of them get to ‘Shaheed’ and few of them ‘Gazi’. While ‘Shaheed’s family swear not to send their another children to the university, some of the ‘Gazi’ take preparation to become MP in the future and thus extend their student life for another 10 years or more. But 99.99% of student is neither gazi nor shaheed. The owner of the country don’t care about that. They just need to use all of them (actively use 0.01% of total student)‘to save national interest’, ‘to preserve the sovereignty of state’ etc. You have no other choice but to prefer the national interest and sovereignty of state. If not you can treat as state of enemy.



So what about ‘Knowledge’? Hah………...what the hell is that? Do you live in Socrates age?

Conclusion:

Education is a root of the nation. This is a very popular phrase in Bangladeshi schools. For the students and for the teachers. But did we make any plan to build up the root of the nation? While talking about the student politics, many of us become emotional and nostalgic about the importance of student politics. We put example of 1950s, 1960s, 1980s when students took the major initiative to save the nations interest.