Education minister calls for real-time monitoring of classroom teaching

Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon has called for real-time monitoring of classroom teaching across the country, saying authorities should be able to track how teachers are conducting classes in individual classrooms.

He said the National University should take the lead in introducing such monitoring, given that it serves the largest number of students in Bangladesh.

“We need to see and monitor in real time how teachers are conducting classes in each classroom of an institution. The National University has to be a pioneer in this regard. It teaches the largest number of students in Bangladesh, so its management needs to be more vigilant.”

The minister also instructed heads of educational institutions to visit classrooms regularly and monitor teaching directly. He urged the National University authorities to take greater initiative in this regard.

Dr Milon was speaking as the chief guest at the National University Scholarship and Vice-Chancellor Award distribution ceremony at the International Mother Language Institute in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on Tuesday morning.

Teachers need guidance and training

The minister said many teachers lose motivation after entering the teaching profession, and argued that they should be guided and trained rather than simply blamed.

“Even after entering the teaching profession, our teachers sometimes give up. It is not their fault. We need to guide, motivate and train them. We have to bring changes to the education system. If we do not, the future will be dark. Everyone has to work for this.”

He said the government has limited time but faces a large number of tasks in the education sector.

According to the minister, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is regularly considering ways to improve students' prospects and has introduced initiatives to encourage high-performing students, including awards for GPA-5 achievers and free uniforms for primary school students.

Accountability over SSC marking

Dr Milon also referred to the recent changes in SSC results following re-scrutiny. He said more than 3,000 additional students received GPA-5 after their results were reviewed and called for accountability for those who were negligent while evaluating SSC answer scripts.

“Those who were negligent in evaluating this year's SSC answer scripts must be held accountable.”

The minister also expressed concern over graduate unemployment, saying the education system has produced a large number of degree holders without creating sufficient employment opportunities.

He said the scale of unemployment becomes more visible after students complete bachelor's and master's degrees.

“Our treasurer has given statistics on how much unemployment we have created. We find this unemployment at the end of the day, after students complete their bachelor's and master's degrees. The whole country has become full of unemployment.”

He noted that Bangladesh has a large number of schools, colleges and universities, while around 2 million students sat for the SSC or equivalent examinations this year. About 1.2 million passed and around 800,000 failed, he said.

‘40 million students and teachers’

The minister highlighted the scale of Bangladesh's education system, saying the ministry has to oversee a huge number of students and teachers.

“I have to work with this huge education system involving around 40 million students and teachers. In that sense, I am the champion, number one. Again, from the back side, I am also number one. In terms of population, we are also huge.”

He made the remarks while reflecting on the scale of the country's education sector and the challenges facing the ministry.

Education Ministry Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khaleq attended the programme, which was chaired by National University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr ASM Amanullah.