towards solving a complex dilemma mohammad a. rob
TRANSCRIPT
Educational system in Bangladesh
Complexity of Education in Bangladesh
Competitive Nature of Education in Bangladesh
Comparison with U. S. Secondary Education
The Complex Dilemma for Change
A Proposal
References
Educational system is both complex and competitive
A complex four-level system: primary, secondary, higher secondary, undergraduate (bachelor, honors), and post-graduate
Four types of institutions: government, government-subsidized, private, and non-government (NGO)
Fully private institutions cater elite groups in all levels
The NGOs mainly cater drop-outs in low levels
The medium of education is Bengali in most government & supported institutions and English in most private institutions
There is a comparable religious education (Madrasah) system
There are competitive scholarship tests in the 5th and 8th grade
There are comprehensive tests in the secondary (SSC, Dakhil, or O-level) and higher secondary (HSC, Alim, or A-level) levels
Tests for government and supported schools are administered by an education Board
Tests for private and English-medium schools are administered by Cambridge University through British Council
There is a competitive entrance examination for almost all undergraduate education
Areas Bangladesh TexasCompulsory Education Primary High School
School Years 10 12
Free Education Primary High School
Standard Test SSC – one time TAKS – Grade level & subjects
Other Tests Board Scholarship (5 & 8)
District Benchmark
Curriculum Education Board Education Agency
Funding Government (+ tuition) Local Tax (+ state)
Annual Promotion GPA GPA & TAKS
School Levels Primary, junior, secondary
Elem., junior, secondary
Yearly Cycle Yearly Two Semesters
College Competency SSC & GPA SAT/ACT & GPA
Religious Education Yes- Madrasah No
Introduction of semester and GPA at the universities
Introduction of GPA at secondary/higher secondary levels
Introduction of objective testing in all levels of education
Tremendous growth of private schools and universities
Reasons and facts about private institutions: Accommodate students who do not qualify for competitive
national universities Parents want quality education for their children Parent want their children to be educated in English Education is considered like any other business enterprise Cost of education is very high Universities adapted the U. S. system of education Schools adapted the British system of education
Competitive mode of education in Bangladesh brings cream of the crops to the society
Bangladeshi students flourish in graduate schools in USA Education system in Bangladesh is slowly changing to U. S.
system – semester, GPA, objective tests Private schools follow British system of education & testing Private universities follow U. S. system of education There is only one U. S. model of school in Bangladesh
Supported by U. S. Embassy TOEFL, GRE and SAT test centers are available in
Bangladesh Degrees in Bangladesh are not recognized directly in U. S. Courses in schools/colleges are not transferable to U. S.
National educational system in Bangladesh is for all - no need to overhaul
Introduce K-12 U. S. model of education in private schools Affiliate with a school district to follow a state curriculum
and testing pattern on math, language, science, etc. Modify the curriculum to accommodate art, history,
geography, etc. on Bangladesh Introduce standard testing such as Iowa testing in various
grades Follow the pattern of a charter/international school in
Houston, Texas or North Carolina Follow the pattern of American International school in
Dhaka, Hong Kong, and other cities in the world Get accreditation: Council of International Schools, etc.
Wikipedia, Education in Bangladesh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Bangladesh
Ministry of Education, Bangladesh: http://www.educationboard.gov.bd/
Secondary Education Regional Information Base, Country Profile- Bangladesh: http://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/120/
Houston Academy for International Studies: http://www.houstonais.org/index.htm
SAT Testing Center, College Board: http://apps.collegeboard.com/
Texas Education Agency: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/