An education system that avoids responsibility

For the past few decades, we have been observing a strange national habit. A class of people seem to find joy in this noise of word-weaving about various problems of the country. Pronunciation becomes more important than discussion. However, when education becomes the centre of discussion, the topic no longer seems like just a word game. Rather, it deeply attracts my attention. Talking about education is not just about opinions. The topic is very important. Our future, responsibility and the direction of a society's potential are intertwined with it. We talk about education at those times when it is easiest to talk and the most difficult to take responsibility. As soon as the results of the board exams are out, as soon as the smell of question leaks hits the nose, or as soon as the 'revolutionary' announcement of the new curriculum is heard, suddenly there is no shortage of educationists around.

The intellectuals start with their mantras. The noise of words, the flood of advice and the intellectual exercise begin. Analysis while stirring tea in a tea shop. Solutions while sitting on the bus, and revolution in statuses on Facebook. And the talk show becomes a roar on the TV screen. All in all, a kind of intellectual fair is held across the country. There are so many discussions on talk shows that you think, "Hey, the education system will be on a straight path from tomorrow!" But after a few days, everything calms down. The storm of discussions stops. And we all get busy with our own work again. In the end, all that remains is the familiar, comfortable, and widely used proverb, "One who cannot dance blames the courtyard" Discussions about the quality of education in Bangladesh have now almost reached the level of national entertainment. When the results are bad, analysis begins. But the funny thing is, the blaming part is more enjoyable than the analysis. Everyone seems ready. Just wait, who can be blamed.

The day of SSC or HSC results is like a kind of 'blame-exchange day'. From morning, news of the results on television, analysis of the results on talk shows in the afternoon, and a post-mortem of the education system on Facebook. All in all, a bustling event. The whole country seems to be in a state of uproar. Teachers will say that students are no longer as attentive as before and that they leave their desks and spend more time on mobile screens. Students will argue back; teachers are terribly evasive. Classes are not taught properly. If you ask questions, they get annoyed and scold, if you don't, they are indifferent. Teachers are busy with private tuition. Parents will say that the problem is in this new system, "our times were not like this". This sentence has become a national argument. And the concerned authorities will say that everything is fine, only that there are 'some limitations' that will be overcome soon. In other words, the problem is like a mysterious entity. Everyone knows him, but no one lets him enter their homes. As a result, the blame ultimately falls on the ever-familiar yard, which is the root of all problems.

The changes that have come with the new curriculum are also like an ongoing comedy drama. First, announcements; then, praise; then, confusion; and finally, silence. It was said that the end of rote learning and massive arrangements to prevent cheating in exams. Captions in major media outlets. From now on, skill-based education. It sounds so good that it seems that the education system has become world-class in one leap. But in reality, the teachers themselves are unable to understand how to conduct classes in this new system. Training is limited; instructions are unclear. Students are confused about what to write in their notebooks and how the exams will be evaluated. Parents are even more confused when they see their children's notebooks in the evening: "Is this a study or a project?" As a result, the entire system has become a strange laboratory. Here, everyone is a participant. But no one is sure what the exam is really about. In the end, it comes to a point. Everyone is trying, but no one is sure if they are on the right track. And in this uncertainty, the safest decision is, "Let's see what happens".

It's as if everyone has failed the exam before it even starts. But no one is willing to admit it before the results are announced. Everyone thinks everything will be fine if the results are 'managed' a little. In the meantime, coaching culture has become an inevitable aspect of our education system. Classes are held in schools. It is true, but it is as if to maintain the rules. Signing the attendance book, writing a little on the board, and handing over the rest of the time by saying 'study at home'. Then, as evening falls, the real education begins on the busy road of the coaching centre. There, the teachers seem to be suddenly enlightened, "This is very important", "This question is more likely to come, "This section will be common". It seems to me that this is not studying, but the subtle science of prediction. Students are also busy learning the technique of 'getting common' rather than acquiring knowledge. Education is no longer about learning but about building friendships through possible questions.

Now, new signs are emerging. Added to this sign is the circus of GPA-5. We have now reached a point where the only measure of success is not the depth of learning, but the height of the marks. Students are learning how to get high marks by studying less. Teachers are teaching how to avoid difficult sections and get marks safely. And parents are relieved. Because everything is sparkling in the report card. No one is asking what is actually inside this GPA-5? Knowledge, or just the shiny wrapper of the marks? Real skills, critical thinking, creativity, these are like 'additional benefits', which are good to have, but not to be missed. Yet when journalists on national TV ask simple questions, what happened on March 26, why do we celebrate Victory Day, our so-called talented children who got GPA-5 stare blankly.

As if an invisible gap between the achieved results and real knowledge becomes clear. The most enjoyable and, at the same time, worrying thing is that in this entire system, a perfect balance of responsibility has been created, where no one is responsible. Where is the actual problem? You need to look in the mirror. The teacher should ask himself whether he is giving his students time to absorb the material thoroughly or racing through the syllabus. Perhaps students should ask themselves whether they want to learn or are simply looking for an easy way to pass. Parents should ask themselves what they do to help their children learn. The policymakers need to ask themselves what is more difficult: stating what is important and difficult to implement. This is a reflection of self, and self-criticism is not easy. We naturally choose the easiest way. We shift the blame to the schoolyard.

The correct diagnosis of the problems in the current education system has been, in some sense, an exercise in shirking collective responsibility. Each contributor to the system has been demonstrating sound logic and justification. The teacher teaches, the student learns, the parent asks, the policymaker schedules, and each contributor has played their role effectively. However, the system has been failing. And the contributors have been shifting the blame for the loss of system functioning. We have comfortably adopted an old proverb as a modern principle. "One who cannot dance blames the courtyard." This has become our way of thinking. In the blame game, we have shifted the responsibility onto the uneven yard and, in doing so, have avoided self-criticism, the responsibility for the much-needed change, and the consequences. Until we take responsibility for changing our thinking and our preparation, we will never learn how to dance. The moment we understand that the problem was never the environment but our own inadequacy, we will learn how to dance. And that will be the real start of the change. The most powerful means for that change is quality education.