Education
Textbooks for New Academic Year to Reach Upazila Level by Nov, Confirms Secretary
Farid Ahmed, the Secretary of Primary and Mass Education, revealed that they are committed to ensuring that textbooks for the upcoming academic year will reach upazila level by November. This dedication stems from their goal of providing all children with their required books on the very first day of the new academic year. Ahmed made this announcement while serving as the chief guest during a virtual workshop centered on the 2nd Annual Action Plan of USAID’s “Shobai Miley Shikhi” (Let’s learn together) project, held in the morning.
To align with the revised curriculum, textbooks for classes 2 and 3 have been meticulously prepared for the approaching academic year. Furthermore, a plan is in place to introduce new textbooks based on a revised curriculum for 4th and 5th-grade students in the academic year of 2025.
Speaking about the “Shobai Miley Shikhi” initiative, the Mass Education Secretary emphasized the importance of collective learning, emphasizing that the approach ensures inclusivity and equal opportunities for all, while propelling progress through collaborative endeavors. He advocated for a strategic action plan to nurture children, equipping them to tackle the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Presided over by Dilip Kumar Banik, the Additional Director General of the Department of Primary Education, the workshop saw the participation of various key figures. Among them, Mosharraf Hossain, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Andrew Holland, the Supervisory Contracting Officer of USAID’s Bangladesh mission, Sonjai Reynolds-Cooper, USAID’s Director of Education, and Manish Chakma, the Director of the Department of Primary Education, also addressed the event. This collective effort signifies a strategic move towards enhancing the educational landscape, aligning it with evolving global paradigms.
The Primary and Mass Education Ministry has declared the closure of all primary schools within the city corporation areas of eight divisional cities, citing concerns for children’s safety.
Senior Information Officer Mahbubur Rahman stated, “The class programs of these institutes will remain closed until further instruction. The decision has been taken considering the safety of the children.”
Additionally, the ministry has suspended classes at primary schools managed by the Shishu Kalyan Trust and learning centers operated by the Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics.
Demanding the withdrawal of the “Prottoy” universal pension scheme, teachers at public universities across the country, including Dhaka University, have suspended all academic and administrative activities indefinitely starting today (1 July).
No classes or exams have taken place on campus since this morning.
“The protest against the new pension scheme has commenced with the suspension of academic activities. It will persist until the government withdraws the scheme,” stated Dr. Akhtarul Islam, president of the Bangladesh University Teachers Samity Federation.
However, a visit to the geography department of Dhaka University revealed that administrative activities not involving teachers remained operational.
“The administrative offices are open, but all classrooms are locked,” said Fariha, a geography department student.
Nizam Haq Bhuiyan, general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), announced a two-day protest with teachers’ demands.
“Our program will begin at 12pm in front of the Faculty of Arts today and continue until 1pm,” he said.
Today also marks the 104th founding anniversary of Dhaka University. Students were seen attending the program at TSC despite light rain.
On 13 March, the government introduced the Prottoy scheme for employees joining public universities and other organisations under the scheme from 1 July 2024 onwards.
However, those who joined these institutions before 1 July 2024 will continue to receive their previous pension benefits.
In addition to public universities, employees in autonomous, state-owned, and other statutory organisations, along with their subordinates, will also be included in the pension scheme, set to be implemented from Monday.
Public university teachers have been protesting their inclusion in the Prottoy scheme since its announcement and have vowed to continue their protest until it is withdrawn.
Meanwhile, the National Pension Authority has stated that they are ready to implement the scheme from Monday as per the government’s decision.
The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams commenced across Bangladesh this morning, excluding the Sylhet division.
In Sylhet, the exams will begin on July 9 due to flooding, according to a Ministry of Education directive. The Sylhet Education Board Chairman, Rama Bijoy Sarkar, stated that new dates for the Bangla-I, II, and English-I and II papers will be announced later.
Nationwide, a total of 14,50,790 students from nine general education boards, the Madrasha Board, and the Technical Board are expected to take the exams at 2,275 centers from 9,463 educational institutions.
Among the candidates, 11,28,281 are from general boards, 88,076 from the Madrasha Board, and 2,34,433 from the Technical Board. Additionally, 281 students will take the exams from eight overseas centers.
Following tradition, all coaching centers are required to remain closed from June 29 to August 11.
Last year, 13,59,342 students participated in the examinations from all boards.
The HSC written exams will continue until August 11, followed by practical exams from August 12 to August 21. Exams under the Technical Board will end on July 18, with practical exams scheduled from July 19 to August 4.
Students must enter exam centers 30 minutes before the exams start. The question paper codes will be sent via SMS 25 minutes before the exams begin. Only exam center in-charges are allowed to carry mobile phones inside the centers.
Only examinees, center invigilators, ministry teams, board teams, local administration, upazila administration teams, and security personnel are permitted inside the exam centers.
In Dhaka, the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Metropolitan Police will assist examinees during the exams, as previously announced.
