New curriculum rolls out, preparations not enough

GBNEWS24DESK//

The new curriculum that takes effect today might be off to a haphazard start as the teachers have not been brought up to speed with the vastly different programme.

With a view to better preparing children for the challenges of the modern world, the government has overhauled the curriculum to enable students to acquire competencies like communication, listening, and analytical and problem-solving skills.

Students of classes 1, 6 and 7 will get books based on the new curriculum from today. For students of classes 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9, the new curriculum will take effect in 2024. Class 5 and 10 students will get new books in January 2025.

Before a curriculum takes effect, teachers are given training and provided with a guide to equip themselves to effectively deliver the syllabus.

But the new curriculum, which aims to wean off students from rote memorisation, has not been piloted at the primary level due to delayed release of funds.

Neither were the teachers given any training on how to implement the curriculum nor were they given a guide, both very important steps for the implementation of a curriculum, according to Mohammad Tariq Ahsan, a member of the Curriculum Development and Revision Core Committee.

There are 4.03 lakh teachers at about 1.19 lakh schools and kindergarten teaching more than 2 crore students, according to the directorate of primary education.

“There will be a big change in the teachers’ role in the new curriculum and their training should be of utmost priority,” said Ahsan, who teaches at the University of Dhaka’s Institute of Education and Research.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board is now working on the final draft of the online training material for teachers, which is scheduled to take place by January 15, said AKM Reazul Hassan, NCTB member (primary curriculum).

The two-hour online training could not take place as the primary teachers were busy with scholarship exams, he said, adding that the in-person five-day training will be completed within three months.

Asked about the delay, Hassan said: “We got the money in April and then came Ramadan. So we could not start the process on time. But we don’t think the teachers will face any kind of difficulty as the outgoing curriculum for the primary level was already competence-based.”

Usually, the textbooks published in the first year are experimental editions and see the necessary revision in the following year’s print run. So, there will be scope to revise the books if needed, Hassan added.