শিক্ষা নীতি ২০০৯-এর উপর আজকে ডেইলি স্টারে প্রকাশিত আমার নিবন্ধটি পড়ুন: Heading in the right direction THE education system we follow is a legacy of the British colonial system. The British Raj introduced its education system in the subcontinent for its own interest -- not for the interest of the native Indians. For the British regime, the major driving force for introducing a newly formulated education system in India was to establish its hegemony and extend its rule. Lord Macaulay, the founder of the British colonial education system, while framing the colonial education policy, proposed: "In India, English is the language spoken by the ruling class. Those Indians of the high class, who are in the government, also speak it. We must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood, but English in taste, in opinions, words and intellects." A similar view was expressed by Sir Trevelyan, a major policymaker: "There is only one way to turn the thoughts of the Indian nation in other direction. And that is to create Western thoughts among them [by introducing our education system]." In 1857, Trevelyan told the British Parliament: "After such an education, a political revolution in this country will be unlikely and we will be able to rule over our Empire for long. By increasing education and by giving jobs to more and more Indians, the British rule can be made permanent." So, the major objective of the colonial education system was to create a privileged class who would collaborate with the British regime. The dangerous implication of the British colonial education system is, perhaps, the orientation of education towards jobs. The concept of "lekha pora kore jey, gari ghora chore shey" (those who study, ride carts and horses.) had been instilled into the psyche of the common people after the introduction of the colonial education policy in undivided India. The colonial education policy encourages us just to mimic the Western education system without assessing our own context. For this reason, we just import education/technology from the developed world but fail to assimilate these in our socioeconomic needs. For the same reason, we neglect much of our indigenous knowledge, which could have been used for our development in different fields. After the collapse of British Raj, as we became a colony of Pakistan, we had little opportunity to march towards a pro-people education system. However, after independence, Bangabandhu rightly realised the emptiness of the prevailing derailed education system originating from the British colonial one. Emphasising the importance of people-oriented education, he formed an education commission in 1974, which was headed by Dr. Kudrat-e-Khuda, eminent scholar, scientist and educationist. Eventually, Dr. Kudrat-e-Khuda chalked out a scientific and pro-people education policy. Unfortunately, it never got implemented after the tragic demise of Bangabandhu. Subsequent governments took little interest in it. Afterwards, though at least five education commissions/committees were formed and policies were produced, apart from National Education Policy 2000, albeit partially, no other policy was enforced. However, after the change in government in 2001, National Education Policy 2000 was abandoned too. It may be noted here that National Education Policy 2000 was formulated during the last tenure of Sheikh Hasina by a committee headed by Professor Shamsul Hoque. Education Policy 2009 was framed by a committee headed by National Professor Kabir Chowdhury. This committee assessed both Kudrat-e-Khuda's and Shamsul Hoque's reports and, considering the present complex socio-economic and global set-up, it has attempted to produce a report that is more people-oriented and scientific. The methodology followed for framing this policy was, no doubt, scientific and transparent. To formulate this policy, the committee met with representatives of around 56 relevant organisations. It also considered the opinions of many individuals who came forward. Moreover, people from different tiers of the six divisions participated in view- exchange meetings and their positive opinions are incorporated in the policy. This, in turn, has shaped the policy into a pro-people one. The committee gave more emphasis on defining the objectives of education, so it successfully captured the real essence of education. The policy points out that the major objective of education is to make people creative, freethinking, ethical, respectful of all religions, free from all dogmas, tolerant of others' views, non-communal, patriotic and skilled. Most of the 24 objectives drawn in the policy are pragmatic. In one of the objectives it has emphasised the instilling of moral values in the psyche of the students. Besides, it has also stressed minimising of the gulf between different streams (e.g. general education, madrasa education, English medium education) of education. This is really a paradigm shift from the colonial perception of the objectivity of education. To improve the education sector in Bangladesh, implementation of a holistic education policy is a must. Every student needs to be developed emotionally, physically, socially, and intellectually. The education policy must acknowledge and emphasise the spiritual, intellectual, social, physical and psychological needs of young children, which will foster the balanced growth of each child. Besides promoting skill-based education, the policy must encourage children to learn and nurture social and cultural values, integrity, tolerance and respect and love for others, and to be responsible persons. Hopefully, the Education Policy 2009, if properly implemented, will instill the aforesaid values in the psyches of the young students and will effectively change the present state of the education sector in the country. To fulfil the objectives stated in the policy, successful implementation is a must. However, that largely depends on different stakeholders and the government's initiatives. Introduction of a permanent Education Commission, as suggested by this policy, is a must to implement this policy in line with the people's aspiration. As the education policy of any country should not be static, amendment of the policy is a must. The proposed commission will do that to meet the demand of the time. ডেইলি স্টারে প্রকাশিত লেখাটির লিংক- Click This Link