Untold Facts

Teachers’ Training: Beginning of an End to Rot and Corruption Bonanza?

There was a news item on the 19 March (09) in a Dhaka Bengali daily that the Education Ministry has taken on a task that was long overdue in their issue of an order stopping function of 38 so-called Teachers Training Colleges in ‘existence’ for years, if not decades. Physical existence of 26 has been traced though but 12 of the 38 have not been traceable at all. Out of the existing 119 teachers training colleges in Bangladesh for training of secondary school teachers, 14 are run directly by the government from back nearly a century now, and the rest 105 by private persons and organizations, and out of these 105 only 3 have been found to offer satisfactory level of training, the rest 102 either offered no actual training at all or provided for nominal training in records only but in reality engaged for selling diplomas both B. Ed. and M.Ed. The other facts the Ministry have sorted out of the 90 colleges having physical existence as somewhat tolerable for continuation but again categorized 15 of them as ‘yellow’ and 37 ‘gray’. What they meant by these two categories though unknown to me, but may well be taken as giving them chance to improve on their performance in future subject to further scrutiny by the government or the Ministry of Education in their own way and on some preset criteria. It is further appreciable that for the political government in power, it may be difficult to withstand pressure for those already ordered to close down that would further create additional difficulties had they have decided to close down the other 90 at this first go.

Closing down any private institution, and in this case of the teachers training colleges is not normally anything desirable in the sense that ours is a free market economy and an aspiring plural society. Philanthropy of better off individuals is a desirable mode of advancement and development in any affair, and so also in education as is the mode in many countries both advanced and developing. Our education is still quite appreciably funded and managed by private individuals or parties of various natures. Whether we could get rid of all private initiatives like any socialist economy is debatable in terms of public resource constraint that may be made available from public exchequer in, I would say, even in decades ahead for education. My point is that Bangladesh must have opening for private initiative and private funding for education and some also for teachers training colleges. There is also a social demand for such scopes.

Keeping up with the social demand, the ‘yellow’ and the ‘gray’ ones should get positive sympathy from the government and to make sure that no corruption takes place for making the ‘gray’ ‘yellow’ and the ‘yellow’ ‘white’ (I think) except the only criterion of quality both organizational and programs.

What is at stake is the quality training for teachers. The 14 government colleges are known to have been maintaining standards, but as reports I had, they receive of late few trainees than number provided for scopes in each institutions for they require regular attendance in programs and cheap buying of diplomas without fully attending programs is not possible in these colleges. Three of the private ones have also been keeping up, as is known, with similar standard. These examples show that it is not the fault of being private but being something else that we need to look into in depth and with all seriousness. What could be the probable reasons for such fake institutions and degeneration of quality?

I had been in teacher education business first as a full time teacher and then as the Director of the Institute of Education, Darul Ihsan University for about a decade between 1996 to 2006. At the beginning when there was no other private institution offering B.Ed. and M.Ed degrees, we had a continuing rush of students both at the B.Ed. and M.Ed. programs that we could hardly accommodate in a rented house in Dhanmondi area. In fact these two programs formed nucleus of the university that took shape later on as the first private university in Bangladesh in late 1980s. The institute started mainly with part time teachers taken from the Dhaka University Institute of Education. I happened to be the first full time senior faculty member as I had then retired from government service in education. For the first few years we offered B. Ed. and M.Ed. to huge number of trainees. Soon we knew about many private teacher training colleges being opened here and there. We knew further that many of those new colleges started offering diploma mainly for money and fees having little regard to actual classroom teaching and training. The rot spread like wild fires that we few tried to stop on our own limited way but nothing substantive could be done. Demand for seats in the institute continued to fall for the obvious reason that we could not compete in selling certificates without attendance in regular programs. I kept on writing articles against such rot having had some useful help from another renowned educator. Today we certainly feel elated that the rot is being taken up for some redress. How far this would be effective remains to be seen.

The rot is nothing unique in teacher training in Bangladesh. We have many rots in many other areas, as well. In this case though the most worrying thing is that it has eaten away into the vitals of education of the next progeny. It is also pity that the teachers who are to build character of the next progeny are involved in this matter of moral erosion. In fact, many senior teachers are involved in this rot business both as organizers and faculty members in selling of diplomas of no quality in most unethical and immoral manner.

One may take the news with awe, and the Ministry may face resistance, as well, from some quarter against the right action taken for protecting evil vested interests of some persons and groups. But if one would mean business in imparting quality learning to school students by well-educated and trained teachers, there is no alternative to better and effective quality teachers that in turn means well-trained teachers. It is the quality teachers’ training colleges and similar other institutions attached to universities that can do the quality job. Ill organized and those organized for selling and buying of diplomas, B. Ed. and M.Ed., not in fact providing effective teaching and training, can not do the job satisfactorily.

So, there is a need for re-organizing the private institutions. Possibly more than anything else, the program has to be redesigned to integrate ethical and moral touch into it. The philanthropists coming forward may not only see the program for profit making alone but to render a service above self for better education of the next generation and for the country.

I would feel that the teachers, through the program, have to be motivated for service above self, just as our prophet had been and the Quran also inspires us to go for teaching.

I am sure that the motivational program as I have briefly hinted at here could make wonders even if the private teachers training institutions continue to operate in Bangladesh. After all, teaching is not a job for material gains alone but for spiritual gains, as well.

Shall I venture to say at the end that there lies some cause of action not only against those involved in the racket and the institutions who provided back up support for the unethical syndicate of corruption bonanza but also some punitive actions against all those who now own the diplomas and engaged in teaching in schools.

Author: Dr. M.T. Hussain