In the classroom

The World Bank states what we have long known. A report on the state of education in Bangladesh on the part of the global lender makes it clear that teaching in the country remains textbook-based and learning is dependent on how well pupils can master facts by rote. In fact, the kind of interaction between teachers and students, normally associated with modern methods of teaching, is missing in Bangladesh.
By and large teachers in this country are averse to innovative classroom instruction because they are expected to ensure that most or all students are promoted to the next class or level. Bad performance by students will not only reflect on the teachers but also bring their educational institutions into disrepute. Besides, in circumstances where teachers, particularly of secondary level, are not paid well at all, they might be lacking in application.
There are other problems as well. Teachers in Bangladesh go through the tortuous process of having to take as many as five or six classes a day, a factor that leaves them drained of energy, to a point where they cannot be expected to give their best in the classroom. That said, the concept of teachers' training remains alien, leading to conditions where people with no real knack or fascination for teaching are in the classroom.
Over-all, what is crucial is for education to be given the priority it deserves. Allocating a mere three per cent of GDP to it is a downright shame, a scandal.