Commercialisation of education
As regards education, the most important division in the country today is between those who have access to good education and those who have only education without any value. The former are the rulers and the latter are the ruled. With the extensive commercialisation of both school and higher education leading to a university degree, education has become a commodity to be sold and purchased.
Till the 1970s, there was no commercialisation of education, and government-run or trust-run schools were uniformly good. The children of the rich and the poor went to the same school, and the rich and the powerful had a stake in government schools. Now only the poor send their children to government schools; they might as well not do that too for, at times the school may exist only in name or the designated teacher may not come for weeks on end. Or, if he is a little more considerate, he may send a surrogate replacement for 20 per cent of his salary which he would compensate for by engaging in a more lucrative business activity during school hours.
The Right to Education Bill that has been passed by the National Parliament, if it is notified by the government, will only be a boon for those who make money in the school business, while it will be a disaster for those who have no access to education today. To be truly independent as a nation, and to maintain national dignity, Bangladesh needs a knowledge society in which every citizen has a minimum amount of knowledge.
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