Education System In Bangladesh During COVID-19
During the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, eLearning or distance learning has gained priority in the education sector; media, like Zoom, a video communication system, has gained huge popularity during these quarantine days. Here, we can also incorporate Facebook Messenger and YouTube channels. Despite using these as alternative emergency teaching means, none of them cover actual teaching or education purposes—rather these are suitable for business or official functions.
In teaching and with learning, evaluations/tests play a major role. Can any of the above-mentioned mediums achieve this goal? Specifically, can we make questions, like multiple-choice questions (MCQ), fill in the blank or multiple blanks, true/false, reordering jumbled words, or other types? Are they feasible for conducting listening and speaking exams? Can we even carry out a written exam or give feedback to students about their submitted assignments using university websites? Mostly, we cannot.
I am not sure whether any of the public or private universities in Bangladesh have any dedicated software that only serves teaching, learning, and educational goals. If the universities cannot take advantage of this, the scenario is really gloomy for higher-secondary, secondary, and primary levels. This means, for the current chaotic situation, the available measures which are taken by the ministry of education, educational institutions, and even teachers with limited resources are praiseworthy.
Digital Bangladesh
However, for the future, we should think about a robust change in eLearning perspectives, at least for tertiary levels. Digital Bangladesh was the electoral pledge of the present government more than 12 years ago. The digitalization of the education field covers more than the number of computer labs and language learning labs. The government should think about creating a dedicated software that is for educational purposes only. This software will work as a hub; universities will get the connection by paying an annual fee. It is like selling bandwidth to mobile phone operators.
Educational Software Solutions
There are now 133 public and private universities in Bangladesh. If all universities, immediately after these quarantine days are over, endeavor to come up with their own education software systems, it will be time-consuming, as it demands a huge investment and expert workforce. Therefore, if we can create educational software under the patronage of the government, the ministry of education, education specialists, eLearning experts, and the University Grand Commission (UGC), then all the universities will be under one platform which will be linked with the respective university websites.
It will also have customization systems, like android software. This transfiguring system will help universities set it up in their own way. Each university will have its own code number; students and teachers will be able to open their account using the respective university code number. Teachers will have access to the courses that they are going to teach every semester. This software will also incorporate popular social media sites like YouTube; if a teacher finds a video that relates to the class lecture, the concerned faculty member can provide the link to students using this authorized government software.
There will also be a digital library system so both teachers and students can have access to the latest books and journal articles. The results of all courses will be published using this system; universities can customize the grading system based on their own rules. Based on the present observation, university authorities can think over their course curriculum. They can generate three categories of course modules, for instance, classroom-based courses, blended courses (classroom plus online), and fully online courses.
On the other hand, from my point of view, the ease of use for an eLearning system is a very important component in eLearning. I assume that most of the teachers and students presently do not like this rapid change in the education system as eLearning lacks the "classroom environment." Thus, after developing user-friendly software, training both teachers and students is important. However, in spite of having this education-based software, we cannot expect a dramatic change in our education system, as we are not accustomed to the software-based online education scheme. We should keep in mind that using a smartphone does not ensure that we will be comfortable converting to eLearning.
In regard to implementing eLearning, the University Grant Commission (UGC) should come up with an act that all universities are bound to use. If the highest authority can proliferate hi-tech student- and teacher-friendly software, merely for educational purposes, then all universities will enthusiastically adopt it.
Conclusion
Still, implementing this software in primary to higher-secondary levels will be time-consuming, and it may not be implemented totally, as there are so many families who cannot afford to buy a television, computer, or even a cheap smartphone. Even at universities, many insolvent students are unable to purchase a constant internet connection. Setting all these constraints aside, we should at least yield to the initiative to digitalize our education system; only time and the situation will provide answers and show ways to overcome all future necessities.
