Masum BillahJSC (Junior School Certificate) and JDC (Junior Dakhil Certificate) examinations are standing very close at hand . Merely two months are left to begin the examinations. About twenty lakh students are going to take these examinations who are in doubt about the nature of the English questions. They are also in tension whether they will be able to cover 40 MCQ questions in 40 minutes in Mathematics. Again, the geometrical problems call for descriptive type of
answers which may also not be possible to do in the examination halls. And there is no teacher in the arts and crafts but they will have to sit for examinations compulsorily for 50 marks. Who will prepare the questions and how the scripts will be checked in absence of teachers in this subject. Teachers in this subject are available in only 317 government schools, twelve cadet colleges and in some other renowned schools of the country. The problem in English originated from the introduction of new textbook according to new curriculum. Every changed curriculum witnesses new textbooks with the items of assessment. The previous curriculum (1997-2012) ensured sample questions with test items with all the subjects. The students, the teachers and the people concerned could easily form idea of the ways of assessment. But this time according to new curriculum new text books have been published but no such assessment guidelines have been made available. Students have been in the dark, teachers as well. We heard that traditional assessment system would be replaced by a new and modern one which really made us happy. But in the month March a sample question was given on the Internet which has been changed minimum five times without thinking how they will reach the teachers and students. The Internet users register very low in our country and even less than twelve percent people use computer. How the NCTB became sure that more than one lakh teachers and 28000 educational institutions will learn this message clearly when they did not attach sample questions at the end of the text. I talked to some NCTB officials who told me that this year teachers themselves would prepare the questions. If that would be the last answer, we would be happy though many teachers and schools cannot make their own questions. But they gave a sample question on the internet which has been revised minimum five times. Finally I heard that they have been conducting workshops on changing English question and gave the final model which tells that no question will be set from the given textbook. How strange the decision is! was! Students did not touch the textbook in the previous curriculum though 40 percent of questions were set from the text on the basis of a seen passage. We expected this time NCTB would do something effective which will compel the students to use the textbook. This time they have jumped another step higher than the previous curriculum. No question will be set from the textbook!
And things happened what were supposed to happen. Different publishers tried to sense how would be questions beyond the text or they leaked some information from the NCTB officials and on the basis of their assumption they produced books of various kinds. But it was said that no guide or note books will be allowed to be published. Without removing the real cause, this sudden decision seems to be impractical. And this step has further encouraged more note and guide books as helping hands to the students and teachers as the NCTB started playing hide and seek game with the question.
Understanding these issues, the chairmen of nine education boards warned the government that there would be a debacle in the pass percentage in this year’s Junior School Certificate exams if the existing syllabus and allocation of marks in English and Mathematics. Responding to this situation The Ministry of Education held a meeting on 17 August and decided to change English question of JSC.
Instead of three unseen passages, there will be two passages. It is understood at last that a portion of the question must be from the textbook. Out of the two one will be from the text and the rest outside. And the time for arts and crafts subject has been increased. It has been done two and a half hours instead of previously decided two hours. Such changes in English first paper, general maths and arts and crafts were supposed to be made in January when students were given new textbooks. It is too late. Still students are in tension on how or what items of questions will be set from the textbook passage and what will be from the unseen passage. The things which seem easier to us are very difficult for the young learner of class eight. We must understand this fact.
Mathematics is also a tough subject for JSC examinees and the pass percentage in the exams mostly depends on math results. In the exam halls, students might not be able to complete answering descriptive questions of geometry in the given time and it would be a cause of bad scoring in the subject.’But the marks distribution in Mathematics will be same’—was decided in the meeting. It will be difficult to answer 40 MCQ question in 40 minutes. It also said that from 2015 there will be 25 marks for practical exams in the higher mathematics in the SSC exam and 75 will be theoretical part.
Nazrul Islam Rony, Secretary General of a non-government school teachers association says that there is no teacher for arts and crafts but the subject has been introduced and made compulsory. It is nothing but a foul play with the life of nearly 20 lakh JSC and JDC students. What the authorities can do is to arrange a several workshops for the teachers who will prepare and check the answer scripts of arts and crafts. These workshops will be conducted by the teachers of
those schools which have the teachers of this subject. And in respect of English clear assessment items must be reflected in the newspapers and clear discussions should be arranged to remove the clouds of doubts about the questions and save the students. Electronic media also can come forward to arrange some talk shows regarding this vital issue. It must be done in the least possible time as examinations are just knocking at the door.
The Writer is Program Manager, BRAC Education Program and Vice-president, Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association ( BELTA) and can be contacted at <masumbillah65@gmail.com>
