POOR RESULTS IN SSC, EQUIVALENT EXAMS Lack of qualified math, English teachers blamed

The country’s schools are facing an acute shortage of teachers specialising in English and mathematics, two vital subjects, which is having a bad impact on results in Secondary School Certificate and equivalent examinations.
Combined success rate in SSC exam under eight general education boards, SSC vocational exam under technical education board and Dakhil exam under madrassah education came down to 77.77 per cent in 2018, a 13.57 percentage point decrease from 91.34 per cent from 2014.
Academics and officials have cited bad performance in English and mathematics as heavily affecting the results and blamed acute shortage of specialised and competent teachers in the subjects for the poor show of students.
Latest Bangladesh Education Statistics report shows that about 89 per cent teachers are providing English lessons at secondary school without having English as a core subject in graduation and post-graduation level.
The report, that came out in May 2017, also shows that 84 per cent teachers providing mathematics lessons at secondary school do not have mathematics as a core subject in graduation and post-graduation level.
Former Dhaka University Institute of Education and Research professor Siddiqur Rahman said that having qualified teachers, especially in English and maths in rural areas, was tough, which affected students class room study. 
‘Many of these teachers move to cities and they take teaching profession as transitional job for taking preparations for others jobs,’ said Siddiqur Rahman. 
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid admitted that there was a dearth of qualified and specialised teachers in English and mathematics and it was affecting public exam results.
‘We introduced extra classes for English and mathematics at schools in 250 upazilas under a project, which improved the performance of students in the subjects.
‘We have a plan to further spread extra class system across the country,’ he said.
According to BANBEIS, 52.82 per cent of total 78,415 existing English teachers have a 100-mark compulsory English course, 12.5 per cent have a 300-mark English course in their bachelor degree, 20.54 per cent completed bachelor degree without studying English and 2.58 per cent studied the subject last time in their HSC level.
It says that 4.4 per cent teachers have done graduation in English while 6.88 per cent have done post-graduation in the subject.
Of the total 54,042 mathematics teachers, about 52 per cent have bachelor of science degree in physics, chemistry and others subjects and mathematics, 18.93 per cent completed bachelor degree without mathematics and 13.57 passed HSC with mathematics.
BANBIES says that 6.56 per cent have done graduation in mathematics while 9.32 per cent have done post-graduation in the subject.
Many of those who teach English and mathematics in schools do not have the required qualities, said Siddiqur Rahman, who was one of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board’s chief consultants to head the team which developed the existing curriculum.
This situation is affecting the overall results in the public exam like SSC and others, said Dhaka education board secretary Shahedul Khabir Chowdhury.
Traditionally, students of Bangladesh have fear about the subjects and those who have knowledge of English and mathematics usually do not come to teaching at schools, he says.
Shahedul and Sylhet board chairman Abdul Quddus both blame poor performance in English and mathematics for the overall poor results.
In Sylhet board, 97 per cent students passed English and mathematics in 2014. The rate for maths came down to 77 per cent in 2018. Pass rate in English fell to 90 per cent in 2018.
In Dhaka board, 99 per cent students passed English and mathematics in 2014. The pass rate in mathematics in the board decreased to 88 per cent in 2018. In English, pass rate fell to 91 per cent in 2018.
Position of others boards is more or less the same.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net