‘30pc students study privately with their school teachers to get more marks in exams’
Staff Correspondent, Ctg
Around 30 percent of school students in the port city studied privately with the teachers of their own institutions to get more marks and spent on an average Tk 683 per month in this regard, revealed a survey here on Saturday. " Some 54 percent students, who did not study privately, alleged that they were deprived of their expected marks in school exams by those teachers," the survey added. Sachetan Nagorik Committee, Chittagong published the survey titled 'State of Secondary Education in Chittagong' at a function at Chittagong Press Club with its Convener Begum Mustari Shafi in the chair. The committee in collaboration with Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) conducted the survey from October 2006 to December 2006 on schools at 50 selected localities within the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC). The survey mainly concentrated on the overall standard of secondary-level education and irregularities in admission process in terms of fees. Around 40 percent students made complaints of misbehaviour against their teachers. "Of the educational institutions surveyed, it was found that the government schools used to realise, on an average, an additional fees of Tk 6 to 210, while the non-government schools took Tk 187 to 512, and the CCC-run schools Tk 7 to Tk 111 from their students of class VI to class X," the survey disclosed. Besides, the government schools realise additional fees from the students in the name of 'Non-Government Fund' although they receive different incentives and facilities from the government, it added. About 10 percent of the surveyed students appeared in SSC exams in 2006, and they had to pay additional Tk 1,203 (in science group), Tk 1,170 (in commerce group) and Tk 590 (in humanities group) while filling up the examination forms. About the quality of education, 53 percent of guardians were happy with the overall educational standard of the schools. The survey suggested more interactions between students, guardians and teachers, development of infrastructure, and proper training of the teachers to increase the teaching standard of the schools. Committee members Dr QM Ohidul Alam, Delwar Hossain Majumder, Shyamoli Majumder, Jasmine Sultanta Paru, TIB Senior Research Officer Wahid Alam, Programme Officer Golam Mostafa and Survey Researcher Subinoy Dutta spoke at the function. The speakers also urged the government to allocate more funds and establish more state-run secondary schools in the city.
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