Ice Today speaks to Zeeshan Zakaria, Co-Founder & COO, Shikho, about his views on Bangladesh’s education sector and the reforms it needs.
The unemployment rate of Bangladesh is projected to be 5.40 percent in 2022 and 4.70 percent in 2023. Where do you think our education system falls short in being able to prepare fresh graduates for the job sector?
The primary issue with the educational system in the country, spanning all the way from secondary schooling to University, is that often students are held back from allowing their thinking to flourish. Due to this practice, fresh graduates lack self-confidence, self-learning and problem-solving skills, and do not adequately develop their independent thinking skills. Thus, instead of coming to a solution on their own, their first instinct is to ask someone else. Instead, when they face a problem, they should figure out the possible solutions and then approach their supervisor and ask which one they should implement.
How can people’s skill sets be increased?
In order to increase the skill set of students, society’s mindset needs to change. Internships for example: students usually do an internship after their undergraduate, whereas ideally an internship should be in the summer of a student’s second year in University. This enables young individuals to gain experience early on. This will also help them polish their existing skills while instilling new sets of attributes. Additionally, students can also expand their knowledge by engaging in meaningful conversations with their educators and peers outside the class, about books, current affairs and other areas of interest.
At work, I encourage everyone to learn as much as possible within their domain. Regardless of position and department, everyone should know how to use Excel as it has become an essential tool today. Likewise, people should be able to think critically and innovate solutions to problems even during the most challenging situations. Gaining the right skills in a substantial manner will allow everyone to eventually evolve as multi-skilled professionals. Starting from speaking articulately, work etiquette, being a team player but also shining as an individual, a hunger to achieve and move up the ranks and attain leadership; all of this requires constantly educating and empowering ourselves.
What are your thoughts on the current efforts to improve our institutions’ worldwide competitiveness by boosting standards?
Firstly, the curriculum needs to evolve. Thankfully, that is already happening; a new curriculum has been outlined from pre-primary to higher secondary to ensure a smooth transition is completely focused on students.
I also feel that the other secondary boards like Dakhil should be focused on as well. They too should be incorporated in this new curriculum plan. Through this we can ensure there’s a holistic evolution in our education system which will improve our competitiveness.
As for other curriculums like the Cambridge curriculum, schools should start including more practical-based activities that go hand-in-hand with the theory portions along with relevancy of topics to real life scenarios. In this regard, teachers should be given training on how to make classes more interactive and interesting while instilling both theoretical and practical knowledge. We already have the resources. All we have to do is utilise these resources and bring a solid change on a fundamental level in the delivery of our curriculums to help our children unlock the key to a successful future.
Tertiary education institutes like Universal College Bangladesh (UCB) are trying to foster a global education environment with a curriculum that enriches students with exceptional global competencies. We need more institutions across primary, secondary, and tertiary to follow UCB’s pursuit of excellence to ensure a wave of standards adhering to global benchmarks.
You are also an expert in leadership. What would be your suggestion to the youth in terms of practising leadership and other globally recognized skills? How is this important for a 12th grade student?
The practice of leadership begins at school. Students can lead projects, or become the captain of the sports team. Captaincy has nothing to do with being the best, but more about organising, leading and inspiring. One must learn to work as a team player, learn how to write an excellent CV or a cover letter or how to deal with different scenarios in life. So, students need to push themselves continuously across all phases of their educational life and beyond without hesitation.
Gone are the days when there were a handful of students with top grades. Institutions for higher education look for much more than just academic prowess.That’s where the above mentioned qualities come in.
What would be your suggestion to the students who want to attain a foreign degree from a globally-acknowledged institution? How can our schools help them?
In today’s world, educational institutions want skilled individuals with global competencies. Students who want to attain a foreign degree should partake in extracurricular activities and work on their interpersonal skills to increase their chances of getting into better institutions. On the other hand, as educators, we have to work harder to teach students how to be independent and build global competencies. With the advancement of technology; it’s imperative that we teachers foster skills in our students that empower and enable them to successfully transition from high school to a foreign University. In addition, institutions need to do their best to implement a globally-focused curriculum that challenges students to investigate the world, think mindfully, communicate better, and take meaningful action.
For more information, please visit https://shikho.com/