Bobby Hajjaj stresses joyful learning, regular student assessment
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj today emphasised raising children's interest in learning through games and joyful activities and assessing their learning skills.
He made the remarks while visiting Mahutuli Renaissance Government Primary School and Proshonno Poddar Lane Government Primary School under Kotwali Thana in Old Dhaka, said a ministry release.
During the visit, he distributed learning toys (learning materials) among the students and observed their learning skills through play.
He also assessed the students' Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills at the primary level.
The state minister saw that children were able to understand various concepts and subjects easily and joyfully using learning toys.
He said that while some topics take time to explain through conventional classroom methods, children are grasping them comparatively more easily through toys and hands-on learning materials.
He noted that such materials help increase students' interest, enthusiasm and participation in learning.
The state minister said that ensuring school infrastructure or students' attendance alone is not enough to improve the quality of primary education.
What every child is learning in the classroom, whether they are achieving the set learning outcomes and how effectively teachers are delivering lessons must be checked regularly, he said.
Accordingly, during school visits, emphasis is being given to students' actual learning skills, alongside infrastructure, classrooms, furniture, washrooms, teachers' attendance and teaching methods.
He further said that gaps in foundational learning skills, including in mathematics and English, must be identified and effective steps taken.
There is scope to overcome these gaps through class-based assessment of learning outcomes and joyful, participatory learning activities suited to children, he said.
Drawing on the experience of school visits, he said, consideration will be given to how learning toys and other effective learning methods can be applied more widely.
Bobby Hajjaj also spoke of initiatives to quickly complete recruitment to fill vacant head teacher posts at government primary schools, mentioning that about 34,500 head teacher posts are vacant across the country.
Discussions are underway with the Public Service Commission (PSC) on quick recruitment to these posts, he said, adding that if the recruitment process can be completed swiftly, administrative activities and leadership in schools will become more effective.
The state minister also said promotion of efficient and experienced teachers is under consideration. Necessary steps will be taken in coordination with existing recruitment rules and PSC procedures in this regard.
Once head teacher recruitment is completed, the need for recruiting assistant teachers will also arise afresh, he added.
Officials concerned of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Directorate of Primary Education and local administration were present during the visit.
