Experts and academics at a seminar on urged the government for taking specific plan of action to ensure English and technology education for underprivileged children.English and technology must be a part of basic education. Effective measures should be taken to be cautious about the negative impacts of technology and to face the possible harmful impacts, they observed.
The seminar to mark the dissemination of project findings was organised by Good Neighbors Bangladesh (GNB), a non-government organisation at RC Majumdar Auditorium in Dhaka University with its Country Director M Mainuddin Mainul in the chair.
Dr. Rubina Khan, president of Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (Belta) presented the keynote speech titled Reaching out to Marginalized Populations in Low-Income Countries (ReMaLIC).
Dr. Atiqur Rahman, a teacher of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Dr. Moriam Begum, a teacher of Dhaka University, Dr Monalisa Khan, a deputy director of Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Prof. Haroon Or Rashid Khan, former President of Belta, Gautam Kumar Roy, a curriculum specialist of National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and Mahmudul Amin, a training specialist of National Academy for Educational Management, among others, also took part in the discussion.
The experts pointed out that underprivileged and marginalized children do not have access to English education and they are also deprived of technical education. Besides, girls lag far behind boys in technology education, they added.They recommended ensuring English and technology education for all children in the future and taking a concerted effort by students, teachers, guardians and locals to implement it.
The seminar was informed that a research was recently conducted in Bangladesh, Nepal, Senegal and Sudan on the opportunity of English and technology education for children from low income groups.The recommendations were presented in the light of that research. Students aged 13 to 15 and their teachers and parents participated in the study.
Daily Messenger/AHS
