BANGLADESH: Too Young to Take on Too Much

The Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers' Association's threat to shut their shops and establishments to demand that they be allowed to sell banned notebooks and guidebooks is a worrisome development, writes Bangladesh's English-language paper, 'The Daily Star', columnist Husain Imam.

Not only is it a "disregard for a lawful order" but it is also a "lack of morality", he added, referring to the illegal printing of such materials, which are also known to be poorly written by unknown writers.

Instead of reading textbooks, he said the children become fully dependent on the notebooks and guidebooks to pass their school examinations.

"These books, as educationists, child specialists and psychiatrists suggest, stand in the way of development of the children's merit, intelligence and creativity," he said.

Adding to the problem, continued Imam, is the growing popularity of private coaching, where children are sent to private coaching centres run by teachers of their own school.

"Keeping a private tutor at home is one thing and forcing a child to run from door to door and take hours of private coaching beyond school hours is another," he said.

"Imagine a child of 10, 12 or 14 years of age spending six or seven hours in school, another three or four hours in one, two or three coaching centres (for subject-wise lessons) and then returning home only to see his house tutor waiting for him. The house tutor gone, he sits at his computer table to do some browsing or watches his favourite TV shows and then, tired and exhausted, goes to bed late at night.

"Next morning, he gets up late, rushes to school with or without breakfast and repeats the same old routine, every day, every week, every month. Where is the time for him to do his own thinking? Where is the time for him to do his own studies? Where is the time for him to have some outdoor games? Where is the time for him to do some extra-curricular activities? How does it help him grow into a self made man and not a robot that cannot think or do anything on its own?"

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