The government is going to establish computer and language labs in 509 government primary schools across the country to develop technological and language skills of selected students of those educational institutions, reports The Independent.
The Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) will implement the project titled ‘Establishment of Computer and Language Labs in 509 Government Primary Schools in Bangladesh’ under the supervision of the primary and mass education ministry by December 31, 2020.
Sources say the project aims to familiarise the students of 509 government primary schools (one school per upazlia) with various computer applications and enhance their reading habits. It will also help the students pick up important skills and make the teaching process more effective by the use of information and communication technology (ICT), they add.
The sources also say the language labs will be developed to teach Bengali and English language skills to the students. The estimated cost of the project is Tk. 27.41 crore. Of the total amount, the government will provide Tk. 2.42 crore and the Indian government will fund Tk. 24.99 crore under a Memorandum of Understanding.
Sources say the project was approved by the government on April 23 this year.
Sources also say the ministry concerned will soon appoint a project director. The project director’s office will have eight personnel to carry out the two-year project.
After the appointment of the project director with the rank of joint secretary, the PD will appoint other personnel for conducting the project.
The project director’s office will gradually select other personnel for building master trainers, who will finally teach one teacher of each school to impart technological and language skills to the students. The assistant district primary education officer, upazila education officer, instructors of primary teachers’ training institutes will act as the master trainers.
The sources say the 509 primary schools have been selected on the basis of available facilities, including separate rooms, electricity and other logistical supports.
Enamul Quader Khan, director (planning and development) of the DPE, told The Independent recently: “We’ve undertaken a project to establish computer and language labs in 509 government primary schools across the country to make education at the primary level more interactive with the knowledge of ICT.”
“We hope the project director will be appointed either by the end of this month or at the beginning of next month.
That will move the project work to the field level,” he said.
“Teaching at the primary level is mainly based on books. But we can’t stay idle when the world is moving towards ICT. We’d like to impart ICT knowledge to our students from the very early stage,” he added.
About the language labs, Khan said: “The labs will help develop Bengali and English language skills, These are very important in changing the world of communication.”
He further said the project would help promote cooperative learning through group activities.
