From this perspective, the diverse streams of education prevalent in Bangladesh, e.g. the national
curriculum (in Bengali and English), the English Medium based upon the syllabus from the UK,
the Vocational studies and the Madrasa education to mention a few; can be taken to be a
dimension of ensuring accessibility of education and facilitating the people’s freedom to choose a
particular stream according to their cultural suitability and orientation. However, given the context,
the reality is much drab and discouraging.
The curricula strikingly vary from one another, the contents of the textbooks are very different and
most importantly, the students of each distinct stream grow up with quite different orientation.
This difference becomes most visible and apparent at the tertiary level, when the students face
differing standards and requirements in entering the universities according to their educational
background.
This is the proposition on which this study report intends to base itself: although having diverse
stream of education encompasses an aspect of right to education, yet in Bangladesh the
interconnection amongst the streams, the way how these streams meet at a common point at the
tertiary level creates the greatest problem in realizing the right to education. Moreover, along the
way, this diversity fragmentizes the population by giving them divergent orientation, consequently it
impedes the process of building national consensus and sense of unity in the long run, such
fragmentation of society has serious adverse consequences in the national life.
As such, the proposition of this study report is: while the policy makers in Bangladesh opted to
interpret the Right to education as access to education, tis narrow perspective actually hindered the
realization of right to education.
1.2 Objective and Purpose of the Study
Study
This study will analyse and explore how the current education system with its uncoordinated
diverse streams is increasing discrimination and non-equality in the society, and consequently how
the narrow understanding of Right to Education has resulted in partial realization of the Right,
obstructing effective participation5 of the people.
In analyzing this proposition, the study shall try to answer the following questions:
5
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (adopted 16 December 1966, entered into force 3
January 1976) 993 UNTS 3 (ICESCR) art 13(1)
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