Speakers both at a dialogue organised by Centre for Studies in Social Transformation and a seminar organised by Bangladesh Shikshak-Karmachary Oikya Parishad, urged all people concerned to unite in opposition to the proposed system for the sake of national existence as well as standards of education.

The dialogue titled 'Unified Education System by Government: Future of Education' was held at the National Press Club while the seminar was arranged at Shahid Tajul Auditorium in city's Purana Paltan yesterday.

Participants at the dialogue said the new curriculum would rather degrade the existing education system. They suggested launching a system that will merge three mediums of education--English, Bangla and madrasa -- into one single unit to be based on the mother language.

"Without changing madrasa and English medium education systems, the move to change the secondary education will lead to more discriminations among the students," Prof Serajul Islam Chowdhury said at the dialogue.

He said the government proposed system would make the religious studies compulsory for all students while keeping the study of information technology as an optional subject.

"The science syllabus will be slashed by one third of the current length while besides religious studies, another language (Arabic, Sanskrit or Pali) will be made compulsory," he said, adding that religious studies are not mandatory in any other country of the world excepting Afghanistan.

Referring to the marks distribution for the subjects under the new curriculum, he said the students will study a science subject like physics or chemistry only for 37.50 marks whereas English-medium students will study the same subject for 200 marks. It will create more disparity in education standard of the two mediums.

"Without consulting the teachers, students, guardians, or educationists, the education ministry has initiated the steps to bring about such an extremely important change in the secondary education," said Prof Jaheda Ahmed, presenting the keynote paper.

Jaheda, also a history teacher at Dhaka University, said religious fanatics have been conspiring to turn the country into a fundamentalist state and the proposed system will only help them in reaching that target.

Prof Ajoy Roy said madrasa education should be improved but the government's plans, which will bring down the standard of secondary education, simply cannot be accepted.

Besides, neither the authorities have preparations for the new system nor the teachers have the training necessary to adjust to it, he said.

Secretary-general of Bangladesh Shikshak Samity Federation Kazi Faruq Ahmed called on the publishers not to print books for the new system. He asked the students of class nine and ten to keep their current textbooks.

"A teacher's authority to provide 30 percent marks will open a floodgate for commercialisation of education," he observed.

Prof Shahidul Islam of Rajshahi University said business studies has been made compulsory though half of the schools in the country do not have the teachers of that particular subject, and students of 1,500 schools, who cannot take science stream due to lack of teachers, now will have to study science without any subject-based teachers.

Prof Ahmed Kamal conducted the dialogue addressed, among others, by Siddiqur Rahman, Khan Sarwar Murshed, and Salma Akhtar.

Speakers at the seminar titled 'Education System Suitable for National Development versus Unified Education System' demanded the government withdraw the decision to introduce the proposed unified education and called on all to save the country from sliding further into religious extremism.

"Fundamentalism will be encouraged even more if the government introduces the proposed education system where religious and business studies have been given more importance," said MM Akash, a teacher of economics at Dhaka University.

"Around Tk 500 crore has been wasted in the name of formulating the system, when there are ample talents in the country to design a suitable education system free of charge," said Convenor of National Committee to Resist Proposed Unified Education Prof Mohammad Zafar Iqbal.

He also stressed the need for expediting the ongoing movement to force the government to withdraw its decision.

The government took such a crucial decision unilaterally; they did not consult even the lawmakers in parliament, Dhaka University Teachers Association President Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique said.

Former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University AK Azad Chowdhury, Professor Momtaz Uddin Patwari and Bangladesh Teachers Association Vice-president Professor Joinul Abedin also spoke at the seminar presided over by Bangladesh Teachers Association President MA Awal Siddiqui.

Meanwhile Bangladesh Chhatra Union formed a human chain at Muktangon in the capital yesterday to protest the government move to introduce unified education system.