The primary and mass education ministry has prepared draft guidelines for updating the primary curriculum, suggesting an approach that defines what children should know and the skills and competencies they should attain by the end of class-5.

The guidelines place particular emphasis on language proficiency, numeracy and civic values, outlining that children should be able to read, write, count, explain what they have learned and communicate in basic English.

To support these goals, the draft proposes developing textbooks, teacher guides, remedial resources, assessment tools and video lessons in an integrated manner.

Every lesson should combine a clearly defined learning outcome with teacher guidance, quick assessment and support for students who fall behind.

When asked, Bobby Hajjaj, state minister for primary and mass education, said the guidelines reflected the ministry’s “basic vision” for primary education, while the actual curriculum would be prepared by specialised committees.

He further said several committees have already been formed and are holding discussions.

The ministry wants primary education to focus on values, empathy and creating modern citizens, alongside foundational skills in language and mathematics. Social, moral, family and religious values will be integrated into foundational lessons, while sports and cultural activities will be incorporated into the curriculum for class-4 and 5, he said.

The document, titled “Primary Curriculum Development”, provides a framework for designing textbooks, teacher guides, remedial resources and video lessons to be prepared by the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE), the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and partner institutions.

The guidelines propose a “backward design” approach to curriculum planning, under which planners begin by defining the knowledge, skills and competencies students should possess by the end of class-5.

They would then map these learning outcomes backwards across each grade level, including pre-primary, and align instructional time, learning materials, teaching practices and assessment methods accordingly.

WHAT CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN BY CLASS 5

Every class period should include one observable learner action, such as reading, writing, solving, explaining or acting with evidence.

Children should be able to read grade-level stories and informative texts and write paragraphs, letters and short reflections in Bangla by the end of class-5.

They should be capable of conversing in basic English, reading short passages, and writing guided paragraphs as well as functional notes.

Students are also expected to apply four concepts -- fractions, decimals, measurement and data -- while solving and explaining word problems in mathematics.

STUDENTS COMPLETING CLASS-5

The class-5 exit profile also includes science and enquiry, civic values, culture and sports. Children should be able to observe, ask questions, explain cause and effect and understand civic duties, public property, diversity, national history and environmental care.

The draft said that each grade should prepare children step by step for the next, avoiding jumps in textbook density and abstraction, meaning books should not become too text-heavy or packed with difficult concepts before learners are ready.

For pre-primary students, priority has been given to oral language, play, rhythm, pre-numeracy and social routines.

In class-1 and 2, Bangla and numeracy should be taught daily, with oral English exposure every day. Class-3 should serve as a bridge between learning how to read and using reading as a tool for learning.

BEYOND TEXTBOOKS

The draft proposes a coordinated package for each grade: a textbook or reader, activity book, teacher guide, remedial guide and video lessons. All materials should follow the same scope, sequence and assessment checkpoints.

Seeking changes in textbook design, the guidelines recommend stopping the use of poor-quality images and mechanical exercises, which require students to apply rules or formulas repetitively without needing to understand the underlying meaning or context. Vivid local illustrations, comics, photos, maps and diagrams should be included in textbooks instead.

Remedial guides should identify and address specific learning gaps, such as difficulties with letter recognition or basic counting, rather than merely repeating textbook content at a slower pace.

Suggestions have also been made for creating classroom lesson videos of six to nine minutes, micro-lessons of three to five minutes and remedial clips of two to four minutes.

ASSESSMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

Assessment should not be based on the completion of textbook pages. Instead, children’s application of learning should be checked through monthly Bangla and numeracy tasks, fortnightly English-speaking checks and weekly observation of civic responsibility, according to the guidelines.

For implementation, specific roles should be assigned to different government agencies.

The NCTB should work on curriculum scope, sequence, textbooks and teacher guide content, while the NAPE should focus on pedagogy, teacher training and video lesson scripts.

The DPE will be tasked with ensuring appropriate conditions, preparing class routines and learning materials and monitoring relevant processes.

NGO experts should support technical reviews and classroom pilots, which should be launched in schools in rural, urban, char, haor, slum and hill areas before being expanded nationwide.

“No book should go to print without a teacher guide, remedial pathway, assessment checklist and sample video lesson plan,” the draft said.

It also proposes a 90-day workplan to fix class hours, set class-5 exit outcomes, develop teacher guide and remedial prototypes, prepare video lesson scripts and conduct field reviews.

When asked, Bobby said the workplan is a suggested framework for the committees and will be implemented after their review and endorsement. All education partners, including BRAC, Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and UNICEF, were involved in the process.

The NCTB will begin working on textbooks and related materials based on the committees’ inputs, he added.