Same but different: value differences in common core Bangla and English curriculum of General and Madrasa education in Bangladesh

• In Event: Comparing Equity and Access

Proposal

General education (mainstream secular education) and madrasa education (Islamic education) are two main sub-streams of primary and secondary education system in Bangladesh. Till 2012, these two sub-streams had separate curriculum and textbooks. However, from 2012 government of Bangladesh introduced some common core curriculum and subjects in these two sub-streams in order to implement unified education, promote similar values and beliefs among different education sub-streams and thus reduce the gulf of value difference between general and madrasa education sub-streams. Bengali and English are two major subjects for which different curriculum and textbooks were used till 2012; but currently same curriculum and textbooks are used for these two subjects for both general and masrasa education sub-streams. However, due to constant demand of Islamic scholars and religious leaders of the country involved with Madrasa education sub-stream, some modifications have been made in curriculum and textbook contents of Madrasa education curriculum in order to ensure inclusion of cultural and religious values and beliefs deemed as appropriate for madrasa education curriculum. This ongoing research aims at studying the Bangla and English curriculums and textbooks of Bengali and English subjects for General and madrasa education curriculum in order to understand how cultural and religious differences are reflected in these curriculums and subjects. Discourse analysis is being used as conceptual and methodological framework for this study. Discourse is defined as a way of using language to understand the world (Jorgensen and Phillips, 2002). Discourse analysis uses and analyzes texts to understand how particular ideologies are manifested and established through language (Potter & Wetherell, 1987; Fairclough, 1992; Van Dijk, 1998; Woolard, 1998; Blommaert & Bulcaen, 2000; Kroskrity, 2000; Collins, 2003; Nafstad & Blakar, 2013 ). In particular, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model proposed by Norman Fairclough is being used to understand the different cultural and religious ideologies manifested through these similar but different curriculum and textbooks. The aim of CDA is to analyze the role of discursive practices in understanding the social world (Jorgensen and Phillips, 2002). Fairclough proposed a three-dimensional model of CDA which considers discourse as both constitutive and constituted and believes that discourse serves the functions of social identity, social relations and ideation. Therefore, Fairclough’s three-dimensional model includes analysis of text itself; but it also goes beyond the textual analysis, and explores how the text is produced and consumed and how the text represents, reproduces or changes larger social practices (Fairclough, 1992, 1995, 2003). Thus this model creates a connection among text, text production and the ideologies that the text promotes. For textual analysis for CDA, differences in vocabulary and wording, images, textual contents, ethos or identity construction through language are being analyzed of Bengali and English textbooks of general and madrasa education sub-streams. For this purpose the analysis of Bengal and English curriculum and textbooks for grade one through ten (Primary education: grade I-V; secondary education: grade VI-X) is being performed. Initial analyses suggest that there are some notable differences in how identity, desired dress code, desired human activity, gender relations, gender work divisions are perceived in these two curricular and textbook contents of the two sub-streams. However, a fuller textual analyses is still underway and expected to be finished by the end of 2016. For better understanding how the textual differences are related to perceived social, cultural and religious ideologies, interviews are is planned to be taken with 3-4 curriculum and policy makers, 2 religious leader involved in curriculum planning, 5-6 textbook committee members (at least 1 from each committees: General Bengali textbook committee, General English textbook committee, Madarsa Bengali committee, and Madrasa English textbook committee) and expected to be finished by the end of 2016. This research will help bring important insight about the religious education in the fields of comparative and international education which is relatively less studied in these fields. It is also expected to develop understanding how religious and cultural values shape different education systems within a country context.

Authors

• Mohammad Mahboob Morshed, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Sumera Ahsan, International Education, UMass Amherst