THE National Committee for the Formulation of a new Education Policy, headed by its chairman, National Professor Kabir Chowdhury and co-chairman Dr Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, submitted its recommendations to the Education Minister last week. The committee did it in four months since it was appointed by the new government and well within the deadline of September 3.

The Awami League-led alliance government appointed the 16-member committee on April 6, 2009 to review the report of Shamsul Haque Education Committee of 1997 and formulate a new national education policy in line with the report of Qudrat-e-Khuda Education Commission of 1974.

The committee sought to recommend a uniform system of education by doing away with 11 parallel systems. It suggested for the extension of free primary education up to class VIII and secondary education up to class XII. It stressed moral education and Bangladesh studies.

It suggested modernisation of madrassah education by including information technology and science in its curriculum.

The question is: will the government implement the recommendations or would the new education commission's suggestions face the fate of the previous ones?