national education commission report 2003

U.S. Department of the Treasury

Financial literacy and education commission.

The Financial Literacy and Education Commission was established under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. The Commission was tasked to develop a national financial education web site (MyMoney.gov)  and a national strategy on financial education. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury and the vice chair is the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. The Commission is coordinated by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Consumer Policy.

VISION and MISSION

The Commission’s vision is of sustained financial well-being for all individuals and families in the U.S. In furtherance of this vision, the Commission sets strategic direction for policy, education, practice, research, and coordination so that all Americans make informed financial decisions.

Commission Member AgenciES

The Commission is made up of the heads of 24 federal agencies: Department of the Treasury (Chair), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Vice-Chair), Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Interior, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, General Services Administration, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Personnel Management, Small Business Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social Security Administration, and the White House Domestic Policy Council.

FINANCIAL LITERACY AND EDUCATION COMMISSION PUBLIC MEETING – April 10, 2024

The next public meeting of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) will be held on April 10, 2024, from 1:00 PM – 2:45 PM Eastern Time. The meeting will be webcast here: Treasury webcast . 

Treasury’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang will chair the meeting on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and will be joined by Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who serves as Vice Chair of the FLEC. 

The meeting will feature a panel on access to financial services for New Americans, including immigrants and refugees, as well as a spotlight discussion on promoting access to financial services and products for Muslim and Arab Americans. 

You do not need to register to view the webcast. If you require a reasonable accommodation or communication access services such as Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) or sign language interpretation, please contact [email protected] . 

The agenda and more information will be available soon.

SUBSCRIBE TO MEETING NOTIFICATIONS

Subscribe now to the Financial Education and Capability updates to receive notification of the next meeting. 

Previous Activities and Meetings

• Previous Meetings
• U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission Annual Report to Congress FY 2022 This report, also known as the Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Report, highlights the relevant activities of the FLEC represented agencies in promoting financial literacy and education in FY 2022.  Continuing its strategic focus to coordinate, support, and encourage federal government efforts to improve financial literacy and education, the FLEC is committed to serving as a thought leader and partner in public and private sector efforts to improve Americans’ financial knowledge, skills, and decision-making and to empower Americans to use these abilities to enhance their financial well-being. 
• Higher Education Financial Education Resources Updates - 2023   Members of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) Working Group on Higher Education, with input from other FLEC members, compiled resources to provide useful information to program leaders, educators, financial aid professionals, and students. The FLEC published higher education reports in 2015 and 2019, and this factsheet represents an update to those publications, highlighting newly-available resources.
• U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission Report FY 2021  This report serves as the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s (FLEC) Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) report for FY 2021.
• National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2020   The National Strategy details the federal government’s financial literacy priorities and underscores its plan to collaborate with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector to strengthen financial capability for all Americans. 
• U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission Report FY 2020  This report serves as the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s (FLEC) Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) report for FY 2020. Given the events of 2020, the report primarily focuses on the FLEC’s response to the COVID-19 national emergency.
• Best Practices for Financial Literacy and Education at Institutions of Higher Education This report provides recommendations for higher education institutions to deliver effective financial literacy education and resources to help students make informed decisions and avoid pitfalls associated with financing education.
• The National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2016 Updated is the FLEC’s latest addition to the 2011 National Strategy which established several goals for the various sectors of our economy which are seeking to improve individual financial well-being and financial literacy. This update emphasizes the progress that has been made in expanding and improving financial education, recent findings on the state of financial education and effective approaches and trends that may affect financial education in the future.
• MyMoney.gov is the federal government's website that serves as the one-stop shop for federal financial literacy and education programs, grants and other information. MyMoney.gov is available in English and Spanish.
• Call 1­800-FED­-INFO if you have a question about federal agencies, programs, benefits or services related to financial literacy and education. Our trained specialists can answer your question in English or Spanish, or refer you to the agency that can help.
• Special Issue on “Starting Early for Financial Success” – Journal of Consumer Affairs: To further share information and research that can help prepare young people for their financial lives, the FLEC requested that the Journal of Consumer Affairs dedicate a special issue to financial literacy research focused on “Starting Early for Financial Success.” Ten new academic research papers are now published and publicly available in the Spring 2015 issue. Here is a summary containing research abstracts and hyperlinks to the articles 
• The FLEC’s Resource Guide for Financial Institutions   Incorporating Financial Capability into Youth Employment Programs is aimed at financial institutions interested in enhancing youth financial capability by partnering with youth employment programs. It maps how and why financial institutions can engage in helping young people achieve greater financial well-being and employment success. 
• The FLEC's Resource Guide for Youth Employment Programs  Incorporating Financial Capability and Partnering with Financial Institutions is aimed at youth employment programs interested in enhancing youth financial capability by partnering with financial institutions. It maps how and why youth employment programs can partner with financial institutions to engage in helping young people achieve greater financial well-being and employment success. This is a companion to the Resource Guide for Financial Institutions noted above.
• Hands-On Learning to Build Financial Habits: Federal Resources to Encourage School-Based and Youth Savings Programs
• Hands-On Learning to Build Financial Habits: Research and Resources on Child Savings
• Guidance to Encourage Financial Institutions’ Youth Savings Programs and Address Related FAQs
• College Savings and Financing Resources   This document lists an array of resources for students and their families with tools and information to help make informed decisions about saving, paying, or financing their higher education. This list was compiled by members of the Postsecondary Subcommittee of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC), and offers free resources from federal agencies .
• Opportunities to Improve the Financial Capability and Financial Well-being of Post Secondary Students  This report has been prepared by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) and describes the state of financial education among postsecondary students. The report describes current efforts to enhance financial education in a number of institutions with regards to student understanding of financial aid and financial education topics. The body of the report describes issues facing postsecondary students regarding financial education and federal government policies and resources to address them.  Further, this report identifies programs that promote or enhance financial literacy for students, including those that involve partnerships between nonprofit organizations. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for how institutions of higher education can better equip students to make critical financial decisions.

       Report Summary : FLEC Postsecondary Report Summary

• 2012 Research Priorities and Research Questions . This document summarizes research priorities identified by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s Research and Evaluation Working Group, in consultation with members of the President’s Advisory Council for Financial Capability’s Research and Evaluation Subcommittee, and other experts. The document is intended to inform members of the Commission, other federal government supports of research, and private sector and academic researchers and research funders so that they may address the most important questions facing the financial literacy and education field, reduce duplication and overlap, and make best use of limited research dollars.  2012 Research Priorities
• 2013 Research Priorities for Starting Early for Financial Success. This document updates the 2012 research priorities to identify areas where they can be connected the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s strategic focus on Starting Early for Financial Success
• Promoting Financial Success in the United States: National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2011  was created through a process that included conversations with private, public, and non-profit representatives from the field. Articulating a vision of sustained financial well-being for individuals and families in our nation, this document sets strategic direction for policy, education, practice, research, and coordination in the financial literacy and education field.
• National Strategy Book
• National Strategy Background Report
• 2015 Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Report
• 2016 Strategy for Assure Financial Empowerment (SAFE)  Report

A Nation at Risk

• Share article

Updated : A previous version of this page included a link to a chart, which has since been removed.

In April 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education formed by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell released the report A Nation at Risk . The most famous line of the widely publicized report declared that “the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people” (U.S. Department of Education, 1983).

Characterized by its authors as “an open letter to the American people,” the report called for elected officials, educators, parents, and students to reform a public school system it described as “in urgent need of improvement.” That need for improvement was based on numerous statistics listed in the report that the commission said showed the inadequate quality of American education. The authors ominously cautioned that the data showed the nation was at risk and expressed grave concern that our “once unchallenged pre-eminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world.”

The findings and data presented in the report were organized around four major topics: content, expectations, time, and teaching. Out of those areas, the report made four major recommendations:

Regarding content, the commission recommended that all students seeking a high school diploma have a foundation in the “five new basics.” Such preparation included four courses in English, three in mathematics, three in science, three in social studies, and one-half credit in computer science. Two credits in a foreign language were also recommended for students planning to attend college.

The commission recommended that schools, both K-12 and higher education, adopt more “rigorous and measurable standards,” and have higher expectations for student performance and conduct. The commission also suggested that institutions of higher education raise admissions standards to push students to do their best during their elementary and secondary years.

Another recommendation asked schools to devote more time to teaching the new basics, which could take the form of longer, seven-hour school days, a school year with 200 to 220 days, or a more efficient use of the existing school day.

The report listed seven recommendations for improving teacher quality, including higher standards for teacher-preparation programs, teacher salaries that were professionally competitive and based on performance, 11-month contracts for teachers allowing more time for curriculum and professional development, career ladders that differentiated teachers based on experience and skill, more resources devoted to teacher-shortage areas, incentives for drawing highly qualified applicants into the profession, and mentoring programs for novice teachers that were designed by experienced teachers.

The problems listed in the report that led to its recommendations and the strong language it used caused a stir, both among the general public and in the education policy community. The report, which was widely circulated and was often cited by President Ronald Reagan, provided much of the impetus for a raft of school improvement measures undertaken throughout the United States. But as the report and its implications became more widely visible, A Nation at Risk also drew intense criticism.

The Manufactured Crisis Challenges Report

A book published more than a decade later, The Manufactured Crisis , remains one of the most popular challenges to the report’s conclusions. The authors of the critique, David Berliner and Bruce Biddle, question the statistics documenting educational failure, on which the report was based, and decry how politicians used the report as a reason to implement what Berliner and Biddle see as misdirected reforms. The book alleges that the report was just one example of the ways political leaders at the time were misleading the nation about the quality of public schools (1995).

The prominent education scholar John I. Goodlad writes that the report was able to gain a great deal of media attention, but that the attention seldom focused on its recommendations, looking instead at the “bad news” and the problems the report showed existed in schools. Goodlad also argues that the link between student achievement and the national economy was overstated in the report (2003). Other criticisms of the report point to its emphasis on high schools, virtually ignoring K-8 education (Peterson, 2003), and to a lack of citations for the numerous statistics used as evidence of the low quality of American schools (Berliner & Biddle, 1995).

Even though the report had its weaknesses, it still had a strong impact on American education. Most notably, the report led to comprehensive school reform efforts, was the impetus for the academic-standards movement, drew attention to the importance of education policy, and led to a focus on school accountability (Weiss, 2003).

In April 2003, the 20th anniversary of the release of A Nation at Risk triggered numerous analyses of the progress of American education over the past two decades.

Not every recommendation made by the report has taken hold over the past 20 or so years, however. According to the Koret Task Force, a group organized by the Hoover Institution and Stanford University to study the status of education reform, there has been “uneven” implementation and only minor gains in academic achievement during this time. The Koret Task Force argues that A Nation at Risk did a good job of pointing out the problems in American schools, but was not able to identify the fundamental reasons for the problems or address the political influences in the public education system (Peterson, 2003).

Sources American Federation of Teachers , “Survey and Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends 2002,” 2003. Berliner, D.C., and Biddle, B.J., The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America’s Public Schools , Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley Pub-lishing Co., 1995. Education Week , Quality Counts 2004: Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards , Jan. 7, 2004. Goodlad, J.I., “A Nation in Wait,” Education Week , April 23, 2003. Peterson, P.E.,"Our Schools & Our Future ... Are We Still at Risk?,” Stanford, Calif., Hoover Institution Press, 2003. U.S. Department of Education , The National Commission on Excellence in Education, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform , April 1983. Weiss, S., “Highlights From the 2003 National Forum on Education Policy: Nation at Risk Continues to Affect Education System,” Education Commission of the States , Dec. 15, 2003.

How to Cite This Article Park, Jennifer. (2004, September 10). A Nation at Risk. Education Week. Retrieved Month Day, Year from https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/a-nation-at-risk/2004/09

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

Education Commission

Education Commission The earliest attempt for reform and restructuring of education system in British India was the outcome of the wood’s educational despatch of 1854 resulting from an enquiry about education in India by the Select Committee of the British House of Commons which provided the legal foundation for modern public education in Bengal. Establishment of educational departments in every province, foundation of universities and graded schools, introduction of supervision system, grant-in-aid for private schools, teachers' training institutions, creating a comprehensive secular system of education for the diffusion of practical knowledge using both English and the Vernacular languages, were the major outcome of Wood's Despatch. Secondary education as a distinct level of the total education structure emerged only after the publication of the Despatch. Wood's Despatch was one of the first documents advocating formal education for girls in Bengal.

In 1882, lord ripon appointed the first Indian Education Commission with William Hunter as its chairman. The Commission suggested for leaving secondary education to private enterprise through a system of grants-in-aid, holding of school and Entrance examinations and appointment of trained teachers at secondary schools. After the Indian Education Conference at Simla in 1901 lord curzon published his education policy in the form of a government resolution in 1904 which contributed to the increase of vernacularization at high school level especially in public schools, catered for the masses.

Under the reforms of 1919-1921 the elementary education was made free within municipalities and rural unions, and in Bengal the first steps towards universal primary education were taken through the Bengal Primary Education Act, 1930. A provincial department of education was established in 1930, and thus began the process of centralization and bureaucratization of education. Consequently, the enactment of the Bengal Education Code 1931 was a landmark legislation that created the District School Board as the administrative body for primary and secondary education. A central Advisory Board was established in 1935 for policy formulation in education recommended by the Hartog Committee of 1927.

After the partition of India in 1947 efforts were made to reform the education system in Pakistan. The first education conference was held in Karachi in 1947 (27 Novermber'1 December) to reassess the colonial education system and to restructure the existing system with due regard to ideological and literary considerations of a new country, Pakistan. The second major area taken into consideration was the training and development of scientific and technical manpower. The third point of the agenda was to plan education in conformity with national heritage and aspirations. With this end in view successive education commissions were formed from time to time to suggest ways and means for reform and restructure of the education system in the country.

Maulana Akram Khan Education Commission (1949) The first education commission in Pakistan was appointed by the government in 1949 with an object of reassessing the existing education system and for suggesting reform and restructuring the education system. The commission was headed by Maulana Mohammad Akram Khan and came to be known as Maulana Akram Khan Committee on Education. The Commission submitted its report in 1952.

Ataur Rahman Khan Education Commission (1957) The Government of East Pakistan appointed an education commission in January 1957 to suggest the ways and means for reforms in all levels of education in the province with Ataur Rahman Khan as its chairman. The Commission submitted its report in 1957 suggesting reforms in primary, secondary and in higher education levels.

The Commission suggested for introduction of free and compulsory primary education throughout the province of East Pakistan and to bring the primary schools under direct control of the government. The commission assigned five-years course for primary and six years course for secondary education, and suggested for the establishment of junior high school with three years course (classes vi to viii) and senior high school with three years course (classes ix to xi) or high school with full six years course. Secondary schools were to be established uniformly in all the areas of the province, one junior high school for 25 thousand population and one senior high school for 50 thousand of population. The sanction of government grants to the schools was made mandatory in the report and an uniform rate of tuition fee of the students was suggested. The Commission advocated for the mother tongue or regional language as the medium of education at secondary level, and also as the compulsory subject. To create incentive and to encourage the girls to education, the female students in secondary level were to be entitled to tuition fee free education. The Commission advocated for the abolition of intermediate course and introduction of three years degree course.

The commission suggested syllabi for primary and secondary education. These are the introduction of decimal system in Mathematics at primary level, inclusion of subjects like language, social studies, general science, mathematics, religion or ethics, painting, songs and music, handicrafts, gymnastics and health studies in junior high school. The syllabi in senior high schools should include diverse and multilateral subjects such as compulsory ontology, science, technical subjects, commerce, agriculture, domestic science and Islamic studies etc.

Commission on National Education (1958) The Commission was formed by the Government of Pakistan on 30 December 1958 with S.M Sharif, the West Pakistan Education Secretary, as the chairman and ten educationists as members. The Commission is also known as Sharif Commission after the name of its chairman. President Ayub Khan while inaugurating the Commission in January 1959 set out the mandate to evolve a national system of education that would reflect the spiritual, moral and cultural values of independent Pakistan, and enable the system to meet the growing needs of the nation by assisting development in the fields of agriculture, science and technology.

The Commission in its report submitted in December 1959 took education as a productive activity and a national investment in human resource development and recommended the following: (a) Encouragement should be given to the development of residential secondary schools; (b) Secondary school curriculum should include a core of compulsory subjects along with a few optional ones with a technical and vocational bias; (c) The conducting of Intermediate courses should be vested upon the Boards of Secondary Education instead of the universities; (d) The degree courses, both pass and honours, should be of three years duration; (e) Comprehensive' scholarship programmes for the gifted students should stretch from beyond the primary stage to the top and (f) provision should be made for adequate facilities for female education.

Since the educational expansion in this part of the world to a large extent had been the product of private effort and enterprise, and the role of the state remained confined to a bare minimum, the Commission called upon both the government and the people to undertake a larger share of the burden than they had so far been doing. So the Commission proposed that while the government and the community should equally share the cost of primary education, three-fifths of the cost of secondary education should come from fees. In higher education, the community should bear a larger portion of the cost than before.

The Sharif Commission Report was comprehensive in its study and recommendations. It emphasized universal primary schooling, eradicating illiteracy and promoting the national language, among others. The Commission also incorporated suggestions for a few basic changes in the administrative set-up, such as decentralizing the management of primary education, revamping the examination system, and envisaging a new management structure for technical education. The objectives of this report for secondary education may be encapsulated as follows: 'To develop (a) a good worker, (b) a good citizen, (c) a good individual and (d) a good patriot. Thus, though the policy set aims and objectives relevant to the needs of a new state, it failed to provide a clear-cut strategy to attain them for want of an implementation plan.

The Sharif Commission Report was rejected outright by the students in East Pakistan who found the whole tone and tenor of the report reactionary and against the interests of the Bangalis. The denial of any political rights of the students and their right to maintain liaison with political parties, restriction on available opportunities for higher education by imposing strict conditions of enrolment, promotion and by raising the standard of public examinations, three years degree course, heavy load of English language course in higher secondary level, imposing a much heavier load of coursework under the new proposed syllabus, proposal for enhancement of tuition fees at schools and colleges, all these measures induced the students community to forge a movement against the implementation of the Sharif Commission Report. When the movement got momentum in 1964 the government was compelled to come to a truce and declare an instant end to the implementation of the report of the Commission.

Commission on Students Problems and Welfare (1964) The Sharif Commission Report having been denounced by the student community in favour of a progressive education policy, the Government of Pakistan appointed a new commission in 1964 as Commission on students problems and welfare headed by Justice Hamoodur Rahman. The Commission in its report criticized the elitist system of education of the country which did not fit in with principles of equality and social justice. The Commission reported: 'The idea of superior and inferior schools does not fit in with our socio-economic pattern and principles of equality and social justice as enunciated by Islam which have been declared as the avowed policy of the state in the preamble of our Constitution.

Air Marshal Nur Khan Commission (1969) In 1969, General Yahya's government appointed a commission with Air Marshal Nur Khan at its head to suggest ways and means for overhauling the educational system. The rationale behind yet another educational policy was that education had failed to promote national cohesion, especially on account of separatist feelings of the people of East Pakistan, and that it had not played its proper role in national development. There was a high rate of unemployment among the educated youth and academic standard was low. This policy visualized the promotion of a common set of cultural values based on the precepts of Islam. Creating a literate society and developing vocational and technical manpower was its focal point. The recommendations given for changing this vision into reality were to integrate madrasahs into the normal school system and bring the latter in line with ideological demands, to integrate primary and middle schools with elementary schools, to undertake a massive programme of adult education, to decentralize educational administration and to establish the University Grants Commission. This Commission also recommended Urdu and Bangla, instead of English, to be the medium of instruction in Pakistan by 1975.

National Education Commission (1972) The first education commission in Bangladesh styled as National Education Commission was formed on 26 July 1972 headed by an eminent educationist and scientist Dr. Qudrat-i-Khuda. The functioning of this National Education Commission was formally inaugurated on 24 September 1972 by the Prime Minister Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This National Education Commission also came to be known as Qudrat-i-Khuda Education Commission after the name of its chairman.

The Commission collected opinions from the elitist people in the form of questionnaire, and after careful sorting of the opinions prepared a report suggesting reconstruction of the education system of the country. The Commission submitted its report to the government on 30 May 1974.

The report of the Commission was formulated and based on the socio-economic and political condition and cultural heritage of the country. The perspectives of this scenario of the education system of the contemporary world was also taken into consideration. The Commission report emphasized on secular education at all-level, future work relevant technical and vocational education. It suggested some major changes in the primary, secondary and higher secondary stages of education.

According to the Commission report, primary education was to be of 8 years duration consisting of class i to class viii and secondary education will be of 4 years duration consisting of class ix to class xii. In the field of higher education, a combined Degree course of four years and a one year Masters course was recommended to be introduced in the universities. The Commission suggested for universal and tuition fee free compulsory education in primary level, to make the existing tuition fee free primary education (class i to v) compulsory by 1980 and to make education up to class viii free and compulsory by 1983. In consideration of the financial condition of the dropouts at primary level, night schools were to be established providing education to the students up to the age of fifteen.

At the secondary level consolidated multiple course was recommended. The secondary level education was to consist of simultaneous vocational education of three years term and general education of four years term. The education in secondary level shall be marginal vocational education for most of the students and as preparatory stage for higher education for a few. The marginal vocational education was to extend upto class xi and general education upto class xii. Thus from class ix, the course of studies ought to be divided into (a) vocational education and (b) general education.

Regarding curriculum, syllabus and textbooks, the Commission suggested a uniform curriculum for primary level based on competence. The Commission suggested the establishment of Educational Research Board for the development of primary education.

The Commission gave special emphasis on improved assessment system and suggested letter grading in the assessment of student performance at all stages of education. The students with both general and vocational courses shall appear in the public examination on completion of their study in class x and will get certificate. On completion of course of class x the students with general course were to select one of the multilateral general courses for class xi and class xii and on completion of course of class xii shall be entitled to join the institutions for higher studies. There would be public examination on completion of the course of class xii and the successful candidates ought to be entitled to a certificate. The students with vocational course would complete their vocational education on completion of one year special training in class xi on subject related with their course of studies in class ix and x. On completion of training in class xi they will appear in a public examination and will be entitled to a certificate. The students with vocational course willing to join in industrial concerns as skilled labour on completion of vocational course of class x would be provided with the scope for industrial internship programme. Any student aspiring for higher education in related vocational subject on completion of the course of class x or class xi shall be entitled to admission in specific institutions. The Commission report firmly asserted that women's education should be such as to be of help to them in their domestic life, and stressed that subjects such as child-care, the nursing of the sick, preservation of health, food and nutrition must be included. It also suggested that girls should be channeled into 'vocations specially suitable to them', such as primary school teaching, nursing and typing.

Commission for Developing National Curricula and Syllabi (1976) In the light of the recommendations of the Qudrat-i-Khuda Education Commission (1974) a committee for developing National curricula and syllabi was formed by the government in 1975. The national committee consisted of 51 eminent educationists of the country headed by Professor Shamsul Hoque and began functioning in March 1976. The Commission developed a detailed procedure and mechanism for developing national curricula and syllabi. In order to achieve its target, the Commission constituted 10 sub-committees and 27 subject committees. The Commission submitted its report to the government in 7 volumes in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The Commission specifically suggested a single-track and uniform secondary education system to be introduced with class ix level preferably from the 1980 school session.

National Education Advisory Committee (1978) In 1978 the government felt the necessity of reviewing the report of the Qudrat-i-Khuda Education Commission and appointed an advisory committee to have a fresh look at the issues of problems of education. This committee submitted a report styled 'Interim Education Policy' Recommendations on 8 February 1979. The interim policy document put emphasis on increased literacy so that the people could take part in the development of the country. The document established the current educational framework with secondary education consisting of three sub-stages, namely, junior secondary (3 years), secondary (2 years), and higher secondary (2 years). In addition, the document stipulated the following: (a) terminal examination will be conducted by the district education authorities for all stages of secondary education; (b) vocational, technical, agricultural and medical education will be included and integrated into secondary and higher secondary education; (c) there will be provision of skills development in any technical subject at junior secondary and secondary levels. In regard to madrasah education, the Interim Education Policy stipulated that it should be recognized to ensure its equivalence to general education in such a way that the 'dakhil' level would correspond to secondary and 'alim' to higher secondary education.

Mazid Khan Education Commission (1983) The report of the Mazid Khan Commission 1983 on education was not widely disseminated and was not formally adopted for implementation.

Bangladesh National Education Commission (1987) The Government of Bangladesh appointed an education commission in 1987 headed by Mafizuddin Ahmed, the former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, to suggest means for educational reforms, restructuring and development of education in the country. The Commission is also known as Mafizuddin Education Commission after the name of its chairman. The Commission took advice and suggestions from the educational experts, the professionals, politicians and the persons interested in education through seminars, discussion meetings and interviews. Two teams consisting of two members of the Commission each travelled through Thailand, China, Philipines and Japan to have acquaintance with improved system of education. The Commission submitted its report to the government on 26 February 1988.

The Commission specifically suggested device and means for the development of higher education in the country. It suggested for the introduction of three years Degree course and two years Masters course, and to develop the infrastructure and teaching facilities in the degree colleges. The Commission suggested that the degree students shall have three subjects as their course of studies and shall have to take practical education in one of the subjects in the third year. The students securing above 70% marks in any of the subjects in the final examination shall be offered honours degree in the subject. The Commission suggested for (a) the elevation of a college in every greater district, in divisional towns and in the capital into a university, (b) to establish two affiliating universities and to bring all the general colleges offering first degree within the jurisdiction of these affiliating universities, (c) to devise principles and rules for nationalization of educational institutions and bring them to effect, (d) to pay full salary and allowances of the teachers of the non-government colleges by the government, (e) to establish rich library and developed research centre in the universities for conducting research for offering Ph.D degree, research facilities in Masters course, fellowship to the students for study in Ph.D course, and to develop a particular department in the universities as Centre of Excellence for research in Ph.D and post Ph.D studies, (f) to introduce employment bureau for students in universities and institutions of higher education for providing employment opportunities.

Shamsul Haque Education Commission (1997) The Government of Bangladesh constituted a 56-members commission headed by Professor M Shamsul Haque, the former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, by an official order issued on 14 January 1997. The Commission was assigned to formulate a practical, people oriented and dynamic education policy. The Commission made all out efforts for developing an education policy in order to introduce a pragmatic education system suitable for the country. The Commission submitted its report in 1997. The education policy enunciated by the Commission aims at (a) helping the students in developing moral, humanitarian, religious, cultural and social values in their individual and national life, (b) to inspire them in the spirit of War of Liberation and inculcate in them the spirit of nationalism, patriotism and qualities of good citizens, (c) to make education practical, productive, creative towards the economic and social change of the country, (d) to develop the students as responsible, dutiful manpower, (e) to develop in them the spirit of universal brotherhood, non-sectarianism, harmony and fellow feeling, and respectful to human rights, (f) to inculcate in them the spirit of tolerance to each others opinions with an object of the development of democratic spirit, and (g) to develop in them the spirit of realistic and positive attitude towards life. The Commission suggested for ensuring equal rights to education on the basis of merit and aptitude with an object of the development of discrimination free society.

The Commission suggested for three stages of education, viz primary level, secondary level and higher education. The length of primary education was suggested to be of 8 years duration instead of 5 years.

MA Bari Education Commission (2001) An expert committee headed by Dr. M. Abdul Bari was formed in 2001 to identify immediate implementable reforms of education sector. The Committee submitted its report in 2002 and suggested several interventions in the sector which were considered later by the Education Commission of 2003 headed by Mohammad Moniruzzaman Miah.

Bangladesh Education Commission (2003) In order to improve the quality of education and initiate a set of reforms to develop the sector, the government undertook several actions of which the formation of an education commission in January 2003 was one of the major initiatives. The Commission was headed by Professor Mohammad Moniruzzaman Miah, former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, and was also known as Moniruzzaman Miah Education Commission after the name of its chairman. The Commission submitted its report to the government in March 2004.

The Commission Report consists of three parts, General education, Professional Education, Specialized education, and suggests 880 recommendations on all the education sub-sectors. The Commission advocated for equal access to education for all irrespective of religion, caste and creed, sex, economic status and geographical variation, wider access to education in the rural areas through establishment of new educational institutions with government financing in the underserved areas. The Commission suggested for nationalization of all the primary schools, a single-track secondary education system, narrowing down teacher-student ratio, upgrading teacher qualifications, reforming the curriculum and teaching methods and improving the assessment and examination system at secondary level.

The Commission suggested for the selection of teachers in non-government educational institutions, other than the universities, through an independent commission. Teachers' pay scale, promotion criteria, and service condition should be formulated in such a way that enhances teachers' dignity in the society. The Commission recommends that there is no alternative to exploring the full utility of modern technology for quality improvement in primary and secondary education. In this regard a TV channel could be engaged for this purpose. It is also recommended that distance education through TV could be introduced for pre-primary and continuous education. The secondary education should be formulated in a manner that the dropout students also can manage some livelihood. A national policy for utilization of manpower needs to be formulated so that no educated unemployment is generated.

The Commission recommended that with certain objectives a national policy on language need to be formulated. It is recommended that with the light of the knowledge of modern science and technology, a national policy on science should be formulated and implemented at the earliest possible time. The commission discouraged the establishment of unitrack universities like agriculture, technology, medicine etc with government fund, because these are contradictory to the concept of university in one hand and expensive as well on the other. Since higher education is relatively expensive, higher education in private sector could be encouraged. But institutional mechanisms should be established to maintain the quality of private sector education. The Commission advocated for decentralization of administration particularly for secondary and college education in a manner that authority does not centralize to single person; collision of power does not arise among different persons and agencies; problem is solved more quickly and at the local levels. It is recommended that for facilitating the public university research with international standard, Centre of Excellence would be established in some areas of education; improvement of physical infrastructure also needs to be developed. For research in professional education (like agriculture, technology, medicine) proper measures should be undertaken.

The Commission recommended for the establishment of a permanent Education Commission in the country with the following functions:' initiatives for implementation of the recommendations of the education commission; identification of the problems in education sector and recommendation for solutions through continuous research; and exploration of new thoughts in education and implementation of the same.

Kabir Chowdhury Education Commission (2009) The government formed a sixteen member committee in 2009 headed by National Professor Kabir Chowdhury to update the National Education Policy 2000. The committee formulated the new education policy in the light of the Qudrat-i-Khuda Commission Report of 1974 and Shamsul Haque Education Commission Report of 1997. The draft of the National Education Policy 2009 was formally submitted to the government on 7 September 2009.

The salient features of the recommendations of the Commission include revising the stages of undergraduate education from three to two, the mandatory inclusion of certain compulsory subjects under all streams of education, making education more need-based, and formation of a permanent education commission. The policy paper recommends extension of compulsory primary schooling to eight years, final primary level examinations to be held at the end of class viii, and secondary school scholarships to be awarded based on the results. The new policy also recommends that secondary level studies will extend over four academic years, classes ix to xii, and the government scholarship examinations will be taken at the end of class x. Final secondary level examinations will be held at the end of class xii. Some fundamental subjects including Bangla, moral education, Bangladesh studies, mathematics, natural environment, social studies, IT and science will be made compulsory in different streams of primary and secondary level curriculum. The policy also calls for some form of technical and vocational education to be introduced at all secondary level institutions. The madrasah education will be restructured by including information technology and vocational training among compulsory subjects. The Committee also recommended formation of a non-government teachers' commission. [Muazzam Hussain Khan]

• This page was last edited on 17 June 2021, at 19:08.
• Privacy policy
• About Banglapedia
• Disclaimers

Report of the National Committee on Educational Objectives and Policies (Gachathi Report) 1976

• Download 163
• File Size 5.29 MB
• File Count 1
• Create Date July 1, 1976
• Last Updated August 22, 2020

Report of the National Committee on Educational Objectives and Policies

QUICK LINKS

• Vision and Mission
• Organization Structure
• Past Commissions
• Present Commission
• Standing Committees
• Academic Staff
• Administrative Staff
• Education Policy Formulation
• Education Policy Analysis and Research
• National Education Goals and Competency Framework
• Monitoring, Data Management and Publication
• Education Policies
• Early Childhood Education
• General Education
• Higher Education
• Technical and Vocational Education and Training
• Statistical Digest
• News Letter
• Symposia Proceeding
• Annual Reports
• News & Events

Our Mission

The National Education Policy includes the following matters :-

Aims and goals of education; the structure of the educational system– pre-school, primary, secondary tertiary, higher, informal, nonformal, adult, special, professional and religious; the establishment, location and distribution of educational institutions, including methods and criteria for admission of students and recruitment of teachers; the content of education, including medium of instruction, diversification of curricula, text books and learning materials, the place of religious knowledge, observance and practice, assessment and evaluation, the examination system, certificates, diplomas and academic awards and recognition of qualification; recruitment, placement, disciplinary control and professional growth of education service personnel, including teachers, para -education personnel, supervisors and administrators; resources for education, including the mobilization of community participation; and ancillary services for education including mid-day meals, health and dental services, physical education and sports.

POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION

• To make recommendations to the President, on educational policy in all its aspects, with a view to, ensuring continuity in educational policy and enabling the education system to respond to changing needs in society, including an immediate review of educational policy and plan or plans and the making of recommendations to the President, on a comprehensive National Education Policy;
• To review and analyze periodically, the National Education Policy and Plan or plans in operation and where necessary, to recommend to the President, changes in such Policy, Plan or Plans;
• To advise the President on any other matter relating to education which may be referred to it by the President, for its advice.
• The changes in curricula and teaching methods in educational institutions that are necessary to match education to employment, industry, and social needs;
• The adequacy of guidance and counseling for students in educational institutions, to enable them to develop their potential to the full;
• The measures necessary to strengthen the links between educational institutions and the community;
• The development of educational institutions as resource centers for all-round human development in the community;
• The measures necessary to reduce area-wise disparities among schools;
• The measures necessary to enhance the professional standing of teachers and other education service personnel;
• The alternate programs that could be provided for the benefit of the children leaving primary and secondary schools prematurely, to enable them to develop their potential to the full;
• The changes in curricula necessary to foster the cultural and religious aspirations of students of all communities and religions;
• The legislative changes necessary to give effect to any such recommendations.

Advanced Search

National Education Commission

1st Floor, Block 5, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka

Quick Links

News & events, core functions, publications.

Telephone : +94 11 2662064 Fax : +94 11 2662064 E-mail :   [email protected]

Telephone : +94 11 2662064 Fax : +94 11 2662064 E-mail :  [email protected]

Copyright © 2023 NEC

Web solution by cyber concepts.

• Action Agendas
• About the Commission
• For the Media
• the Learning Generation

Research & Resources

Featured report, transforming the education workforce.

Transforming the Education Workforce: Learning Teams for a Learning Generation offers new visions for strengthening, diversifying, and reimagining an education workforce that can deliver inclusive, quality education for all. The workforce is an education system’s biggest investment and one of its greatest levers for change. This new report draws on existing evidence and innovations from education and other sectors to rethink the education workforce needed for the future. It puts forward approaches for addressing immediate needs while also creating collaborative teams and systems that respond to our rapidly changing world to equip our young people with the skills they need for the future. Read the report.

The Education Commission and its partners have produced in-depth research on what works in improving and expanding quality education for all.  This research includes a series of background papers that contributed to the analysis and recommendations put forth in the Learning Generation report. These papers will be organized by the transformation they most closely align with.

• Performance
• A Global Offer for Learning (GOL): Based on Experiences with Paying for Results (2 MB)
• Books for All Children: A Rapid Analysis of the Political Economy around Textbook Publishing (2 MB)
• Information for Accountability: Transparency and Citizen Engagement for Improved Service Delivery in Education Systems (2 MB)
• Learning Data for Better Policy: A Global Agenda (2 MB)
• Managing the Politics of Quality Reforms in Education: Policy Lessons from Global Experience (2 MB)
• Memo on Evidence in Education: Education Systems and Interventions (2 MB)
• The Data Revolution in Education (2 MB)
• The Effectiveness of Education Programs Worldwide: The Construction and Findings of a Meta-Analytic Database (1 MB)
• The Quality of Education Systems and Education Outcomes (2 MB)
• A Landscape Analysis of Information & Communication Technologies’ Role in Education Effectiveness and Efficiency: Issues, Techniques, and Possibilities (2 MB)
• Developing the Education Workforce in Africa: Focusing on the Role of Families/Communities (2 MB)
• Ensuring Mixed Education Systems Comply with Human Rights (2 MB)
• Innovation and Technology to Accelerate Progress in Education (2 MB)
• Leadership Development Guidance Note (1 MB)
• Leapfrogging College: Moving Beyond the Incumbent Model to Achieve Success, Affordability, and Quality in Post-secondary Education (6 MB)
• Measures of Effective Teaching in Developing Countries (2 MB)
• Private Schooling in Latin America: Trends and Public Policies (2 MB)
• Prizes for Innovation: Impact Analysis in the ICT for Education Sector (1 MB)
• Teacher Politics: Meeting Educational Quality Challenges with Teachers (3 MB)
• Tertiary Education and the Sustainable Development Goals: In Search of a Viable Funding Model (5 MB)
• Accelerating Progress in Education in Malawi: A Focus on Financing and Political Economy (2 MB)
• An Education for the Future: the Schooling Experience of Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon and Germany (2 MB)
• Analysis of Risk Factors in Education in Developing Countries: Technical Report (2 MB)
• Challenges in Post-school Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (2 MB)
• Children and adolescents affected by crises (2 MB)
• Financing Early Childhood Development: An Analysis of International and Domestic Sources in Low- and Middle- Income Countries Volume I (2 MB)
• Financing Early Childhood Development: An Analysis of International and Domestic Sources in Low- and Middle- Income Countries Volume II (2 MB)
• Girls' Schooling is Good, Girls' Schooling with Learning is Better (2 MB)
• India’s Education Policy and Its Development Over Time: How has Social Inequality been addressed? (2 MB)
• Lighting the Way: Inside the School Resilience Agenda (4 MB)
• Migration, Education and Development (1 MB)
• Overcoming Inequalities Within Countries to Achieve Global Convergence in Learning (2 MB)
• Projections of Educational Attainment and Its Development Impacts For Scenarios of Full and Partial Progress Towards Universal Upper Secondary Schooling (2 MB)
• Spending Beyond Education: Supporting Education through Complementary SDG Spending (1 MB)
• Targeted, Multidimensional Approaches to Overcome Inequalities in Secondary Education: Case Study of Camfed in Tanzania (1 MB)
• The Role of Families/Communities in Supporting Girls' Education: A Case Study of Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia (2 MB)
• A Global Financing Facility for Education (GFF-E): What, Why and How (2 MB)
• Domestic Tax and Education (2 MB)
• Education Financing in Decentralized Systems – Enquiries into the Allocative Efficiency of Educational Investment and the Effects on Other Dimensions of Quality Education Policies (3 MB)
• Education Financing Priorities (1 MB)
• Enhancing Multilateral Loans for Education: Intervention Rationales, Mechanisms, Options and Decision Criteria (2 MB)
• Ensuring Effective Outcome-based Financing in Early Childhood Development (2 MB)
• Estimating the Economic Returns of Education from a Health Perspective (2 MB)
• Financing Basic Education in Nigeria: What are the Feasible Options? (2 MB)
• Financing Education Equity: A Study of Three Country Cases (3 MB)
• Financing Education: Domestic Resource Mobilization and Allocation (2 MB)
• Forming the Optimal Skills Pledge and Levy: A Global Perspective and Policy Recommendations (2 MB)
• Global Taxation: Financing Education and the Other Sustainable Development Goals (2 MB)
• Improving Basic Education Outcomes in Nigeria: Effectiveness, Accountability and Equity Issues (2 MB)
• Innovative Financing Recommendations (2 MB)
• Korea’s ODA Strategy in Global Education (2 MB)
• Priorities and Strategies of US-based Funders Supporting Global Education (1 MB)
• Raising Domestic Resources for Equitable Education (2 MB)
• Rethinking the Financing and Architecture of Global Education (3 MB)
• The Learning Generation Costing Model: Semi-technical overview of key assumptions driving the Learning Generation estimates (1 MB)
• Unexpected Allies: Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform and Education Finance (2 MB)
• USE 2030: Exploring Impacts, Costs and Financing (3 MB)