A curriculum is the sum of the subjects, teaching-learning activities, assessment methods and educational experiences planned to achieve specific goals in an educational institution or system. Put simply, the full plan of what students will learn, how they will learn it and how their learning will be assessed is the curriculum.
In every country, the curriculum has to be kept up to date as society and civilization change, because society is constantly changing. In this flow of change, the state must shape the new generation into skilled, good citizens able to adapt to social, cultural and technological progress and to the wider world, and to absorb the accepted values of society. Otherwise our young people will fall behind in competition at home and abroad.
In our country, the conventional curriculum does not create much interest in study among students. The excessive pressure of examinations and textbooks under the conventional curriculum breeds fear of and reluctance to attend school, and the monotony of prevailing teaching-learning methods is clearly visible among students. The current government is working to remove this problem. The much-discussed concept of the moment is “learning with happiness” — what it is and how it works.
Learning with happiness refers to a teaching method in which teaching and learning take place through joy, interest, positive feeling and participation. Its core idea is that if students learn with joy, they can understand, remember and apply subjects better. In this method, students are taught through play, stories, songs and creative activities in a fear-free and pressure-free learning environment, developing active participation, curiosity, creativity, self-confidence and social skills.
Finland’s education system is known as one of the most successful in the world, because its students have less homework and fewer examinations, and are taught through play, creativity and real experience. Teachers are highly trained and enjoy freedom in deciding teaching methods. Mental well-being and student welfare are given importance in the classroom, so students have greater interest in learning, the country has long performed well in international assessments, and the dropout rate is comparatively low.
Singapore, through its “Teach Less, Learn More” policy, emphasizes joyful and deep learning. Its education system is analytical rather than rote-based, with project-based and inquiry-based activities, effective use of technology and heavy investment in teacher training. As a result, it consistently ranks among the world’s best in mathematics, science and reading skills, and fosters innovative thinking and problem-solving ability.
In many provinces of Canada, importance is given to students’ mental well-being, inclusive education and active participation, through such approaches as group learning, project-based assessment and the development of social and emotional skills, which increase students’ self-confidence and cooperative attitude. In Japan, joyful learning has been combined with discipline and moral education; one important aspect of its early education is teaching refined and courteous behavior. Students clean their own classrooms and practice teamwork and mutual cooperation, while moral education is compulsory, building a sense of responsibility, self-reliance and social discipline. In New Zealand, the curriculum gives importance to students’ interest, creativity, cultural diversity and real-life experience, so that students learn to think independently and can connect learning with real life.
John Dewey said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Maria Montessori said children are naturally interested in learning and learn best in a joyful, free and inquiry-based environment. According to the psychologist Lev Vygotsky, social interaction, cooperation and group activity make learning enjoyable and meaningful, and with the help of teachers and peers a student gets the greatest opportunity to learn. Jerome Bruner emphasized discovery-based learning, holding that when students learn by discovering for themselves, learning becomes enjoyable and lasting. According to Howard Gardner, every student’s way of learning is different, and to make education joyful the diverse talents and interests of students must be valued.
Play, experimentation and joyful activities play an important role in a child’s intellectual development. In a joyful environment, students become spontaneously interested in learning; meaningful and lasting learning becomes possible instead of rote learning; fear, excessive pressure and exam phobia decrease; and self-confidence, self-respect and a positive attitude develop. The ability to ask questions, generate new ideas and solve problems grows, and the skills needed for future working life are acquired. Through joy, the education system builds cooperation, empathy, tolerance and a sense of responsibility among students, along with the habit of respecting others’ opinions. It produces not just good examination results but skilled and responsible citizens in real life; creative and skilled human resources that boost innovation, entrepreneurship and productivity; and greater practice of reasoning, freedom of expression and responsible citizenship.
To implement this effectively, however, some important challenges must be met. Many teachers are still used to the conventional lecture-based method. Many government schools have 50 to 80 or more students in a single class, and it is difficult to actively involve every student in such a large class. Many schools lack adequate classrooms, laboratories, libraries, playgrounds and digital technology. For students, guardians and many institutions, the main goal is good examination results, so joyful and skills-based education often loses importance; guardians often think that hard study and more examinations mean good education. If assessment depends mainly on written examinations, then skills, creativity and cooperation cannot be properly assessed. Compared with cities, many rural schools face greater shortages of teachers, technology and educational materials. Frequent changes in education policy and curriculum can create confusion among teachers, students and guardians. To make education joyful, these problems must be resolved alongside the framing of a suitable curriculum. We should carefully review the education systems of Finland, Japan, Singapore, Canada and other countries and introduce a new education system.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report