Thursday, December 22, 2011

Will Kim Jong's death hasten the unification of Koreas?

Will Kim Jong’s death hasten the unification of Koreas?
North Korea lost her second generation great leader on 17 December 2011 of a heart attack brought on by mental and physical strain. The TV screen shows the heartfelt cry of the citizens which undoubtedly proves their undeniable love for their popular leader Kim Jong whatever way the world leaders termed him. Kim was groomed to succeed his father for three decades taking power when the Great Leader and the founder father of North Korea died in July 1994 to an outpouring of national grief. He extended a cult of personality as the dear leader even as many of the nation’s 24 million citizens lived on an average income of less than a dollar a day. He ruled for seventeen years since he came to power in July 1994 and resisted opening up to the outside world in order to protect his regime. “The likely succession of his third son, Jong Un, threatens to trigger a dangerous period for the Korean Peninsula where 1.7 million troops from the two Koreans and the U.S. square off every day. Kim Jong Un’s taking complete control of the helm will not take place for a while due to his young and inexperienced leadership,”-- said, Yang Moo, Jin, a professor, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. Kim leaves behind an economy less than three percent the size of South Korea’s and which has relied on economic handout since the 1990’s when an estimated two million people died from famine. The United Nations and the U.S. last year increased economic sanctions imposed as result of North Korea’s nuclear weapons activities and attacks that killed 50 South Koreans. He earned the title ‘ axis of evils’ for his country because of his nuclear activities but his genuine love and patriotism for his country gave him courage to ignore these western and outside world pressures.
In 2009 as Kim defied threats of United Nations sanctions to test a second nuclear device and a ballistic missile, technically capable of striking Tokyo. The following year North Korea lashed out militarily, prompting stern warnings from the U.S. and South Korea. An international investigation blamed Kim’s regime for the March 2010 sinking of a South Korean war ship and shelled a South Koran island killing two soldiers and two civilians. These activities convinced the world that North Korea had achieved ‘stunning ‘advances to its uranium –enriched program. In 2010 Kim set in line his succession plan, Kim Jong Un, thought to be 28 or 29 , was first mentioned in official KCNA dispatches on Sept. 28 when his appointments as general and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the party were announced.
The world knows that before the Korean war of 1950-1953 both South and North Korea had been one nation and the people could go back and forth from northern part of southern part. But it got divided into two namely North and South Korea. North Korea was influenced and helped by the Soviet Union and South by two western superpowers. During 1980s when Soviet Union collapsed North Korea started receiving no support from Russia and Eastern European countries because of their political ideology change. China, the biggest power and the giant in terms of military and commercial partner, began to establish close ties with North Korea. It angered the western powers and their ally South Korea. Both the parts began to do well in terms of economic achievement though the South proved far advanced. But in 1990s the North Korea witnessed several weather disasters and some wrong policies of agriculture coupled with receiving no help from Eastern European countries which invited a famine in the country. Hundreds and thousands of North Korean died in the famine then. Kim refrained from enforcing the usual tight restriction on mobility, permitting starving people to travel within the country to find food Kim hoped to avert a sudden loss of popular support. It was a pragmatic decision.
For three decades Kim exercised power as a high-level official rarely travelling aboard or meeting foreign leaders and often going for long periods when his domestic public appearances weren’t mentioned in the state-run media. ‘Kim was cinema buff whose personal library included tens of thousands of western moves. Obsessed with improving the country’s film output, he had agents kidnap South Korea’s leading director Shin Sang-ok, and the director’s actress wife, Choi- Eun-hi, they subsequently escaped with tape recording s of conversation they had with Kim.’( source: internet)
In 1991 Kim Jong II became Commander in Chief of North Koran’s powerful armed force. Three years later when Kim II Sung died suddenly from a heart attack at 82, most outsiders predicted the imminent collapse of North Korea as the nation had lost its venerable founder father. Just a few years later, its powerful alliances had evaporated with the fall of the Soviet Union bloc and China’s move toward a market based system. The economy was on the rocks and energy and food were in short supply. Kim Jong II inherited a genius for playing the weak hand and by keeping the major powers nervous. It was Kim Jong who managed to open dialogue and arrange a summit level meeting with the then South Korean president in 2000. Now the political analysts ask whether the two Koreas are going to be unified as Kim Jong has passed away. If it might have been done, the poverty stricken lakhs of people of North Korea would have been benefitted. Again, another group comments the unification of two Koreas will create economic imbalance between them. At present the per capita income of South Korea is seven times higher than that of North Korea. So, North Korea will be benefited thought unification. Now North Korea sees China’s full hold on her. Again, the South enjoys western support. Hillary Clinton, the USA Secretary of State, has announced help and cooperating for North Korea. She hopes to establish good relations with the new administration of North Korea. Now will these big global players allow the unification of Koreas to happen smoothly ? Besides, Kim Jong Un, the son of Kim Jong has been groomed and brought up with the same ideology of his father. Will he allow the unification? Time will untie the knot of this riddle. Let us wait to see what is going to happen?
MASUM BILLAH
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com, masumbillah65@gmail.com

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Our dream in next twenty years

Our dream in next twenty years
The nation has just observed its 40th Victory Day anniversary and stepped into 41st year of our achievement of freedom. Our greatest achievement in the 20th century at the cost of supreme sacrifice of our heroic sons is our freedom but the real spirit of freedom struggle still stands far apart from the reality. Political factors stand prime barriers to materialize the dream of our liberation struggle. What percentage of freedom we have achieved in terms of education, getting health facilities from the state, social security, freedom of speech and human rights still remains a big question.
We have achieved some progress in primary education in terms of the increase of school going children but not in terms of acquiring competency level. Still seventeen percent children don't go to school at all. The fruit of freedom has not yet ripened even after 40 years for these children. This percentage shows much higher in ‘haor’ and ‘monga’ and ‘hilly’ areas. In the secondary level pass percentage is increasing every year without ensuring quality. It has become a national mania to make the students pass in the public examination whether they have the ability to pass or not. We have established 56 private universities beyond our 32 public universities even though only fifteen percent of our students study in university level and the standard of our universities in the world ranking registers many hundred miles back. As in the secondary and higher secondary levels the quality is not ensured, its negative impact is discerned in the tertiary level. Every sensible person must ask a question is it the fruit of freedom that all the educational institutions from primary to highest tier would be absolutely politicized and vitiated the academic atmosphere in the name of democracy. Teacher recruitment, student admission, getting MPO and result publication witness the naked claws of politics. I dream a Bangladesh after twenty years where all the children will go to school laughing and smiling. They will enjoy the school environment; classroom environment will attract them just like magnet. All the teachers will be trained and dedicated to real teaching and building the patriotic citizens of the country. Extra coaching for money will be a foreign phenomenon to all the students, teachers and guardians. Teachers will not have to pay bribes to the corrupt officials of the department of education who are actually like their sons but don’t feel shame to take hush money from the teachers. This evil practice will disappear for ever from the corridors of Shiksha Bhaban. The universities will be centers of excellence where the ugly touch of politics will remain thousands of miles away. The world class research and ideal education will not only invite the true knowledge seekers of the country but also from abroad.
Political programs one after another have annoyed the lives of people. But the most miserable fact appears that hundreds and thousands of youths are being arrested by the police unnecessarily. Before any political programs the young people cannot sleep in their own houses because of the fear of police action. It seems then that we are living in another country, not in our homeland. We are living in occupied Gaza strip of West Bank. When they are caught by the police, they are to endure inhuman torture. Their families are to pass through nightmare ordeals. Many families have to lose everything to save their sons from the clutches of police. A question undoubtedly surfaces in every sensible people’s mind whether we are living in the independent Bangladesh or we are passing the days of 1971 when the Pak army used to torture us. My dream of a Bangladesh after twenty years is that Bangladesh must have a well trained police force that will not be used for gaining political ends. Police will be real friends of the people and the political vengeance will disappear for good. People will really feel the taste of independent Bangladesh. Human’s rights will be established at ever tier of the nation.




Social problems such as trafficking children and women, insecurity, road accidents, human rights situation, price hike, corruption at every step have faded the dream of our nation. We just remain complacent in terms of political achievement. Real achievement and the real fruit of freedom have not yet reached the doorstep of common people. Our state machinery would be diverted to public welfare and ensure trafficking free country and a county where road accidents will be only a rare happening. We live in an independent country but it’s peculiar that hundreds and thousands of poor people die for want of treatment and medicine. Already employed doctors think of their own fortune depriving the country of their valuable service. My dream of future Bangladesh after twenty years is to ensure sound treatment facilities for all the poor people from the state and the well to do have to have good treatment in the country of their own cost. My country will produce ample doctors with humanitarian trainings and good medical skill and also have best quality hospitals both in the private and public sectors but all will ensure treatment for the people of all strata of society.
We need to be optimistic. But mere optimism without any real and qualitative change in personal, social and state life cannot be appreciated. Yes we see many changes have taken place in the lives of the people but how much still remains to be fulfilled need to be thought? Most of the cases changes have taken place in private sectors and the state machinery imposes various types of restrictions in the name of democracy actually to materialize the nefarious design of ugly politics making the countrymen the hostages of these evils. We want to see this culture has evaporated otherwise our freedom will be meaningless to millions, may be meaningful to few. Do we see any qualitative or physical change in the government offices? The answer will be a big No. Still government offices have retained the reputation of harassing people. We don’t see any changes in delivering service to the clients in state run bodies. Nor they are trained to serve the people as the citizens of a free nation. Is it our hard earned freedom? Does freedom mean only having a piece of land? I want to see my country where all the children will receive education in a beautiful and enjoyable place. Girls will not be discriminated. Citizens will receive education and education will be treated as the rights of the citizens not as opportunity. We want a Bangladesh where corruption will be thrown in the dust forever. Poverty will be kept in the museum. We no more want to be the playthings of the rival political games. Rather we want to establish a healthy culture for all where the future generation will nourish and inhale fresh air. This is our dream.
Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program and Vice-President: Bangladesh English Teachers’ Association ( BELTA)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Aflatoun- social and financial education

Aflatoun- social and financial education
The Bengali poet Golam Mostofa writes, “ Future fathers lie sleeping in every child.” Children can be powerful agents of social and economic change if they are trained and brought up infusing them with social and economic values in their school life. Social thinkers and educators have been exploring newer ideas and thoughts to enrich our children in school with social values and teachings. A new concept known as ‘ Aflatoun’ has emerged in the literature of education to make the school children responsible, proactive and socially conscious citizens who can contribute to breaking the poverty cycle and to improve their own quality of life. The word ‘ Aflatoun’ is of Arabic origin and to refers to ‘ the explorer, a person who thinks, explores, investigates and acts. It also refers to Plato, known for his ideas and ethics, citizenship, social justice, respect, conservation, friendship and love for fellowmen. ( source: www.natcco.coop/index.php)
The Aflatoun program provides children and youth with the budding blocks of life and empowers them to make a positive change in their lives. If balances personal and social awareness with practical planning, saving and entrepreneurial skills. Aflatoun is delivered by network of partners which ensures that the program is adapted to local culture and requirements and is supposed at local levels. With a view to ensuring that the message of Aflatoun is passed on to all children everywhere the partnership is established and the local implementing partners are selected for the network based on the their work with children and their connections within the country. In establishing partnership special attention is given to those organizations which work for developing the situation of education as education is the prime factor to bring change in the society. A curriculum is developed focusing on personal understanding and exploration , understanding and exploring rights and responsibilities , the concept of saving and spending , learning how to plan and budget , skills that make them aware that they have choices and control over how they can use their resources and demonstrate and practice their learning through social and financial micro-enterprises where they collaborate as a team and discover how they can make the local community a safer, healthier and fairer environment. BRAC is the second largest partner of Aflatoun and has developed an Aflatoun curriculum of BRAC for children aged 6-14 years and for grades one to eight. The child’s interdependence with family , neighborhood and community and money as a means of satisfying some needs are also focused in the curriculum. Self-exploration through understanding, feelings, financial ethics and transparency , environmental preservation are other factors which are incorporated in the curriculum. Responsible behavior and citizenship, developing pride, collective action, and organizational skills are taught to the members of Aflatoun. The Aflatouns students become aware of their responsibilities, income, expenditure and saving, democratic values and leadership, fulfillment of needs and well being of the society.
Both Aflatoun and BRAC are striving to empower children. BRAC Education Program launched Aflatoun as a pilot project since 2008 in BRAC Primary schools, BRAC Adolescent Clubs and secondary schools where BRAC works for capacity building of teachers and bringing about a positive change in the overall scenario of school environment. In 1002 BRAC Primary schools, 20 BRAC Adolescent Clubs and 250 secondary schools Aflatoun activities have been introduced reaching 81914 students. The students of these institutions are now more aware of their rights and responsibilities and social issues They have learnt the importance of saving and they are now saving even if it’s small, they can prioritize where to spend, they are learning to utilize used materials, they are cost conscious now, are investigating their savings in buying hens, ducks and goats as assets, their analytical ability has developed. Hidde Van der Veer, Executive Director, Aflaoun (International) says, “Money is just a tool main objective is to develop the habit of the students to grow up socially with financial awareness.” Bernice Raldan, Program Manager, Asia, Aflaoun Secretariat said, “ In 82 countries it is going on. Bangladesh is the second largest country to continue the program whereas India is the largest one to see the program of Aflatoun.” Her lively presentation in the BRAC Centre on November 29, 2011 gathered many national and international eminent personalities belonging to education, co-operatives, banking and social development sectors. Shamim Yusuf , Senior Sector Specialist, BRAC Education Program and the Master Trainer of Aflatoun- Asia shared his experience in the said international stakeholders meeting and I was fortunate enough to be there. My interest to learn more about Aflatoun and its impact has got further momentum participating and coming in contact with the Aflatoun headquarters people. Many developing countries have started incorporating it in their curriculum to derive actual benefit from education.
As Aflatoun’s dream is the reduction of poverty with the help of socially and financially empowered children, Bangladesh context aptly fits it. The Aflatoun program originated in India in 1991 but it started witnessing its success in 2005 when Jhe Ashok fellow Jeroo Billimoria, president and founder of the Aflatoun project made it familiar with different parts of the globe. In order to internalize the concept of Aflatoun interested personalities established a secretariat in Amsterdam. Now it deals with developing financial and social skills of students as well in dealing with adversities but also prepare them for better planning the economic life ahead of them. Financial ethics are explored and children learn the importance of balancing finical skills with the judgment to use these skills responsibly. Aflatoun is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ( 1990) .Financial empowerment hinges not only on constructive personal values systems, but also on specific , practical skills. Financial empowerment is achieved when children use their saving and spending skills to maximize their life choices. Through managing community or entrepreneur enterprises children begin to see how they can have a positive impact on their community which is one of the basic objectives of education. To save the slanting quality of education of Bangladesh Aflatoun program can play a significant game.
Masum Billah
Program Manager : BRAC Education Program and Vice-President: Bangladesh English Language Teachers' Association ( BELTA)
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com, masumbillah65@gmail.com