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The Bengali Medium
Alternative to the English Medium is the Bengali Medium, which is offered by the government. In the Bengali Medium, all the courses are offered in Bengali with the exception of English courses and the Religious course. The tuition fee is minimal compared to English schools but they still vary largely between schools. For example, a government school for the children of Army officers is more likely to be more expensive than a government school in a poor village district. But everybody has the right to attend these schools provided that one meets the minimum criteria. After three years of pre-school, students in the Bengali medium do five years of primary school. Then they move to high school for grade five to grade ten. At the end of the tenth grade, one must write the Matriculation Examination, which is common to everybody graduating the same year in Bangladesh. These exams are divided in regional boards to be administered and students write the exams in different schools as indicated by their respective boards. Once finished, these exams are corrected by professors from all over the country and standings are published in the paper. There are three divisions for the results. The first division is comprised of students who received grades of 60 percent or above. The second division is for students with an average of 45 percent to 59 percent. And the third division is for students having an average of 33 percent to 44 percent. Below 33 percent is considered a failure and students in this category are forced to rewrite the exam the next year. Students obtaining 80 percent or higher are given special recognition.
The English Medium
The British rule in the Indian Subcontinent is still very influential as the second official languages of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are still English. Students in Bangladesh have the right to attend schools in the English medium where courses are all taught in English using English books with the exception of the Bengali courses and the Religious course which are offered in Bengali and Arabic. However, English medium schools are mainly private and thus reserved for the wealthy class. After three years of pre-school, students must successfully pass through ten grades to be eligible for writing the Ordinary Level Exams, also called the O-Levels. Then after one more year of studies, students can write the Advanced Level (A-Level) Exams. Both these routines are offered for Arts students and to Science students. The O-Levels and A-Levels are both prepared in England and are common to every country in the world at the same time. To write these exams, students must go to the British Council in Dhaka (capital city of Bangladesh). Once the exams are written, they are sealed in envelopes and sent to England for corrections. After the A-Levels, students are free to choose their subjects in the Universities.
The Religious Branch
Bangladesh is a very poor country with millions of homeless children. To educate these children, there are religious institutions called "Madrashas" where these children are sheltered, fed and taught the ways of Islam by priests. These children learn the scripts from the Koran and the regular prayers. Madrashas are generally linked to Mosques and the children usually serve the Mosque. As subsidies for these institutions are very low, often these establishments rely on public donations and donations to the Mosques. Higher studies for these establishments are close to non-existent and upon maturity, the children often become priests and other religious figures. Islam plays a very dominant role in the education systems of Bangladesh. In all the branches, it is required by the government since 1983 to teach Islamic studies. Hence, children learn to read Arabic from a very early age. Nevertheless, non-Moslem students are never forced to learn the Koran and can regularly be excused from Islamic courses.
The above are the main branches of the Bangladeshi system of education. Besides these, there are other disciplines such as cadet colleges and boarding schools where children are taught mainly under military regime to join the national Army upon graduation. Even then, the common exams are still required by the students under these systems.
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