The Roles of School Librarians in Sustaining Quality Education in Bangladesh

Education Policy 2010 has openeda new window forlibrary professionals in Bangladesh. Under the education policy library profession has not only been emphasized as one of the fast-growing professional destinations for the young and energetic job seekers but it has recognized the occupation of a librarian as a teaching one. Library professionals have long been fighting to keep their heads held high against all odds with veneration and decency to achieve the status of a teacher. Bangladeshi librarians are now coming in a lineup with the international library community after gaining an opportunity to prove themselves worthy candidates for accomplishing the roles of academicians. The task is not easy. Library professionals have to venture an unsmooth journey to prove their ability in this regard.

A good number of schools and colleges, particularly in the rural areas, do not have a library on the academic premises. A librarian might have faced difficulties in convincing the school authority to establish a library with sufficient reading materials. This is a serious challenge for the library professionals, yet they need to show their prudence and far-slightness to institute a congenial library atmosphere concerning the academic needs and requirements. 

The first and foremost philosophy of librarianship is to learn something about everything.Librarians are an integral part of lifelong learning and their main focus will be on learning beyond their area of expertise. In addition to managing library activities,librarians need to engage themselves in teaching and learning activities to play the role of a teacher on different subjects. Library and Information related courses are mainlytaught at the college or university level and library professionals do not have to brood over much on library science-related curriculum at secondary schools. So to accomplish the roles of a teacher, they should play the part of a substitute teacher of English, Bangla, History, Science, Math, and other disciplines.

Since librarians are now enjoying the status of assistant teachers both at the School and Madrasah levels, their active participation in teaching will enhance the quality of education and make the academic libraries the centers for increasing academic caliber and steering up teaching and learning activities. They need to prepare a class plan according to the requirements of the students. Their primary focus will be on the topic they intend to teach in the classroom. They need to arrange teaching materials according to the standard and benchmarks for the academic curriculum.

Moreover, the librarians should do homework about the course plans and emphasize the best teaching methods accessible and understandable for the students. They have to assess the student's learning outcomes based on acquired knowledge, skills, and experience at the end of a class session or by an assignment on a particular topic, course, or program.

Teaching at secondary levels has always been a challenging job and librarians must be positive in mastering strategies and techniques to get along with the changing situations. They should be open-minded while receiving questions from the students regarding the class session and give proper feedback in response to their queries. Some adamant students might not answer the question. They might not pay due attention, have side talking, or talk too much in the classroom whichhampers the classroom environment. School librarians must know the strategies to handle these sorts of inconvenient scenarios with sagacity. They need to render special efforts to make the absent-minded students attentive to their lessons.

School librarians must collaborate with the faculty membersto achieve common goals, coordinate efforts, and support the educational mission to enhance the quality of education. They need to be open-minded and proactive in leading the school libraries to create awareness among the teachers and students to gather new skills and knowledge to get accustomed to the dynamic learning environment.

Librarians are the literacy advocates who delve deep into making varieties of books outside the school curriculum available and accessible to students and teachers. They cultivate reading habits among the students and develop different strategies to support struggling students. They can also suggest books that would fit well with the age and interests of the students.

Managing resources for teachers and students is one of the most arduous tasks, and librarians must show their caliber in recommending resources that can help everyone. In this regard, librarians are the best resource managers who collect and circulate all the best lesson plans, school curricula, worksheets, and extra-curricular activities for the students and academics.

Librarians engaged in secondary educational institutions must keep their unceasing focus on information and communication technology. They have to take the lead in teaching information literacy and media literacy among the students to create awareness about information retrieval, social media platforms, communication technology, and the information superhighway. They can also help students differentiate between facts and fiction amidst the vast ocean of knowledge and information. Moreover, school librarians stimulate leadership quality among the students and enhance their communication skills to face the challenges of the 21st century. 

As Bangladeshi library professionals went all the way to gain the status of "Teacher" at school and college levels, it is time for them to introduce the "Teaching Librarianship" initiative to prove their capability as faculty members and contribute to expanding lifelong learning program. They must pursue higher education and training in Library and Information Science and keep themselves involved wholeheartedly in the ever-challenging learning atmosphere.

However, when it comes to teaching at the secondary levels, librarians must excel in library managerial activities to offer a student-friendly reading environment. School librarians need to be prompt in gathering ample knowledge regarding information literacy, teaching, and research to teach the students to accomplish the duties and responsibilities of a teacher. They will keep focusing on minimizing the problems of the learners. They can help other teaching staff with the best teaching method and collaborate with faculty members. Besides, school librarians must have an active involvement in formulating syllabuses for different classes. They can also take part in prescribing counseling to enhance the quality of secondary education in Bangladesh. 

The academicians and librarians should work collectively like in any other developed and developing country to fulfill the mission and vision of quality education at school levels. The education ministry must ensure that school librarians engage in teaching and learning activities for the betterment of all students. At present, enhancing quality education at secondary, higher secondary, and tertiary levels is one of the critical issues for our country. Librarians can contribute to developing the standard of education at school levels by promoting library culture by combining teaching librarianship to a great extent.  


Aktarul Islam is a Writer,
Researcherand Poet.