A joint statement was issued by 80 eminent citizens on Tuesday, pressing for the reinstatement of music and physical training teacher positions in government primary schools.
They called for the gradual appointment of music, fine arts, and physical training teachers in all primary and secondary schools, making these subjects mandatory.
The statement criticised the interim government鈥檚 decision to revoke the gazette notification appointing music and physical training teachers in government primary schools amid pressure from a 鈥榪uarter鈥� advocating for the appointment of religious teachers despite the fact that all schools already have religious instructors.聽
The citizens expressed that the cancellation of music and physical training teacher posts was a 鈥榮uicidal and regressive鈥� move, comparing it to bow down to a 鈥榙angerous conspiracy鈥� aimed at creating a robotic generation devoid of intelligence and conscience.
Having emphasised the importance of music and physical training for the overall development of children, they said that when countries like Japan, Norway, Finland, and Muslim-majority nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar, Malaysia and Indonesia mandate music, fine arts and physical training in primary education, Bangladesh鈥檚 decision to move backward was unacceptable.聽
The signatories of the statement included Dhaka University professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, lawyer ZI Khan Panna, rights activist Khushi Kabir, actor Mamunur Rashid and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad president Fauzia Moslem.
The government, in a notification on November 2, scrapped the positions of music teacher and physical training instructors in primary schools by changing the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules 2025 in the wake of criticisms by Islamist groups.
The interim government, on August 28, issued a notification introducing the positions of two assistant teachers鈥攐ne for music and the other for physical training.聽
Since the cancellation of the posts, protests continue to pour in from political and socio-cultural organisations condemning the decision.
