Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Abdul Moyeen Khan alleged that despite many reform commissions were formed in other sectors post uprising, none was set up for education, reflecting the interim government鈥檚 neglect of the sector.
Having questioned the mindset that education reform was not necessary, the BNP standing committee member asked if the previous regime took education to its highest level, leaving no room for further improvement.
His remarks came on Thursday at a discussion meeting organised by Nagarik Oikya at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital.
Moyeen Khan at the time also said that the status of the teachers under the government鈥檚 Monthly Pay Order system was low and their treatment was also poor.聽
He called 鈥榟eart-rending鈥� and 鈥榮hameful鈥� the recent use of tear gas and baton charge by the police to disperse the teachers demonstrating for pay rise and other facilities.聽
Criticising the government for increasing the house rent allowance by only Tk 500, he questioned how teachers would be able to manage expenses with such paltry amounts.
The event was chaired by Nagarik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna.
Calling teachers the 鈥榤akers of human beings鈥�, Moyeen Khan said that no country could achieve prominence without a strong education system supported by dedicated teachers and students.
If the public administration employees or the police received generous benefits, the same should be provided to teachers too, he said.
Moyeen Khan further criticised the past 15 years of Awami League regime鈥檚 policy, alleging efforts to undermine education by devaluing teachers, destroying textbooks, and dismantling school and university courses.
He reminded the meeting that the 2024 Anti-Discrimination Movement stemmed from the demand for fair opportunities in the public service jobs without any discrimination.
He also observed that the main dissatisfaction arose from the appointment process through the Public Service Commission and questioned whether students were pursuing education for nation-building or merely for personal career advancement.
Moyeen Khan also warned against the idea of an upper house for professionals who have not been elected by people.
He said that while engineers, doctors and other highly qualified professionals played a crucial advisory role, they could not make decisions about the country鈥檚 governance without a public mandate.
The BNP leader also said that professional people held an inherent urge for assuming control, which he stated as a form of 鈥榮elf-criticism鈥�, stressing that in a democracy based on popular representation, governance decisions must be made by elected representatives.
