The primary and mass education ministry has scrapped the newly created posts of music and physical education teachers in government primary schools following criticism from Islamist groups.
The government made the changes through an amendment to the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules 2025, issued on Sunday.
Educationists have slammed the move as a 鈥榖ad and wrong鈥� decision, saying it was made without considering the rights and wellbeing of the nation鈥檚 children.
Professor emeritus of BRAC Institute of Educational Development Manzoor Ahmed told 抖阴精品 on Monday, 鈥業 am disappointed as an educationist.鈥�
Terming the move 鈥榖ad and wrong,鈥� he said, 鈥楾he decision should not be made just because certain groups demanded it. The wellbeing and rights of children鈥攁nd the overall quality of education鈥攕hould have been the government鈥檚 priority.鈥�
He added that religious texts were already part of聽 the curriculum and can be taught by any teacher, but music and physical education required specific expertise.
鈥楾he previous political governments often made decisions that often went against children鈥檚 wellbeing. Unfortunately, the interim government seems to be following the same path,鈥� he observed.
Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Abu Taher Md Masud Rana could not be reached over phone for comments.
Earlier on August 28, the government had issued a gazette introducing two new assistant teacher positions, one for music and another for physical education, under the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules 2025.
Following that announcement, several religious groups began to criticise the move.
On September 7, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami issued a statement urging the government to replace music and dance teachers in primary schools with religious teachers 鈥榯o build a new generation of honest citizens鈥�.
On September 16, several Islamic organisations, including Islami Andolan Bangladesh, the Ulama Mashayekh Aimma Parishad and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, criticised the creation of the music teacher post during a seminar.聽
On September 17, Rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra in a statement decried the demand for the cancellation of the government circular to recruit music teachers in primary schools, calling it ill-motivated, misleading and a threat to cultural rights.聽
The call to scrap music teacher recruitment was not only unconstitutional, but also a deliberate attempt to spread division and hostility in society, the statement read.