Minister of State for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaz said that there is a plan to introduce a single curriculum in the country. At the same time initiatives are being taken to bring the Ibtedayi level of madrasa into the framework of primary education. It will include various benefits including teachers’ allowance, training.
He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue titled ‘Future education sector in the light of election manifesto: new thinking, new structure and new steps’ on Monday (March 16). The event was held at a hotel in the capital under the initiative of the civic platform.
Bobby Hajjaz said in reference to various discussions in the media about the qualifications of the members of the educational institution management committee, ‘no decision has been finalized yet. We want realistic plans. Before taking any new initiative, it should be compatible with the reality and discussed with everyone.’
Laws or policies should be made considering the reality of the country. It is not possible to sit in an ivory tower and legislate for a country of 180 million people. A decision has to be taken considering what kind of people are there in a union in a remote area, what is their educational qualification,’ said the state minister.
Regarding the debate on political involvement in the management committee, he said that in many areas of Bangladesh, influential people or leaders of the society are politically involved in one way or another. So it may be difficult in reality to exclude someone who is politically connected entirely. However, no policy has been finalized yet and it will be determined after discussion with the stakeholders.
He said, separate policies will be required for government and private educational institutions. Because there are MPO affiliated and non-MPO affiliated institutions among private educational institutions.
Mid-day meal
The state minister said that currently mid-day meal program is running in 149 upazilas of the country. There are plans to expand it to all upazilas and municipalities in the future. The aim is to introduce it to every school in the country later.
Acknowledging the issue of corruption in the mid-day meal programme, he said, ‘Corruption and politicization are in many places in our country. But we have to move forward by dealing with these problems.’
A new approach to education
Bobby Hajjaz said, in the education sector, the goal setting is being done in a new way. Initiatives have been taken to strengthen language, mathematics, communication skills and civic education at the primary level. The aim is to produce good and responsible citizens.
He said that there is a plan to introduce a single curriculum in the country. At the same time initiatives are being taken to bring the Ibtedayi level of madrasa education into the framework of primary education. It will include various benefits including teachers’ allowance, training.
The State Minister mentioned that three things are important in the development of the education system – curriculum, classroom and continuity.
Sports and cultural activities
The state minister said that initiatives have been taken to make sports and cultural activities a part of education. He said that there is a plan to appoint sports officials in each upazila. Coaches will work under them to provide training in at least six sports at secondary and higher secondary levels.
The state minister said that in the next ten years, the students of Bangladesh can achieve significant success in the Olympics with the goal of working. Similarly, initiatives have been taken to introduce cultural activities like dance, song and drama in every school.
Admission of boys has decreased
Taufiqul Islam Khan, Additional Research Director, Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) presented the keynote address at the dialogue. He said, although almost universal enrollment in primary education is guaranteed, retention of students is still a big challenge.
In his presentation, it is said that the admission rate of boys at the primary level once reached about 98 percent but in 2024 it has come down to about 91 percent. Besides, the rate of passing from primary to secondary is also not satisfactory.
He also said that due to poverty and social risk, many children are involved in earning work at a young age. The rate of child labor in the country has increased from 6.8 percent in 2019 to about 9.2 percent in 2025.
Call for verification of lottery system
In the event, Executive Director of Mass Literacy Campaign called Rasheda K Chaudhuri to verify the reality of the lottery system in place for admission of students in the school. He said, rural areas generally do not require lotteries, it mainly applies to well-known schools in the city.
He suggested that a mixed admission system combining lottery and merit could be considered. He also said about increasing the quota for students of certain areas.
Rasheda K Chowdhury also said that a uniform school calendar may not be applicable for all regions. There should be an opportunity to determine the holiday calendar regionally taking into account local realities.
He called for the education sector to be kept out of party political influence and said education can be a political priority, but it should not become a party agenda.
The dialogue was moderated and chaired by the convenor of Citizen Platform and Honorary Fellow of CPD. Devapriya Bhattacharya. Mahdi Amin, Advisor to Prime Minister on Education, was present as a special guest. CPD Honorary Fellow Professor Mostafizur Rahman along with various academicians and policy makers participated in it.
SM/AQF
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