Bangladesh’s government has pulled back plans to add music and physical‑education teacher posts in primary schools. The move came after sharp criticism from several Islamist groups and media voices, the country’s ministry said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a new gazette on Sunday, revising the 2025 Teacher Recruitment Rules. The September draft had added two assistant‑teacher positions—one for music and one for physical education. Those posts disappeared in the latest version, which now lists only two categories of teachers instead of four.
“We issued a revised gazette,” said Masud Akhtar Khan, an additional secretary in the ministry’s School Division. “The earlier version had four teacher categories; the new one only has two. Music and physical‑education assistant posts are no longer included.” Khan declined to say whether the change followed pressure from any particular group, urging the public to address the question with higher officials.
Educationists had welcomed the original decision to introduce music and physical‑education teaching roles, calling it a long‑overdue step toward a more creative and well‑rounded primary‑school curriculum. But several Islamist organisations—Hefazat‑e‑Islam, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Jamaat‑e‑Islam, Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish and Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan—strongly opposed the move and demanded its repeal.
The decision comes amid broader concerns that Bangladesh’s political climate is shifting. Since the August 2024 transition from the Awami League to an interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, observers note a decline in political freedom, minority rights, economic security, and secular culture.
Reports by human‑rights groups, minority advocates, and journalists highlight a rise in religious intolerance. Secular symbols are disappearing, folk traditions are being suppressed, and public murals and statues that represent Bangladesh’s diverse heritage are vandalised or removed. “Data from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council documents 2,442 incidents of communal violence from August 2024 to mid‑2025—murder, sexual assault, vandalism and looting of worship sites,” the report says. “In the first half of 2025 alone, 27 murders, 59 mosque or church attacks and many homes and businesses were hit.”
Minority communities accuse the Yunus administration of failing to curb these attacks, even when perpetrators are known. With factions such as Jamaat‑e‑Islam gaining visibility again, many fear that the state is either appeasing extremism or not effectively controlling extremist elements. The cancellation of secular cultural events and weakening safeguards for religious minorities signal a troubling shift in Bangladesh’s civic landscape.
Source: ianslive
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