Bobby Hajjaj Highlights Need for Teacher Training

The Department of Public Health under the School of Pharmacy and Public Health (SPPH) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organized a transdisciplinary seminar titled “National Dialogue on Early Childhood Development Policy and Practice” on June 22, 2026.

The seminar brought together policymakers, academics, development practitioners, and representatives from government and non-government organizations to discuss early childhood development policy, teacher development, curriculum reform, and implementation strategies for sustainable child development programs.

Bobby Hajjaj, MP, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education, attended the seminar as chief guest. Prof. Dr. M. Tamim, Vice Chancellor of IUB, chaired the session. Didar A. Husain, Chairman of the IUB Board of Trustees; Trustee Javed Hosein; and Farid Ahmed, Director General of the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE), attended as special guests.

Bobby Hajjaj said, “Improving early childhood development requires sustained investment in both curriculum and teacher development. Curriculum reform must come first, as it provides the foundation for how children learn and how teachers engage with them. At the pre-primary and primary levels, learning should focus on developing children's cognitive abilities, curiosity, communication skills, and problem-solving capacity.”

He also said, “We need to move beyond approaches that emphasize memorization and examination performance and instead create learning environments that actively engage children in the learning process. The government remains committed to strengthening teacher training and modernizing educational practices to support these goals.”

The state minister also lauded IUB for involving the key stakeholders working on early childhood development in a national-level dialogue.

Farid Ahmed said, “Early childhood development is a shared responsibility of parents, schools, and the government. It goes far beyond counting classrooms, benches, or facilities; it is about creating an environment that supports children's learning, development, well-being, and future potential from the very beginning.”  

Vice Chancellor Prof. Tamim said IUB was fully committed to partner and cooperate with government and non-governmental organizations and stakeholders in advancing the cause of early childhood development.

Mahmuda Akhter, Vice-Chair of the Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN), delivered a keynote presentation highlighting the importance of early childhood development, with particular emphasis on the pre-primary stage. She discussed the need for coordinated efforts to strengthen early childhood development initiatives and highlighted the role of stakeholders in supporting children's development during their formative years. 

Dr. Kamran ul Baset, PhD, Dean of SPPH, delivered another keynote presentation on teacher development and training, particularly at the pre-primary and primary levels. He emphasized the importance of strengthening teacher capacity to support early childhood development and subsequently moderated an open discussion involving representatives from government agencies, academia, development organizations, and the private sector.

Prof. Dr. Daniel W. Lund, Pro Vice Chancellor of IUB, delivered the closing remarks. The program was hosted by Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Senior Lecturer of Public Health at IUB. Dr. Bilkis Banu, Associate Professor of Public Health, delivered the opening remarks.

Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN) is a national platform of organizations and professionals working to promote Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Bangladesh through advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and collaboration among stakeholders to support the holistic development of young children. IUB is an executive member of the Bangladesh ECD Network.