Govt mulling over recruiting 9,000 religious teachers: Milon

Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Sunday told the House that the government is considering recruiting 9,000 religious teachers in the future to strengthen moral education and promote religious values.
Responding to a supplementary question from Monirul Haque Chowdhury, MP, he also mentioned that the government is working putting importance not only to Islamic education but also the sentiments of followers of all religions.
The minister said during the tenure of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, primary education received the highest priority, noting that current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is also giving top priority to education. 
He said the government has already instructed the inclusion of education reform within a 180-day programme aimed at bringing major changes to the education system, particularly primary education.
Milon said moral education and religious values had previously been given great importance, but those aspects gradually declined, leading to an increase in social wrongdoing. For that reason, the ministry is now considering the recruitment of 9,000 religious teachers.
However, he mentioned that there are complexities regarding the certificates of Qawmi madrasah students, especially those who have completed Qariyana studies, as this subject does not exist within the mainstream madrasah teacher recruitment system. 
The minister expressed hope that the certification issues will soon be resolved so that those who have completed Qariyana can be appointed among the proposed religious teachers, particularly as Islamic education instructors.
He emphasised that religious education does not mean only Islamic education, but the government is moving forward by giving importance to the feelings of followers of all religions. 

Lottery-based school admission
During the parliament proceedings, Hasnat Abdullah, MP, wanted to know whether the current lottery-based admission system for primary schools will continue or whether merit-based admission tests will be reintroduced.
In response, the education minister said a final decision in this regard will be taken in the next academic year. He explained that the reality of education differs between rural and urban areas. In rural regions, there is usually little competition for admission to pre-primary and primary schools, so admission does not create major problems.
However, in Dhaka and other large cities, competition for admission at the primary level is much higher, which often leads to complications. The previous government introduced the lottery system to address this issue.
Milon added that there are debates in various quarters about whether the lottery system is appropriate. Therefore, the government plans to organise seminars and consultations with parents and other stakeholders to gather opinions.
Taking into account the views of all sides and public opinion, the government will make a final decision in January 2027 on the future school admission process, he said.
The minister said integrating the country’s various education systems -- madrasah, English medium and Bangla medium -- is a complex task. Nevertheless, the government has already formed a committee and is working with English medium schools to bring them under a coordinated and modern education framework.
In addition, work has begun on reforming the Ebtedayi (primary madrasah) education system, he said, adding that the government is exploring ways to bring different education streams under a unified framework so that the country does not continue to operate multiple separate systems but instead develops a stronger and more integrated education system.
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