Edu institutions must go beyond academic results to ensure student safety: Bobby Hajjaj

Educational institutions must go beyond academic performance and take responsibility for ensuring students’ safety, wellbeing and a healthy learning environment, said State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj.

He made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the Safeguarding Leadership Summit 2026 at Le Méridien Dhaka on Wednesday.

Haileybury Bhaluka and Cambridge University Press & Assessment jointly organised the summit under the theme “Stronger Together, Safer Tomorrow – Keeping Children Safe in Bangladesh”, bringing together heads of educational institutions, education leaders, teachers and safeguarding professionals from across Bangladesh.

Bobby Hajjaj said the government had undertaken various initiatives to improve the quality of education and was committed to working with educational institutions to improve infrastructure and ensure a safe and healthy environment for students.

“At the same time, emphasis is being placed on increasing student engagement with the community,” he said.

The state minister stressed the importance of creating environments where students feel safe, supported and able to raise concerns.

Speaking at the event, Sarwat Reza, country lead of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said the concept of school excellence needed to be broadened beyond academic performance, with student safety and wellbeing placed at the heart of educational leadership.

Simon O’Grady, founding headmaster of Haileybury Bhaluka, highlighted several safeguarding challenges in Bangladesh’s educational context, including physically and psychologically harmful disciplinary practices, declining attendance and completion rates at the secondary level, students’ reluctance to report concerns and cultural barriers that may discourage young people from questioning authority.

Speakers said safeguarding policies alone were not enough and stressed the need for teachers, staff and school leaders to understand how to respond to concerns, whom to report them to, how to document cases and what follow-up action was required.

An interactive session titled “What Would You Do If...?”, led by O’Grady, invited education leaders to discuss realistic safeguarding scenarios involving student self-harm, complaints about the conduct of school staff, bullying and inclusion.

Participants exchanged views on immediate responses, reporting responsibilities, confidentiality, the collection and preservation of relevant information and evidence, and longer-term support for students.

The summit called on education leaders to strengthen safeguarding systems in their respective institutions by establishing clear responsibilities, creating safe channels for raising concerns, expanding professional training and regularly reviewing child protection arrangements.

The organisers said safeguarding should not be the responsibility of a single individual or be limited to a policy document, but should involve leadership, accountability, evidence-based practice, professional development and shared responsibility across the school community.