I borrowed the headline words from the US President Donald Trump, as he posted in his social media soon after the newly elected New York Mayor voiced. The young democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani made a historic statement, “New York built by immigrants”! Indeed, the words echo with a strange and prophetic clarity to me.
The two short expressions “And So It Begins” and the word “immigrant” did not simply remain political sentences to be consumed in the noise of global media, they carry a deeper and timeless wisdom also to me. I was compelled to start thinking, and it is true that everything begins somewhere, often at a sudden point and quietly Sometimes it shakes the world and sometimes it changes only a small corner of society. Often, we realize this beginning much later.
After reading Zohran Mamdani’s words, I was led to reflect that life itself often behaves like an immigrant. We move from experience to experience. We keep shifting our identity through learning. Nothing stays fixed forever even though we pretend it does. The idea of permanency is an illusion that makes people rigid. Rigid minds behave as if they own absolute truth. They resist new ideas. They deny creativity because creativity cannot be controlled.
On reflection, one must acknowledge that this attitude becomes dangerous whenever personal beliefs start shaping public policy. Recently in Bangladesh a strange and deeply concerning decision has taken place. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has withdrawn the posts of Assistant Teacher for Physical Education and Assistant Teacher for Music from government primary schools. The decision was taken after opposition from several political and religion-based groups.
The original appointment rules issued on 28 August included four positions which were Head Teacher Assistant Teacher Assistant Teacher Physical Education and Assistant Teacher Music. In the revised rules only two positions remain which are Head Teacher and Assistant Teacher. The ministry issued the updated circular.
This decision did not arrive randomly. It unfolded step by step. In 2020 the government decided to introduce teachers for Physical Education and Music to support children’s physical and mental development and to encourage healthy cultural practices. Last year the Ministry of Public Administration approved five thousand one hundred sixty-six posts. Two thousand five hundred eighty-three were for each subject. On 28 August the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education formally included these posts in the recruitment rules.
Following that announcement protests began by a group of orthodox thinkers. On 12 September Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon demonstrated in the city demanding that religious scholars be appointed instead as music teachers in primary schools. On 16 September at a seminar in Dhaka leaders of five religion oriented political parties including Jamaat e Islami stated that students are already suffering from academic mental and moral decline. They questioned the rationale for appointing music teachers and demanded that these posts be replaced with religious education teachers.
This is where the issue becomes painfully clear. These orthodox groups believe that music is unnecessary and this means, they do not want children to grow with art emotion rhythm or harmony. In short, they fear a liberal soul.
It seems, they want children to learn rules but not imagination. They want obedience but not expression. They want discipline but not joy.
With all sincerity, I ask to the respective authority, if music is taken away from childhood, what will nourish the soul, soften the mind, and cultivate empathy?
Please take a note, music is not merely entertainment; music is nourishment. When a child sings, the child learns to feel deeply. When a child plays an instrument, the child learns patience. When a child performs in a group, the child learns unity. Removing music is not just removing a subject, it is removing the chance to grow emotionally intelligent human beings.
Nature itself is built on music. The world sings every day. Birds sing. Rain sings. Wind sings in the morning light. Even the movement of the sea carries a rhythm. Music is the universal language of balance. Without music the universe would be mechanical. Without music human society becomes harsh.
During my tenure as a political advisor at the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka, I learned much about their culture and discovered that Japanese children begin learning music from the earliest stages of schooling. The result is astonishing. Even if a person does not have a perfect voice the person can sing with confidence because music education teaches courage and harmony. For them, music is considered a fundamental part of education, not an optional luxury.
We claim to want a modern and progressive nation. We speak of global competence and expect our children to excel in science and technology. Yet, paradoxically, we hesitate to allow them to engage with one of the most fundamental elements of human culture.
A child cannot become a complete human being through textbooks alone. Education is not merely the accumulation of knowledge; it is the awakening of the soul. There is a deeper truth often ignored: those who fear music often fear freedom. Music encourages questioning, nurtures sensitivity, and cultivates a sense of beauty. This is precisely why rigid minds feel threatened.
An artist does not obey unquestioningly, a melody does not accept blind commands, and a song cannot march to the rhythm of fear. Music liberates, while restriction controls.
The irony is stark. Those who oppose music frequently claim to be concerned about moral decline. Yet history demonstrates repeatedly that moral strength grows from empathy, not force. Compassion emerges from creativity, not restriction. A child who learns music learns to listen and to understand others.
No amount of preaching or instruction can replace this fundamental human development. Removing music from primary schools is not merely an administrative decision; it reflects the kind of one-eyed society we are choosing to create. Do we want our children to grow curious or cautious, creative or fearful, open-hearted or closed?
Music does not threaten society nor encourage immorality. On the contrary, music completes humanity and strengthens the cultural and emotional foundations that every child needs for a healthy, balanced, and empathetic life. Every child deserves the guidance of music teachers to cultivate these essential human capacities.
And so it begins, and we must raise a clear and determined voice against this restriction. Rather than limiting our children’s world, we must open it to every possibility.
