Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Wednesday said the government will establish a modern “multipurpose examination centre” in every upazila to ensure that regular teaching activities are not disrupted during public examinations.
“The existing examination system results in the loss of two precious years in students’ lives, which is a major obstacle to achieving the demographic dividend,” he said.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a view-exchange meeting with centre secretaries of the Sylhet region ahead of the SSC and equivalent examinations 2026, organised by the Board of Intermediate and Higher Secondary Education, Sylhet.
Milon said the government is working to allocate five per cent of GDP to the education sector to ensure quality education.
“We are not only focusing on infrastructure development, but also on the quality and reform of education. CCTV cameras have been installed in every classroom to ensure the quality of teaching,” he added.
He also requested Members of Parliament to monitor schools in their respective constituencies using smartphones through CCTV access codes.
Regarding teacher shortages and recruitment, the minister said efforts are underway to resolve complications related to 32,500 primary school head teacher cases.
He added that the recruitment process for around 60,000 primary school teachers will begin soon. A ‘pool’ of retired experienced teachers is also being formed to serve as part-time teachers in institutions facing shortages.
Warning about malpractice in examinations, Milon said cheating has taken new forms and must be eliminated through improved quality education. He urged teachers to be more sincere in evaluating answer scripts.
The minister further said 18 primary schools affected by the expansion of the Sylhet-Dhaka highway will be included in a reconstruction project on a priority basis. The government is also working to expand technical education and strengthen moral education, he added.
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, speaking as a special guest, said the development of skilled manpower would increase overseas employment opportunities. He also highlighted the need for modernisation of the education system in the Sylhet region.
Among others present at the event were lawmaker Advocate Emran Ahmed Chowdhury, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Md Sarwar Alam, Vice-Chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Prof AM Sarwaruddin Chowdhury, Madrasa Education Board Chairman Prof Mia Md Nurul Haque and Technical Education Board Chairman Engineer Md Ruhul Amin.
The meeting was chaired by Md Anwar Hossain Chowdhury.
