Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Thursday called for a regulation preventing non-government teachers from contesting local government elections while in service, arguing that political involvement undermines the quality of education.
Speaking to reporters after attending a programme at a hotel in the capital, Milon said teachers should either remain committed to the profession or resign if they wish to enter electoral politics.
“A teacher’s responsibility is to teach. If teachers simultaneously engage in politics through elections, the quality of education will inevitably suffer,” he said.
The minister said the Election Commission should introduce a provision prohibiting teachers from participating in local government elections unless they leave their jobs.
“If they want to contest elections, they should resign first. The state invests heavily in teachers’ training and professional development, and those investments should be used to build a better nation,” he added.
Recalling previous local government elections, Milon said thousands of teachers had contested more than 4,000 union parishad chairman positions and elections to 493 upazila parishads, resulting in disruptions to classroom teaching.
Earlier in the day, the GPE System Transformation Grant (STG) and Multiplier Grant for Bangladesh were formally announced at an event jointly organised by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNESCO, UNICEF, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.
Responding to questions about the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations that began on Thursday, the minister said authorities had strengthened monitoring arrangements to ensure a fair examination environment.
“The examinations began at 10am. We now have CCTV cameras and dedicated monitoring cells, so there is no longer any need to physically monitor every examination centre,” he said.
He added that teachers, guardians, students and law enforcement agencies were working together to prevent irregularities.
“Teachers are alert, guardians are aware, and police personnel are using body-worn cameras. Students are also conscious, and we believe they will refrain from unfair practices,” he said.
Asked about the number of regular students who did not appear in this year’s HSC examinations, Milon said the government was treating the dropout issue as a priority.
“In the past, it was common for many girls to leave education because of marriage and for boys to enter the workforce after SSC or HSC. We are giving this issue serious attention,” he said.
The minister said the government plans to increase the number of teachers, strengthen classroom-based learning and further improve the curriculum in the coming years.
At the programme, development partners officially announced grants worth $98.85 million under the GPE System Transformation Grant and Multiplier initiatives for Bangladesh.
Among those present were State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj, Education Adviser to the Prime Minister Mahdi Amin, Secondary and Higher Education Secretary Abdul Khaleque, Technical and Madrasa Education Division Secretary Md Daud Miah, while Primary and Mass Education Secretary Md Shakhawat Hossain chaired the event.
