Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar on Sunday said the government’s decision to appoint music and dance teachers in primary schools would be “suicidal for the nation,” claiming that the younger generation is already facing moral degradation.
However, this Jamaat statement has sparked mixed reactions. Many netizens on social media and cyberspace have expressed various opinions both in favour and against it.
In a statement sent to the media on Sunday (7 September), he said appointing music and dance teachers would encourage students toward moral decline and an unethical society instead of guiding them to become honest citizens. He urged the government to cancel the decision and appoint religious teachers in all primary schools.
The Jamaat leader emphasized that while the curriculum includes religion and moral education, there are no specialist teachers for the subject, depriving students of proper guidance and causing erosion of social and moral values. He added that intolerance is spreading among students, who are also becoming detached from their religious traditions, cultural heritage, and moral values.
Mia Golam Parwar argued that religious education builds ethics, values, and integrity, which are essential for creating a just and disciplined society. He warned that without religious teaching, society would suffer further moral decay and fail to produce honest citizens and leadership.
He said music and dance cannot be considered essential subjects for students, but religious education is vital for children of all faiths. Families interested in music or dance may pursue private teaching, he noted, but religious instruction must be ensured in schools.
Jamaat’s secretary general urged the government and education advisers to immediately arrange for religious teachers in every primary school so that students can learn their respective faiths and grow into enlightened individuals.
Calling the move to recruit music and dance teachers “deeply regrettable and illogical,” he said the government has ignored longstanding demands for religious teachers while prioritizing cultural instructors, which he believes will worsen moral decline in society.
