‘Govt considers recruiting 9,000 religion teachers for primary schools’

The government is considering the recruitment of around 9,000 religion teachers in primary schools as part of efforts to strengthen moral and religious education, Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament on Sunday, reports UNB.

The government has placed renewed emphasis on primary education and is preparing a number of reforms under a 180-day programme initiated by the government, he said responding to a question raised by MP Monirul Chowdhury from Cumilla.

He said primary education received significant attention during the tenure of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and the current government is again prioritising the sector.

The minister said the government has already received directives to introduce major changes to the primary education system, with particular attention to strengthening moral values and religious awareness among students.

However, he noted that there are some complications regarding the certification of teachers particularly those who have studied in Qawmi madrasha system.

The subject of Qira'at (Qur'anic recitation) which many Qawmi graduates specialise in, does not formally exist in the mainstream madrasha curriculum, creating administrative complexities in recognising qualifications, he added.

"The ministry is working to resolve these certification issues so that qualified candidates can be recruited as Islamic Studies teachers."