The government has taken an initiative to recruit 9,000 religious teachers across Bangladesh. Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon shared the information in parliament on Sunday.
He spoke during a question-and-answer session on the second day of the first session of the 13th National Parliament. The session began at 11 am.
The minister said the plan aims to strengthen moral education and religious values. He said moral awareness in society is declining. He also said social injustice is increasing in many areas.
He said the ministry is giving the highest importance to moral education. However, he noted that this focus has weakened in recent years. Because of this situation, the government is considering a large recruitment drive.
Dr. Milon also spoke about complications related to certificates of Qawmi madrasa students. He said they are currently considered eligible as Qirat teachers. Qirat refers to the proper recitation of the Quran.
He explained that Qirat is not a separate subject in the madrasa education system. This has created administrative problems in recruitment. He said the government hopes to resolve these certificate issues soon.
“We hope the certificate issues will be resolved very soon,” he said. He added that the ministry is preparing to recruit Islamic studies teachers from qualified Qirat graduates.
The minister also clarified that religious education does not mean only Islamic education. He said the government respects the religious feelings of people from all faiths.
Earlier, the first session of the parliament began last Thursday. Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tareq Rahman delivered the opening speech.
Veteran politician Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain was unanimously nominated to chair the session. Under his leadership, the election process for Speaker and Deputy Speaker was completed.
Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed took the oath as Speaker. Barrister Kaiser Kamal took the oath as Deputy Speaker. President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oaths at the parliament complex after 12 pm.
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The new Speaker later placed a condolence motion in the House. Members discussed former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and those killed in the July mass uprising. As part of the session, the President also delivered his scheduled address.
The education ministry is expected to move forward with the teacher recruitment process after resolving the remaining policy issues.