A significant gathering took place at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday afternoon, as cultural activists and educators protested the government’s decision to cancel appointments for music and physical education teachers in primary schools. The National Education and Cultural Preservation Movement organised the rally, emphasising the critical role of arts and physical education in childhood development.
The event commenced with a collective performance of the national anthem, bringing together artists from multiple cultural organisations. During the opening remarks, Amit Ranjan De, General Secretary of the Udaye Central Council (faction), highlighted the need for continuous investment in children’s cultural and physical education.
The discussion session, chaired by Mahmud Selim, stressed that music and physical education cultivate creativity, social cohesion, and mental resilience among young learners. Experts pointed out that recent policy changes appeared to be influenced by pressure from a specific group advocating for the replacement of these teachers with religious instructors, despite the fact that all schools already employ religious teachers. Speakers described this move as politically and ideologically motivated, rather than based on educational necessity.
Participants called for music and physical education to be mandatory at the primary level, arguing that these subjects are essential not only for academic performance but also for fostering empathy, confidence, and cultural literacy in students. The session included contributions from Bangladesh Chhatra Union president Mahir Shahriar Reza, Pronoy Saha of the Central Sports Council, Mahadev Ghosh of the Music Organisation Coordination Council, Mokbul Hossain of the Rabindra Sangeet Artists Association, Azizur Rahman of the Bangladesh College and University Teachers’ Association, Abu Saeed, and prominent poet and journalist Aktar Hossain. Sangita Imam, deputy general secretary of Udaye Central Council, moderated the discussion.
The organisers emphasised that reversing the teacher appointments undermines the country’s cultural and educational development and called for immediate action to restore the original directive.