Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi staged a protest in Gazipur today, demanding the reinstatement of music and physical education teacher positions in primary education.
At noon, over 50 cultural activists from the Udichi Gazipur and Kapasia branches gathered in front of the Satyen Sen Sangeet Academy on College Road in Kapasia town to participate in the demonstration.
Speaking at the event, Jahangir Hossain, general secretary of the district branch, said,
“The current government is obstructing the human and cultural development of children by abolishing the posts of music and physical education teachers in primary schools.
“In contrast, initiatives in Saudi Arabia have trained 17,000 female teachers in music, and in 2022 they trained 12,000 more. Women there are being empowered, while we are lagging behind — this is both sad and shameful.”
He added,
“Children will be unable to sing, recite poetry, or enjoy cultural activities — this situation is being deliberately created. The government’s decision is a significant barrier to the country’s cultural development. We reject this decision completely and demand its immediate reversal. Our demand was for music teachers to be appointed in every primary school, but instead the government has removed the posts.”
Nurul Amin Sikder, president of the Udichi Kapasia branch, said,
“For some unknown reason, the posts of music and physical education teachers have been cancelled in primary education. This has sparked protests across the country. Today’s programme is part of that ongoing protest.”
Expressing solidarity, Siddique Fakir, general secretary of the Kapasia Upazila Communist Party of Bangladesh, stated,
“We cannot remain silent on this issue any longer. A mass movement involving people from all walks of life must be built in response.”
Following the protest rally, students of Satyen Sen Sangeet Academy performed the national anthem along with Rabindranath Tagore’s song “Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase”, closing the programme on a patriotic and cultural note.