Govt plans to recruit over 100,000 new teachers: Milon

Education and Primary Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon on Thursday said the government plans to recruit more than 100,000 new teachers under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme.

"I have another piece of good news. The Appellate Division has delivered its verdict on the recruitment of 32,000 primary school head teachers. It accepted our appeal, and we can now proceed with the recruitment," he said while addressing the 'Global Partnership for Education System Transformation Grant and Multiplier Grant for Bangladesh' programme, organised by UNESCO at the InterContinental Dhaka.

He added that the recruitment drive could also include nearly 70,000 teachers and lecturers for MPO-listed private educational institutions.

"This is a major development for us," he said.

Referring to a change in the government's approach to monitoring public examinations, the minister mentioned the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations which began on Thursday morning.

"We were scheduled to visit examination centres this morning, but perhaps our colleagues felt there was no need for ministerial visits. That is why we are all here today. It was not like this before; there has been a significant change," he said. 

Highlighting the high dropout rate at the higher secondary level, Milon said although around 544,000 students are enrolled but they are not sitting for the HSC examinations.

According to the minister, the dropout rate stands at around 33 percent in general education, 54 percent in technical education and 44 percent in madrasah education.

"When we talk about the country's education system, this is certainly not good news," he said.

The minister also warned that the misuse of funds allocated to the education sector would not be tolerated.

"I served as a state minister in 2001 and gained experience with these projects. The previous government secured substantial loans and grants, but they were not utilised properly," he said.

Emphasising the need to improve the quality of education, Milon added, "I believe the government's role should be that of a facilitator. Education should be driven by institutions, teachers and students. We are here to support them so they can carry out educational activities effectively.”

The event was attended, among others, by the Prime Minister's Education Adviser Mahdi Amin, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj, Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khalek, and other officials.