Yunus govt bows to Islamist pressure, music and physical education axed from Bangladesh schools

In a change introduced on Monday, the new recruitment rules would exclude the two posts.

Earlier, the Bangladesh interim government under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus had advocated the promotion of cultural education in schools.

Masud Akhtar Khan, additional secretary of the schools division at the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, told bdnews24, "Although the rules issued last August had four categories of posts, two categories have been included in the amendment. The posts of assistant teachers for music and physical education are not in the new rules."

When he was asked whether the move was a response to the Islamists' protests, Khan refused to comment and instead said, "You can check it out."

The posts have been scrapped giving in to the pressure created by the protests which were launched by Islamist organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlish and Hefajat-e-Islam. 

Speaking at a rally earlier this year, Islami Andolon Bangladesh chief Syed Rezaul Karim had said he won't tolerate children being made "disrespectful, unruly, and characterless" with music teaching in schools.