Refrain from unhealthy politics over opposing curriculum: Education minister

If there is anything confusing in the new textbooks, it will be corrected, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel said today, urging everyone to refrain from unhealthy politics in the name of opposing the curriculum.

"Participation of madrasa teachers in the National Curriculum and Textbook Board will be ensured. As a result, they will be able to give their opinions and contribute to the textbooks prepared for madrasas," said the minister while speaking at a view exchange meeting with the Swadhinata Madrasa Teachers' Council at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital.

The minister highlighted the centuries-long tradition of discussing Islamic philosophy in the country's Aliya madrasas in this subcontinent. 

He emphasised that the new curriculum, aligned with Islamic education, has been warmly received by students and parents.

He further mentioned that the new curriculum is skill-oriented and will assist madrasa students in entering the job market without any conflict with religious values.

Nowfel said after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has played the most significant role in the development of religious education.

The government has not only constructed 18 madrasa buildings but also enrolled a significant number of madrasas under the MPO (Monthly Pay Order) system, he informed.

During the meeting, the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious and Madrasa Education, Dr. Farid Uddin Ahmed, stated that madrasa students study religious subjects alongside the national curriculum. Therefore, they are actively contributing to various fields while maintaining harmony with the mainstream.

Habibur Rahman, director-general of the Department of Madrasa Education, and Dr Abdul Rashid, Vice-Chancellor of the Islamic Arabic University, were present at the time, among others.