Teachers and students of Dhaka University's Department of Music staged a protest this morning demanding the reinstatement of music and physical education teacher positions in primary education.
The demonstration began at 11:30am in front of the Aparajeyo Bangla sculpture on campus, where participants sang the national anthem as part of their protest.
The protest was organised in response to the government's recent decision to withdraw its earlier plan to recruit music and physical education teachers for public primary schools.
Students and teachers from the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies and the Department of Dance joined the event in solidarity, along with the Literary and Cultural Affairs Secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) and cultural secretaries from various residential halls.
Azizur Rahman Tuhin, a teacher at the Department of Music, said, "Civilisation survives on the foundation of art, literature, and culture. Excluding music from primary education will hinder the mental and physical development of future generations."
Israfeel Shaheen, a faculty member of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, added, "If an order has been issued, it can also be withdrawn. A state cannot progress based solely on religion. Culture never contradicts religion."
According to the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules 2025 gazette issued on August 28, the posts of music and physical education teachers were initially included. However, a revised circular signed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education on Sunday omitted both positions.
Following the earlier announcement of recruitment for these posts, several religion-based organisations and political groups had voiced objections and staged demonstrations demanding the withdrawal of the decision.
Meanwhile, teachers and students from the Department of Music at Jagannath University (JnU) formed a human chain at Sculpture Square on campus around 11:00am, demanding the reinstatement of the two posts. They sang protest songs and marched across the campus to press their demand.
"We want melodies to resonate in every educational institution. Today's protest is not for any personal gain," said Nusrat Chowdhury Zafrin, a student of the 2019–20 session of the Department of Music.
"In every movement at this university, we have voiced our protest through songs. We will continue to raise our voices through music and we must not be silenced."
Expressing solidarity, JnU Chhatra Front General Secretary Shamsul Alam Maruf said, "This is a form of cultural fascism. The government is abolishing 'Music and Physical Education' teaching posts, which is absurd. The state is becoming market-centric, leaving no room for intellectual or cultural development."
Professor Bazlur Rashid Khan, chair of the Department of Printmaking, also expressed solidarity with the protesters. "No education is complete without a holistic approach. A healthy mind needs music, and a healthy body needs physical education. Ustad Alauddin Khan performed his five daily prayers and found divinity through music," he said.
Anima Roy, chair of the Music Department, said, "Children at the primary level are being deprived of music. We stand here on their behalf. Not recruiting teachers for these subjects means depriving children of their right to music."
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