Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon on Saturday said the government would no longer allow officials to travel abroad for what he described as unnecessary training programs, citing examples of trips to learn cooking or observe water hyacinth removal.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion marking Gono Bishwabidyalay Day in Savar, where he outlined the government's plans for education reform.
"The days when government officials went abroad to learn how to cook khichuri or observe how water hyacinths are cleared, are over," Milon said.
He said the government is working to reform the education system by reducing session backlogs, ensuring timely completion of academic programs, and introducing a curriculum focused on practical learning and student development.
"The goal is to complete 12 years of education, up to higher secondary level, within the scheduled time. Students' valuable time should not be wasted unnecessarily," he said.
Milon said the revised curriculum would give greater importance to sports, culture, debate, family values, and "learning with happiness."
He said "learning with happiness," along with sports and cultural activities, would be introduced from Class IV, while family values, religious values, ethics, and chronological national history would gradually be incorporated into textbooks.
"It is not possible to change the whole curriculum overnight. The government is moving gradually to introduce a modern, time-appropriate education system," he said.
The minister said improving teacher quality remains a top priority, adding that teacher training institutions are being expanded and modernized.
On the Primary Scholarship Examination, Milon said results would be published on Sunday and that private schools had been included in the program for the first time after it was discontinued by the previous government.
He said private schools would initially receive 20% of the scholarship allocation, while government schools would receive 80%.
"Education is a right for all. We are working to build an equitable education system while ensuring no one's constitutional right to education is compromised," he said.
Responding to a question about the premature publication of admission test results, Milon said the incident occurred after an operator released the results before the official announcement, apparently to gain personal recognition.
He said disciplinary action had been taken against the individual and warned that such incidents would not be tolerated.
"The government wants to publish all examination results officially and simultaneously. Releasing one result before the complete compilation is unacceptable, and such incidents will not happen again," he added.
Earlier, teachers and students of Gono Bishwabidyalay brought out a colorful rally marking the university's foundation day. Dhaka-19 MP Dr Dewan Mohammad Salauddin Babu and Gono Bishwabidyalay Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Abul Hossain were among those present.