Primary and Mass Education Adviser Professor Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Podder has said that apart from the majority percent of Bangla-speaking people, we have to inquire about other people speaking in the remaining 40 languages.
"We respect other languages besides the country's main language, Bangla. As it is the main spirit of the 1952 Language Movement and the Movement of 2024," the adviser told a discussion in the capital on Friday.
The adviser was speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organized by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to mark 'Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day 2025' at the Primary Teachers Training Institute (PTI) in Mirpur.
"If children can be made educated in their mother tongue, they will play an important role in making the future Bangladesh free from all sorts of discrimination," Prof Bidhan said.
The adviser said the lack of national determination is an obstacle to using Bangla in all spheres of life, but "after the country became independent, we have deviated from the original spirit of the 1952 Language Movement."
Noting that there are books in five languages, he said but due to lack of teachers, we are not able to use these books.
"We will create online content and lectures on books in these languages so that children can learn with it," he added.
Ministry Secretary Abu Taher Md Masud Rana presided over the discussion program.
Among others, the Director General (DG) of the Compulsory Primary Education Implementation Monitoring Unit and concerned ministry's Additional Secretary (Budget and Audit) Md Sakhawat Hossain, Additional Secretary (Development) Nurjahan Khatun, Additional Secretary (Administration) Abu Shahin Md Asaduzzaman, Director General (in-charge) of the Directorate of Primary Education Abu Nur Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, Director General (in-charge) of the Bureau of Non-Formal Education Debabrata Chakraborty and Director of the Child Welfare Trust Suraiya Khan were present there.
