Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Monday said education has no gender, questioning whether anyone in the world has ever said that people of a particular gender cannot receive education.
“Does education have any gender? Has anyone ever said that people of a particular gender can study while others cannot? I believe education has no gender,” he said.
The minister made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the certificate distribution and closing ceremony of the 210th Basic Training Course at the National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM) in Dhanmondi.
Referring to criticism over his earlier remarks on gender, Milon said a particular online newspaper had accused him of believing in transgender identity.
He said he had been discussing the representation of different gender identities in education and had cited data showing that the proportion of transgender people among those who qualified was less than one percent in that event.
The minister criticised what he described as the tendency of some media outlets to distort speakers' remarks and divert their intended meaning without listening to the full context.
“People should listen and understand before making comments. Creating panic in this way is very detrimental,” he said, urging the media to highlight positive developments alongside negative issues.
Speaking about the results of the SSC and HSC examinations, Milon said the country's education system had suffered a setback since the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the practice of passing students without proper assessment had gradually weakened academic standards. He also referred to the impact of political developments and what he described as a growing tendency among students to become involved in politics instead of concentrating on their studies.
The minister said the BNP government is working to improve students' learning and writing skills, adding that weaknesses in higher education also needed attention.
Milon stressed the need for proper training and orientation for teachers, saying that unlike other cadres of the Bangladesh Civil Service, education cadre officers generally join their jobs without undergoing a structured training programme beforehand.
He said administrative cadre officers receive training after joining the service, while members of the armed forces and police also undergo professional training before taking up their responsibilities.
“Training makes people better. But teachers do not have that kind of training arrangement,” he said.
The minister said the government wanted to introduce a merit-based approach in training programmes, giving priority to those who perform well in presentations, classroom activities and assessments.
He said the basic training course needed to be made more comprehensive, as teaching models, modules and pedagogical approaches were gradually changing.
He said the government is considering how to make the best use of resources allocated to education.
The minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had allocated the highest amount to the education sector, while the ministry was also working to ensure that the available resources were used effectively.
“We are working to build a future Bangladesh. The Prime Minister is working relentlessly towards that goal, and I have been given responsibility for this ministry to contribute to that effort,” he said.
He called upon everyone involved in education to think critically and analyse how the country's education system could be developed.
“The collective thinking of all of us will be the driving force behind building the future Bangladesh,” he added.
Professor Prem Rizvi, Director (Training and Implementation) of NAEM, course adviser and convener of its Central Evaluation Committee, was also present at the event.
The programme was chaired by NAEM Director General Professor Dr Wasim Md Mezbahul Haque.
