The government is considering the recruitment of around 9,000 religion  teachers in primary schools as part of efforts to strengthen moral and religious education, Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon told Parliament on Sunday.

The government has placed renewed emphasis on primary education and is preparing a number of reforms under a 180-day programme initiated by the government, he said responding to a question raised by MP Monirul Chowdhury from Cumilla.

He said primary education received significant attention during the tenure of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and the current government is again prioritising the sector.

The minister said  the government has already received directives to introduce major changes to the primary education system, with particular attention to strengthening moral values and religious awareness among students.

However, he noted that there are some complications regarding the certification of teachers particularly those who have studied in Qawmi madrasha system.

The subject of Qira’at (Qur’anic recitation) which many Qawmi graduates specialise in, does not formally exist in the mainstream madrasha curriculum, creating administrative complexities in recognising qualifications, he added.

“The ministry is working to resolve these certification issues so that qualified candidates can be recruited as Islamic Studies teachers.”

Milon also said religion education would not be limited to Islam alone. “We are moving forward by giving importance to the religious sentiments of followers of all faiths,” he said.

Earlier, MP Monirul Chowdhury raised concerns about what he described as a deterioration in the education system over the past 15 to 17 years, despite improvements in school infrastructure.

He said many primary schools now have good buildings but a shortage of students citing examples where the number of teachers exceeds that of pupils.

The MP also urged the government to make moral education, Qur’anic education, the history of the Liberation War and the July uprising mandatory in the national curriculum to restore values among students.