Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said the government is planning to introduce technical and vocational training for Qawmi madrasah students to create employment opportunities for them at home and abroad.

Replying to a supplementary question from Cumilla-6 MP Md Manirul Haque Chowdhury, the Prime Minister said the initiative aims to equip Qawmi madrasah students with skills needed for employment in Bangladesh and overseas.

“The government is planning to arrange technical and vocational training for Qawmi madrasah students to create employment opportunities for them at home and abroad,” he said.

The question-answer session for the Prime Minister began after the parliamentary sitting started at 3:30pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair.

During the first 30 minutes, Tarique Rahman directly answered four written questions and six supplementary questions.

In reply to Manirul Haque’s starred question, the Prime Minister said a permanent institution called the “Qawmi Madrasah Education Board Bangladesh” was decided to be formed through a gazette notification in 2006 to coordinate, develop, and conduct public examinations for all Qawmi madrasahs.

Later, under the Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh, the government enacted the 2018 law recognising the Dawra-e-Hadith (Takmil) certificate of Qawmi madrashas as equivalent to a master’s degree in Islamic Studies and Arabic and decided to establish six Qawmi madrasah education boards.

The six boards are Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, Befaqul Madarisil Qawmia Gawhardanga Bangladesh, Anjumane Ittehadul Madaris Bangladesh (Qaumi Madrasa Education Board), Azad Dini Adaraye Talim Bangladesh board, Tanzimul Madarisid Diniya Bangladesh and Jatiya Deeni Madrasa Education Board Bangladesh.

Tarique Rahman said certificates from the six Qawmi madrasah education boards were recognised on June 23 following an amendment to the “Private Educational Institutions (Madrasah) Manpower Structure and MPO Policy, 2026”.

As a result, holders of Dawra-e-Hadith (Takmil) degrees along with Ilmul Qiraat or Hifzul Quran certificates from Qawmi madrasahs became eligible for appointment to the posts of assistant Moulvi (Qari) and Ebtedayee Qari, he said.

Replying to another question from Lakshmipur-2 MP Abul Khair Bhuiyan about incorporating more Arabic subjects into the general education curriculum, the Prime Minister said it is a good suggestion.

He said religious education is already part of the regular curriculum and the government could review how it could be further developed.

PM seeks separate notice on nationalisation of Ibteda'i madrasahs

Replying to a supplementary question from Kurigram-3 MP Md Mahbubul Alam about nationalising ebtedayee madrasahs, Tarique Rahman asked him to submit a separate notice on the issue.

“If you give me a separate notice, I will look into the matter properly and present the details before Parliament,” he said.