A total of 24.30 lakh students under the Mosque-based Children and Mass Education project received their textbooks for the new academic year on Thursday.
Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain inaugurated the textbook distribution programme for 2026 as the chief guest at the Islamic Foundation auditorium in the capital.
Under the project titled “Mosque-based Children and Mass Education Activities for Development of Moral and Religious Values (8th phase)”, some 34,36,704 textbooks are being distributed among students of 73,768 centres across the country.
Director General of the Islamic Foundation Abdur Salam Khan chaired the programme.
AFM Khalid said officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs worked tirelessly day and night to get the project approved completing various bureaucratic processes.
He said initiatives would be taken to bring the project under the revenue budget.
Highlighting various initiatives taken for the welfare of Islamic scholars, Dr Khalid Hossain said PhD scholarships would be provided to alems through the Islamic Foundation.
Imams and alems holding postgraduate degrees in Islamic studies would be eligible for the scholarships which will support PhD studies in Islamic disciplines at renowned universities around the world, he added.
Necessary funds are being arranged for this purpose, he said.
The adviser also said that Islamic scholars who have made significant contributions to the service of Islam across the country would be honoured centrally within this month.
He further said letters have been sent to four ministries to take necessary steps for the implementation of the Dawrae Hadith certificate of Qawmi madrasas.
He said the Law Ministry has already amended law to allow Dawrae Hadith certificate holders to obtain marriage registrar (Nikah Registrar) licences.
Productive discussions have also been held with the Chief Adviser regarding the appointment of these certificate holders as khatibs, imams and religious teachers in various offices and organisations under the Ministry of Defence.
Under the current tenure of the project, a total of 1.45 crore students will gradually receive religious and moral education including pre-primary education and instruction in the Holy Quran, he added.