Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Sunday told Parliament that 8,486 posts of teachers remain vacant in the country's technical education institutions against a total of 15,844 approved positions.
Responding to separate questions from Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md Nurul Islam of Chapainawabganj-3 and National Citizens Party (NCP) MP Md Abdul Hasnat of Cumilla-4, the minister said requisitions have already been sent to the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) seeking recommendations for the recruitment of 2,204 teachers.
Govt aims to clear teachers' retirement benefit backlog in six months: Minister
The replies were tabled during the question-answer session of the House with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair.
The minister said 7,074 teachers are currently serving in technical educational institutions under the Technical and Madrasah Education Division, leaving 8,486 positions vacant.
He said instructors (Grade-9) and junior instructors (Grade-10) are recruited through the PSC based on the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) cadre and non-cadre examinations.
The PSC has already recommended the appointment of 97 cadre and 349 non-cadre teachers from the 45th BCS examination and they will be appointed after completion of police verification, the minister said.
Milon also said vacant posts are filled through promotion whenever possible but promotions could not be made to 4,131 promotional posts because there were no eligible personnel in feeder positions.
In reply to a question from NCP MP Abdullah Al Amin of Narayanganj-4, the minister said a new textbook titled Technical Education will be introduced for Class VI students in the general education stream from the 2027 academic year.
He said the initiative aims to equip students with practical skills and provide them with knowledge about technical education, employment opportunities and higher education prospects.
The minister further said another new Class VI textbook, Learning with Happiness, will also be introduced from the 2027 academic year to make learning more enjoyable and participatory while fostering creativity, innovation, self-expression and the overall development of students' talents.
Responding to another question from Abdullah Al Amin, Milon said mother tongue-based multilingual education (MLE) has already been introduced for indigenous communities in the hill districts to overcome language barriers.
He said training for teachers has begun in five languages—Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Garo and Sadri—which is expected to improve learning outcomes for indigenous students.
Replying to a question from MP Sheikh Manjurul Haque of Bagerhat-2, the minister said the Education Ministry has taken steps to clear outstanding MPO salary and allowance arrears of teachers and employees affected by criminal cases filed during the previous Awami League government.
He said eligible applicants who submit the required documents under the prescribed procedures will have their arrears considered in accordance with existing rules.
Answering questions from ruling party MP Lutfur Rahman of Cox's Bazar-3 and MP Lutfullahel Majed of Mymensingh-8, the minister said Bangladesh currently has 174 universities including 56 public, 116 private and two international universities.
Of the public universities, 30 are general universities, 18 are science and technology universities, while eight are specialised institutions, including engineering, agricultural and medical universities.
In response to another question from Nurul Islam, the minister said the Non-Government Teachers and Employees Retirement Benefits Board has a total of 80,320 applications, including 64,775 pending applications submitted up to June 30, 2025, and an estimated 15,545 new applications during the 2025-26 fiscal year.
He said approximately Tk 96.38 billion is required to settle all applications, while the board expects to generate only Tk 24.62 billion in the current fiscal year, leaving a funding shortfall of around Tk 71.76 billion. At present, nearly 59,820 applications are awaiting disposal.
Replying to a question from MP Abdus Sattar of Nilphamari-1, the minister said Bangladesh currently has three government and 8,229 non-MPO madrasas.
In response to a question from MP Abul Kalam of Cumilla-9, Milon said the University of Dhaka has continued to make significant progress in education, research, innovation and internationalisation, resulting in notable improvements in global university rankings.