No proposal to exclude traditional disciplines

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Tuesday dismissed speculation over the future of Bangla, philosophy and history in higher education, affirming that the government has neither discussed nor planned the removal of these subjects from honours programmes.

Speaking to journalists after the ECNEC meeting at the Secretariat, the minister responded to reports and rumours circulating about possible changes to university curricula.

“There has been no discussion at any of our policy-making levels about removing Bangla, philosophy and history from honours courses in higher education. As far as I know, there is not even any such proposal. These are completely baseless claims,” he said.

Clarifying the government’s education reform agenda, Milon said current efforts are centred on expanding career-focused and technical education opportunities to better align academic programmes with evolving national and global employment demands.

“We are mainly emphasizing career-oriented and technical education. New subjects and courses are being incorporated into the curriculum in line with the demands of the time and the global market. Work is underway to strengthen the linkage between industry and academia,” he said.

The minister stressed that introducing new market-relevant courses and modernising academic programmes should not be interpreted as a move to eliminate traditional disciplines.

He added that curriculum reviews and initiatives to address teacher shortages are continuing through the respective academic councils of universities as part of regular academic processes.

Milon also urged students, teachers and other stakeholders not to be influenced by what he described as unfounded and misleading information regarding changes to honours-level education.