Teachers must step down before contesting polls

Teachers must resign from their teaching positions before participating in local elections, Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said.

“If they want to participate, they should quit their jobs. There should be a ‘regulation’ to stop non-government teachers from participating in local government elections,” he briefs the journalists on Thursday in the capital.

Milon said that a large number of teachers participated in the local government elections for more than 4,000 chairman posts and 493 Upazila Parishad elections, which severely affected classroom education.

The education minister said, “The Election Commission (EC) should have a regulation so that teachers cannot participate in the local government elections. The investment and training that the state is providing for teachers should be properly used in building a beautiful nation.”

“Teachers are vigilant, guardians are aware and the police department is using body-worn cameras. Students are also aware.

We believe that they will not resort to any unfair practices anymore,” he said.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj, Education Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Mahdi Amin, Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division Abdul Khaleque, Secretary of the Technical and Madrasa Education Division Md Daud Miah spoke as special guests at the event.
Secretary of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry Md Shakhawat Hossain presided over the event.

Earlier, the ‘GPE System Transformation Grant (STG)’ and ‘Multiplier Grant’ were formally announced. The event was organised jointly by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNESCO, UNICEF, ADB, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.