Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi held a protest programme in Gazipur today demanding the restoration of music and physical education teacher posts in primary education.

At 12 noon, more than 50 cultural activists from the Udichi Gazipur and Kapasia branches joined the programme in front of the Satyen Sen Sangeet Academy on College Road in Kapasia town.

Speaking at the event, Jahangir Hossain, general secretary of the district branch, said, "The current government is blocking the path of human and cultural development of children by abolishing the posts of music and physical education teachers in primary education."

"However, initiatives have been taken in Saudi Arabia to train 17,000 female teachers in music. In 2022, they also trained 12,000 teachers in music. Women are being brought forward there, and we are falling behind -- this is sad and shameful."

He further said, "Children will not be able to sing, they will not be able to recite poetry -- such a situation is being created. This decision of the government is a big obstacle to the development of the country's culture. We reject this decision with hatred and demand its immediate cancellation. Our demand was that music teachers should be appointed in every primary school in the country, but the government has cancelled the post on the contrary."

President of Udichi Kapasia branch, Nurul Amin Sikder, said, "For some invisible reason, the post of music and physical education teachers has been cancelled in primary education. There has been a storm of protest across the country regarding this. We are observing this programme today as part of that protest."

Expressing solidarity with the protests, General Secretary of Kapasia Upazila Communist Party of Bangladesh, Siddique Fakir, said, "We cannot remain silent on this issue anymore. We have to build a mass movement with people from all walks of life in the country."

After the protest rally, students of Satyen Sen Sangeet Academy performed the national anthem along with the song "Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase" by Rabindranath Tagore.