Yunus Government Bows to Islamist Pressure, Drops Plan for Music and PE Teachers in Bangladesh Schools

Facing mounting pressure from hardline Islamist groups, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh has scrapped plans to recruit music and physical education teachers in government-run primary schools.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education confirmed on Monday that the revised recruitment rules, issued in August, have been amended to remove the posts of assistant teachers for music and physical education, citing administrative adjustments.

“Although the rules issued last August had four categories of posts, two categories have been included in the amendment. The posts of assistant teachers for music and physical education are not in the new rules,” said ministry official Masud Akhtar Khan, as quoted by BDNews24.

When asked if the decision was made under pressure from religious groups, Khan declined to comment.

Islamist Pressure and Threats of Protest

The decision follows months of protests and threats from Islamist organizations who labelled the recruitment of music and PE teachers “un-Islamic” and “irrelevant.”

Groups such as Hefazat-e-Islam, Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aima Parishad, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, and Khelafat Majlish had warned that they would take to the streets if the government did not comply.

At a major Islamist gathering in Dhaka in September, Islami Andolon Bangladesh chief Syed Rezaul Karim declared:

“You want to appoint music teachers? What will they teach our children? This move is meant to make our future generation faithless and characterless. We will never tolerate that.”

The Islamist factions denounced the plan as part of an “atheistic agenda” allegedly aimed at undermining Islamic values in the education system.

Capitulation Reflects Growing Islamist Influence

The Yunus government’s policy reversal is being widely viewed as another example of its capitulation to Islamist hardliners.
Since taking power in 2024 following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, the interim administration has repeatedly faced criticism for allowing religious conservatives to shape national policy.

The decision comes shortly after Hefazat-e-Islam and allied groups demanded a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), calling it “an extremist Hindu organisation.”

Political observers note that such rhetoric and reversals mark a regressive shift in Bangladesh’s secular education system, once regarded as a cornerstone of the nation’s cultural and intellectual identity.

Pattern of Concessions to Hardliners

This is not the first time the Yunus administration has yielded to Islamist pressure.
Earlier this year, the government backed away from implementing the Women’s Reform Commission’s recommendations following warnings from radical clerics who accused the panel of promoting “anti-Islamic” values.

One Islamist leader had threatened that the interim leadership would not “even get five minutes to escape,” referring to Sheikh Hasina’s flight from Bangladesh in August 2024 amid violent protests.

The Islamist infiltration of student movements during that unrest helped pave the way for Yunus’s rise to power — and analysts say the current concessions are part of a broader pattern of appeasing religious extremists to maintain political stability.

Impact on Secular Education

The scrapping of music and physical education teachers is expected to have serious implications for secular and cultural education in Bangladesh.
Educators warn that excluding subjects like music, art, and physical activity could erode cultural diversity and creativity in schools, particularly in rural areas where access to extracurricular education is already limited.

Analysts argue that the move underscores a growing Islamisation of Bangladesh’s public education, a trend that reverses decades of progress toward pluralism and cultural inclusion.

“This is more than a policy decision — it’s a signal,” said a Dhaka-based education expert. “It shows that secular spaces in Bangladesh’s schools are shrinking under religious influence.”

Conclusion

As the interim Yunus administration seeks to maintain political balance amid growing Islamist assertiveness, critics warn that repeated concessions could undermine Bangladesh’s secular fabric, once the foundation of its independence and identity.

For now, Bangladesh’s children — and its education system — remain caught in the crossfire of ideology and power.