Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh has called on the government to replace plans for appointing music teachers in primary schools with the recruitment of religious teachers. In a statement issued to the media on Friday, the organization’s president, Shaikhul Hadis Maulana Ubaidullah Faruq, and secretary general, Maulana Manjurul Islam Afendi, emphasized the importance of religious education in nurturing moral and ethical values among children.

The statement argued that the government had pledged before the election to strengthen religious education, but that promise has not been reflected in current initiatives. The group described the move to appoint music teachers as contradictory to that commitment. It further stated that the primary education system should focus on developing morality, humanity, and religious values among students.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh urged the government to reconsider its decision promptly and to fulfill its electoral promise regarding religious education.