Former State Minister for Education Dr. A. N. M. Ehsanul Haque Milon has called on the government to appoint religion teachers in all primary schools and make Islamic and Moral Education mandatory across all streams of higher secondary education. He also suggested introducing an oral examination segment in Islamic Studies.
Dr. Milon made these remarks at a roundtable discussion titled “Islamic Education in Crisis: Strategies for Overcoming Challenges,” organized by the Islamic Studies Forum at the National Press Club on Saturday.
The event brought together several distinguished academics, including Prof. Dr. A. K. M. Waresul Karim Bulbul, Prof. Dr. Abu Zafar Khan, Prof. Mia Muhammad Nurul Haque, Dr. Md. Rois Uddin, Dr. Siddiqur Rahman Ashrafi, Dr. Shah Muhammad Abdur Rahim, Dr. Abdul Mannan, Prof. Atiqur Rahman, and Marufur Rahman Sheikh, among others.
Speakers at the discussion noted that Bangladesh, being a nation of deeply religious people where Islam is the state religion, has yet to make Islamic and moral education a compulsory part of the national curriculum. As a result, many young individuals turn to unregulated sources for religious knowledge, leading to misconceptions, superstition, and in some cases, extremism.
They stressed that the absence of structured moral education has contributed to moral decline in society and urged the government to ensure the integration of Islamic and moral studies into education at all levels.
