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Education formed by the interim government.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Campaign for Popular Education, a network of NGOs and educator groups, he said yesterday that the draft largely compiled existing rules and regulations into a single law, suggesting a hurried attempt to preserve existing system.

“We are not satisfied with such a status quo. We want reforms. And through this law, are we trying to obstruct the intended reforms?” said Dr Manzoor, who is now leading the advisory committee to improve the quality of secondary education.

The proposed law, he warned, could end up entrenching the existing education system rather than delivering meaningful reform.

Dr Manzoor, also professor emeritus at Brac University, added that the draft made no mention of rights-based education or decentralisation, nor did it address key issues such as resource mobilisation, whether per-student allocations would be adequate, or how equity in education would be ensured.

Instead, he said, it repeatedly referred to compliance with unspecified “rules”. “It simply legitimises existing practices.”

He added that this may be a bureaucratic strategy to maintain the status quo. “They may want to complete this process within the tenure of the current government so that the discussion does not have to start anew under a future government. The question is whether this is what is really happening.”

‘SHADOW EDUCATION’

The deposed Awami League government, after coming to power in 2009, framed an education policy and took the initiative to prepare an education law for proper implementation of the policy.

The education ministry had then asked a subcommittee of the education policy implementation committee to draft a law on January 26, 2011. However, it took a long time as it underwent repeated revisions. The education ministry sent a draft of the Education Act to the Cabinet Division in December 2016.

But it took the draft act back following huge criticism as the ministry gave legitimacy to coaching and private tuition in the name of “shadow education”.

The then education minister, Dipu Moni, in June 2022, told the parliament that the draft bill would be finalised at the end of that month. But it did not see the light of day.

The earlier draft made printing, publishing, and marketing of notebooks and guidebooks punishable by a maximum imprisonment of three years, a maximum fine of Tk 5 lakh, or both.

However, there is no mention of punishment in the new draft.

WHAT’S IN THE DRAFT

The draft Education Act, 2026, would empower the government to suspend or cancel approval, operation, and salary support for institutions found to be involved in irregularities, corruption, or activities that run contrary to the law or government directives.

No private educational institution could be established or operated without prior government approval and mandatory registration.

The government would also have the authority to merge, relocate or transfer institutions considered unnecessary due to population, location, or other factors.

Special educational institutions run by non-government organisations would be brought under the formal education system through separate rules and recognised certification.

Institutions following foreign curricula would also fall under the scope of the proposed law.

“English Version” institutions are defined as those teaching authorised English translations of National Curriculum and Textbook Board textbooks, while foreign curriculum institutions are those that follow international syllabi.

The government would be able to make certain subjects mandatory for foreign curriculum institutions through separate rules, with non-compliance risking cancellation of registration.

At the school level, the draft assigns the government responsibility for ensuring access to education for disadvantaged children, ethnic minority communities and children with special needs.

Mother-tongue-based instruction would be allowed at pre-primary and primary levels for children from ethnic minority communities.

The national curriculum would be mandatory at pre-primary, primary and secondary levels across general, madrasa, technical and vocational streams, with separate curricula permitted for children with special needs.

The school curriculum would include instruction on independence, the Liberation War and the mass uprising, alongside science, civic rights, Bangalee culture and the cultures of ethnic minority groups. Activities contradicting these principles or hurting religious sentiments would be prohibited.

The proposed law seeks to regulate admission fees, tuition fees and other charges in Bangla-medium, English version and foreign curriculum institutions through government-approved policies.

Corporal punishment and mental harassment of students would be explicitly banned, with the institutions required to prevent bullying, ragging and cyberbullying.