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for their future careers, according to a ministry press release.

He added that expanding music, dance, theatre, fine arts, and sports education at the primary level would require a large number of specialised teachers and trainers, creating new employment opportunities for young people in these fields and helping establish sustainable career pathways.

“Over the next five years, around 50,000 to 60,000 new jobs will be created in this sector.”

Seeking cooperation from universities, he said the government wanted their graduates to have opportunities to join primary schools as teachers in the future.

“We want to work together on how they can be given proper training, how teacher-preparation components can be linked with university curricula, and how skilled teachers can be developed jointly,” he said.

The minister said music, theatre, and dance should not be treated solely as co-curricular activities but as important components of students’ overall development.

To that end, he said, the government was already planning curriculum development and teacher preparation.

Primary and Mass Education Secretary Md Shakhawat Hossain, chairpersons of relevant departments from 24 universities, and ministry officials attended the meeting.