Curricula for Bangla, English-medium schools to be aligned: Bobby Hajjaj

The curricula of Bangla- and English-medium schools will be aligned where necessary to ensure a common minimum standard of basic knowledge and skills for students, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj said on Saturday (September 12).

“Regardless of the medium of education, there should not be major disparities in students’ basic knowledge, skills and learning,” he said while addressing the School Leaders Conference 2026 organised by OxfordAQA International Qualifications at a Dhaka hotel.

Hajjaj said differences in the quality of institutions were inevitable, but there should be no significant gap in fundamental educational standards or curricula. The government would work with both public and private institutions to establish common standards.

He said the government’s ambition was not merely to adopt the world’s best education models but to develop an approach that could eventually serve as an example for other countries. He said the government was prepared to invest the necessary time, resources and effort to achieve that goal.

Highlighting the need for reforms in primary education, Hajjaj said minimum standards should be established for school hours and effective learning time, student numbers relative to classroom capacity, infrastructure and teacher qualifications. No teacher, he said, should be assigned classroom responsibilities without proper training.

The state minister said future primary education would place greater emphasis on activity-based learning and learning through play, while the government also planned to draw on effective practices and management approaches used by English-medium schools.

He stressed broad consultation in developing the new curriculum, saying no stakeholder should later feel that their views had been ignored. The government, he said, aims to ensure equal opportunities across educational institutions through coordinated efforts in curriculum, infrastructure, teacher training and technology.