State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj. File photo

DHAKA, Sept 12, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj today said necessary harmonisation would be brought in the curricula of Bangla and English medium education to elevate Bangladesh's education system to global standards.

He said it was important to ensure a common minimum standard for students' basic knowledge, skills and learning outcomes, irrespective of the medium of their study. 

To this end, he said, a coordinated initiative would be taken involving all government and private educational institutions on curriculum, infrastructure, teachers’ training and use of technology.

The state minister made these remarks as chief guest at the ‘School Leaders Conference 2026’, organised by Oxford AQA International Qualifications, at a hotel here, said a press release.

He said they did not want to merely follow the best practices of the world, but dreamt of a day when other countries of the world would follow the best practices of Bangladesh's education system. 

The government was ready to invest the necessary time, money and hard work to achieve this goal, he added.

Bobby Hajjaj said whether a student studies in English, Bangla medium or any other stream, there must be a common standard for basic knowledge and skills.

There would be differences between good and comparatively less good institutions, he said, but there should not be major disparities in curriculum and the basic standard of education.

Underlining the need for quick reforms in the fundamentals of primary education, the state minister said clear minimum standards need to be set for school hours and effective learning hours, the number of students according to classroom size, necessary infrastructure and trained teachers. 

No teacher should be given charge of a classroom without any training, he added.

Stressing the importance of technology and modern teaching methods, he said activity-based learning and learning through play would be emphasised in the future of primary education. 

At the same time, he said, the government wanted to learn from the existing experience of English medium schools and their effective use of Learning Management Systems (LMS).

The state minister further said that while formulating the new curriculum, they did not want anyone to say they were not consulted, and that they wanted to move forward taking everyone's experience and opinion into account. 

He said the government was working to bring all educational institutions of the country onto a level playing field through coordinated initiatives in the four areas of curriculum, infrastructure, teacher training and technology.

Presided over by Oxford AQA's Country Director for Bangladesh and Nepal Shaheen Reza, the event was attended as special guest by University Grants Commission (UGC) member Professor Dr Abdullah Al Mamun. 

Representatives of the British High Commission and the British Council, along with principals of various English medium educational institutions in Dhaka, were present at the event.