‘One Teacher, One Tab’ is not just a device; it is a pedagogy reform

A statement by Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon regarding the reinstatement of a 60 percent quota for women in recruitment to government primary schools has gone viral on social media, triggering widespread discussion and criticism.

A review of the video shows that he did not make the remarks after becoming minister. Rather, he made the comments during an interview with a private television channel while campaigning in the 13th National Parliamentary election.

Further inquiry reveals that on January 28, while participating in election campaigning as a candidate with the paddy sheaf symbol in the Chandpur-1 (Kachua) constituency, he gave the interview to a private television channel. Recently, a portion of that interview resurfaced on social media, creating confusion.

In the interview, Ehsanul Haque Milon said that former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had introduced stipend programs to promote female education. She initially provided stipends up to Class 10 and later extended them to the Intermediate level. He also mentioned that if given responsibility again, there had been a declaration to expand the stipend program up to the degree level. At the same time, he said that Tarique Rahman would expand the stipend program up to the degree level.

Regarding primary school teacher recruitment, Ehsanul Haque Milon said that after women passed Intermediate, a 60 percent quota had been set for appointing female teachers in primary schools, which was later abolished by the previous government. He mentioned in the interview that the quota would be reinstated.

In his remarks, he also spoke about eliminating disparities between madrasa education and English-medium education. He emphasized expanding vocational education, increasing overseas employment through training for expatriates, and boosting remittance inflows. He expressed commitment to building a beautiful Bangladesh by increasing the importance of technical education in socio-economic development.

After being elected as a Member of Parliament in the 13th National Parliamentary election, Ehsanul Haque Milon was given the responsibility of Minister for Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.

After becoming minister, he has not made any further comments regarding the reinstatement of the female quota in primary teacher recruitment. When asked about the issue at a press conference, he avoided the matter.

At the press conference held at the Secretariat on Thursday, responding to journalists’ questions, he said:

“We, during our time, gave importance to heritage, culture, history, and religions and included them in Banglapedia. But at that time, we could not bring them (English-medium institutions under the ministry) into the regulatory framework. That initiative was also not taken then. That is a different story. This time, I have discussed it with the state minister. We must take steps to bring English-medium schools under the ministry’s regulatory framework.”

Referring to the failure of nearly 53 percent of the Secondary and Higher Secondary Development Fund remaining unused and being returned in the last fiscal year, Ehsanul Haque Milon outlined plans to prevent a recurrence. He said the approval of the Annual Development Programme by the Planning Commission under the Ministry of Planning and project gatekeeping would be realigned with the academic calendar.

In his words, cash release by the Finance Division would not be done in equal installments but on a milestone basis. There would be separate milestones for code, textbooks, training, and construction. The electronic government procurement (e-GP) system would be launched in advance mandatorily for procurement planning so that there is no rush of tenders in June. Accounts would be maintained up to the ledger of the Controller General of Accounts, but the final destination of that accounting would be the classroom hour, meaning the teaching hour.

On priority work, he said the focus would be on strengthening teacher training institutions, establishing laboratories, libraries, and language labs, developing digital content and assessment capacity, and improving school infrastructure, especially water, sanitation, and security systems.

The minister also said, “‘One Teacher, One Tab’ is not just a device; it is a pedagogy reform. Our manifesto includes ‘Free Wi-Fi, Multimedia Classrooms, One Teacher One Tab.’ We will not make this a gadget project. We will make it the operating system of teaching and learning. In coordination with the Information and Communication Technology Division, we will introduce digital literacy, artificial intelligence awareness, and cyber safety as three mandatory competencies at the school level. Inside the teacher tab will be lesson plan templates, a question bank, attendance, and learning evidence uploads so that learning can be tracked. And in implementing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s vision of ‘Digital Skilled Bangladesh,’ we will link the education sector with the commitment to establish a National Digital Skills Authority.”

He further said that from the secondary level, science education, technological literacy, and project-based work would be institutionalized. Selected schools in every upazila would have robotics and maker corners. Science would be taken out of books and incorporated into term-based practical routines. Subject knowledge and assessment literacy would be made mandatory in teacher training. These initiatives would be jointly implemented by the Information and Communication Technology Division, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education.

Highlighting the bridging of technical and general education, the minister said that in coordination with the Bangladesh Technical Education Board and the National Skills Development Authority, credit bridge courses would be introduced. Technical education would be incorporated at the secondary level. Industry-academia internships and career centers would be made mandatory in universities and colleges. Universities would not only conduct classes but also engage in research and innovation. Higher education and research innovation grants would be introduced. There would be provisions for student loans and support for higher education abroad. The modernization and quality improvement of the National University would be undertaken. This, he said, is part of the roadmap for building a knowledge-based economy.