Universities across Bangladesh have erupted in protest after the Muhammad Yunus-led government cancelled plans to recruit music and physical education teachers in primary schools — a decision that has triggered what many are calling a “cultural revolt.” What began as a bureaucratic announcement has evolved into a nationwide movement defending the country’s cultural identity from growing religious conservatism.
The government justified the move on grounds of “administrative and financial feasibility,” but students and educators say the real reason lies in pressure from Islamist groups that denounced the subjects as “un-Islamic.” The backlash has been immediate and fierce. At Dhaka University, hundreds of students gathered under the Oporajeyo Bangla statue, singing patriotic anthems and songs from the 1971 Liberation War — a defiant gesture against what they see as an assault on Bangladesh’s secular and cultural roots. Banners reading “You can silence music in schools, but not in the hearts of Bangladeshis” captured the mood.
From Chittagong to Rajshahi, Jagannath to Khulna, campuses have turned into centers of cultural resistance. Students of arts and humanities departments are leading marches, staging open-air concerts, and demanding the reinstatement of the cancelled teaching posts. “Culture never opposes religion,” declared Professor Israfil Shahin, a Dhaka University theatre academic, addressing a rally from the Arts Building steps. “It’s culture that defines our humanity and our nationhood. Without it, education loses its meaning.”
Music instructor Azizur Rahman Tuhin called the decision “an attack on civilisation itself,” while others accused the Yunus government of yielding to extremist groups such as Hefazat-e-Islam and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, both of which reportedly supported the interim regime during its political consolidation. These organisations had lobbied for replacing music and PT teachers with religious instructors, arguing that Islamic education should take precedence in public schools.
Critics see this as part of a broader erosion of Bangladesh’s secular fabric. “This isn’t about cost-cutting,” said singer-activist Shayan, who joined a march at Jagannath University. “This is about identity. There’s a deliberate attempt to pit faith against culture — and it’s tearing at the soul of this nation.”
The policy shift has reignited debate over the country’s direction since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina. Once celebrated for balancing faith and pluralism, Bangladesh now faces what analysts describe as a creeping cultural regression. “Bangladesh was born out of a cultural revolution,” said political analyst Rafiq Hasan. “Its national awakening came through songs, poems, and art — not sermons. Now, that legacy is under threat.”
As night falls on campuses, students continue singing freedom songs that once symbolised unity and defiance. Their message is clear: they are not merely demanding jobs for teachers — they are fighting for Bangladesh’s cultural survival. “Culture never opposes religion,” one student shouted through a megaphone. “But without culture, a nation loses its song — and its soul.”
