Bangladesh (Commonwealth Union)_ Bangladesh’s campuses have come alive once more, echoing with protest songs and chants instead of lectures. Months after toppling a government through their demonstrations, students are again on the streets, but this time to defend the role of music and physical education in the country’s schools. A fresh wave of anger erupted after the interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, decided to cancel plans to hire music and physical training teachers for government primary schools. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education confirmed the decision earlier this week, citing “administrative and financial constraints.” But many believe the real reason lies elsewhere.
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According to student groups and cultural activists, the move came under pressure from Islamist organizations that have long opposed teaching music and dance in public schools, calling it “un-Islamic.” The government’s latest step, they say, signals a bowing to extremist elements. The protests began at Dhaka University, the historic cradle of Bangladesh’s political movements. Students gathered beneath the iconic Oporajeyo Bangla statue, singing the national anthem and freedom songs from the 1971 Liberation War. Banners read, “You can silence music in schools, not in hearts.” Within hours, similar demonstrations spread to Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Khulna universities, with processions, torch marches, and sit-ins.
Clashes were reported in some parts of Dhaka, and police imposed temporary restrictions around the Shahbagh area. Although no major injuries were confirmed, the tension has deepened an already volatile political atmosphere. What began as an education-policy dispute has grown into something far larger, a cultural and ideological confrontation. To many young Bangladeshis, the government’s decision represents an attack on the country’s secular and artistic traditions. “Our culture was born from songs of resistance,” said the student leader at Dhaka University. “Banning music teachers means banning a part of who we are.”
Critics accuse Yunus’s interim administration of betraying the progressive ideals it once claimed to defend. The 84-year-old Nobel laureate was installed as head of the interim government after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina last year, following months of student-led protests demanding democratic reforms. At the time, many viewed Yunus as a neutral figure who could guide the nation toward stability. That image is now under strain. Former Prime Minister Hasina, speaking to the media, accused Yunus of “surrendering to extremists” and “crushing democracy.” She argued that his government is being influenced by sectarian forces and that his reputation as a Nobel Peace Prize winner does not translate into democratic legitimacy. “He is dismantling the constitution and failing to protect minorities,” Hasina said.
Analysts note that the controversy highlights a deeper struggle over Bangladesh’s identity. Since independence, the country has prided itself on being a secular republic with strong cultural roots in music, poetry, and art. Yet, in recent years, hardline clerical groups have gained increasing influence, challenging that vision. By eliminating posts for music and physical education teachers, Yunus’s administration may have underestimated the emotional and symbolic importance of these subjects. For many, they are not luxuries but expressions of the nation’s spirit. “When a government begins to censor art, it signals fear,” said a professor at Chittagong University. “Students sense that, and they resist.”
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The same students who once championed Yunus as a reformer against Hasina’s powerful rule are now leading marches against his policies. What began as a movement for democracy has evolved into a fight to preserve Bangladesh’s cultural heartbeat. As night falls over Dhaka, protesters continue to gather around university campuses, candles flickering in the dark. They sing the same liberation songs that defined earlier generations, a reminder that, for many Bangladeshis, music remains not just art but defiance. For Yunus’s interim government, the message is clear: silencing classrooms may prove far easier than silencing a nation’s voice.
