PM Pledges Salary Hike for Teachers, Boost for Primary Education
DHAKA, July 8, 2026 — Prime Minister Tareque Rahman announced on Wednesday that the government plans to gradually increase the salaries of primary and secondary school teachers to ensure they can dedicate their full focus to the classroom.
Addressing the National Parliament during the Prime Minister’s Question Hour, the premier emphasized that true national development lies in human resource investment, not just infrastructure.
"During the previous authoritarian regime, the focus was solely on erecting buildings, with no regard for developing human resources," the Prime Minister said. "If we cannot provide our primary and secondary teachers with proper training—and more importantly, ensure their salaries are sufficient—we cannot expect quality outcomes from them."
Responding to a supplementary question from Cumilla-4 MP Hasnat Abdullah, the Prime Minister acknowledged the harsh reality many teachers face today. He noted that many educators are forced to seek second jobs, such as farming or other labor, simply to make ends meet after school hours.
"We want our teachers to be free from the burden of seeking additional work so they can invest their time and intellect entirely into our students," he added.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s commitment to the education sector, confirming that 2 percent of the GDP has been allocated to education in the current national budget.
Support for primary students: In response to another question from MP Shammi Akhter, the Prime Minister unveiled a plan to provide school uniforms and bags to students across the country.
"We have taken a phased plan to provide school uniforms and bags to children from class one to five," the premier said. He assured the House that the government aims to reach all students across the country's nearly 65,000 government primary schools, benefiting approximately 1.2 crore children.
Boosting exports to China: Regarding the potential for agricultural exports, the Prime Minister shared his optimism about exporting jackfruit to China. He noted that during his recent state visit, a formal agreement was signed to facilitate this trade.
Drawing a comparison to regional success stories, the Prime Minister mentioned his discussion with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. "The Malaysian Prime Minister told me that they export $1 billion worth of durian—a fruit similar in appearance to our jackfruit—to China every year," he said. "If they can achieve that, I am confident we can do the same with our jackfruit and earn significant foreign currency."
The parliamentary session, chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, began at 3:00 PM. During the thirty-minute question-and-answer segment, the Prime Minister responded to four starred questions and nine supplementary questions from various lawmakers.
