Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan has said the government will not cut corners when it comes to ensuring teachers’ benefits despite the country’s limited resources.

He said the government would give due importance to the welfare of teachers and their legitimate demands, while also ensuring their professional freedom and dignity.

The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion marking National Teachers’ Day 2026 at the Palash Upazila Multipurpose Auditorium in Narsingdi on Tuesday (October 6).

Regarding the demand for nationalisation of teachers’ jobs, Dr Moin Khan said, “I am also a teacher myself. So, I fully agree with your demands.” However, he noted that nationalisation would turn teachers into government employees and bring issues such as transfers and administrative responsibilities. He urged teachers to consider the long-term implications of the demand.

Recalling the history of government support for teachers, the minister said most secondary schools in Bangladesh were privately run after independence, with support from individuals and philanthropists. Government assistance for teachers’ salaries and allowances gradually increased over time.

He said then President Ziaur Rahman in 1980 decided to provide government funding equivalent to 50 percent of the salaries of teachers at private schools. In 1991, the government of then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia formed an education commission in response to demands for increased salaries and allowances. Based on the commission’s recommendations, government support for teachers’ salaries was further increased.

Dr Moin Khan said the government began providing 100 percent of the salaries of private-school teachers in 2001, bringing a large number of teachers at non-government secondary schools under government assistance.

Referring to women’s education, he said when Begum Khaleda Zia was prime minister around 35 years ago, free education for girls was introduced up to Class VIII and later extended to Class X. This significantly increased girls’ participation in educational institutions, he said.

Addressing teachers, the minister said their responsibility is more important than that of ordinary government officials because teachers shape the country’s younger generation. He urged them to understand the importance of professional freedom, dignity and responsibility and contribute to nation-building.

Citing developed countries, he said a nation’s real strength does not depend solely on military capability or economic resources. A strong education system and knowledge-based society are key to building a country’s long-term strength.

Advocate Roksana Khandkar, chairperson of Khan Foundation and The Millennium University, attended the event as a special guest. The programme was chaired by Palash Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ishtiaq Ahmed.