Secondary and Higher Education Division
Profile
- Head
- Abdul Khaleque
- Role
- Secretary
- Annual budget
- ৳475,630,000,000
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 2016
- Legal basis
- Cabinet Division Notification dated 30 November 2016; S.R.O No. 359-Law/2016 dated 1 December 2016 amending Schedule I of the Rules of Business, 1996 (Government of Bangladesh), bifurcating the Ministry of Education into SHED and the Technical and Madrasa Education Division.
Executing the BNP government's 12-point education reform agenda through concurrent VC replacement across 19+ public universities since March 2026 and structural exam reform (uniform HSC question papers, full syllabus restoration, NCTB stream reversion), while facing sustained campus unrest at DUET and Barishal University over politically disputed appointments.
Recent activity
- 2026-03-03 appointment Abdul Khaleque appointed Secretary of SHED on a one-year contractual basis, replacing the previous secretary, as part of a simultaneous reshuffle of secretaries across four ministries. ↗↗
- 2026-03-15 appointment SHED issued notifications appointing new VCs to 8 public universities including Dhaka, Chittagong, and Rajshahi without election-panel procedures, drawing criticism from educators and opposition parties over political patronage concerns. ↗↗
- 2026-04-10 reform NCTB confirmed the 2026 secondary curriculum revision: academic streams (science, commerce, humanities) restored for grades 9-10, replacing the 2022 unified-stream model; revised SSC syllabus and mark distribution published; new textbooks to incorporate July 2024 uprising history. ↗↗
- 2026-04-28 controversy Barishal University faculty declared VC Mohammad Toufiq Alam 'unwanted' and enforced full academic shutdown over unresolved promotion dispute and teacher shortages; SHED sought resolution through ministerial intervention. ↗
- 2026-05-14 appointment SHED issued a single notification appointing new VCs to 11 public universities: Barishal University, Cumilla University, Islamic University, Kazi Nazrul Islam University, BUET (Prof Ekramul Haque, 16th VC), DUET (Prof Mohammad Iqbal from SUST), Jamalpur University of Science and Technology, Mawlana Bhashani University of Science and Technology, Noakhali University of Science and Technology, Pabna University of Science and Technology, and Rangamati University of Science and Technology. ↗↗↗
- 2026-05-15 controversy DUET students blocked the Dhaka-Shimultoli road, declared the new VC 'unwelcome', and clashed with police; at least 12 students were injured and police fired tear gas and rubber bullets; students demanded that the VC be appointed from DUET's own senior faculty. ↗↗
- 2026-05-15 reform HSC 2026 examinations confirmed to use uniform question papers across all nine general education boards nationwide, a first in Bangladesh; SSC retains board-specific question sets; full syllabus (no short syllabus) restored post-COVID; exams scheduled to begin 2 July 2026. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
SHED was carved out of the Ministry of Education on 30 November 2016 alongside the Technical and Madrasa Education Division (TMED). Secretary Abdul Khaleque, appointed 3 March 2026 on a one-year contractual basis, is the administrative head; political oversight rests with Minister A. N. M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon, who holds concurrent charge of both Ministry of Education and Ministry of Primary and Mass Education since 17 February 2026. The FY2025-26 budget figure (475,630,000,000 BDT = Tk 47,563 crore) is SHED's own grant (Grant No. 22 / 125) and excludes TMED. The May 14 VC batch brings total university leadership replacements under the BNP government to 19+ in under three months, continuing the pattern of appointments from outside university panels that has been a consistent flash-point across successive governments. NCTB stream restoration (science/commerce/humanities in grades 9-10) reverses the unified-stream policy introduced under the Awami League-era 2022 curriculum reform.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_and_Higher_Education_Division
- https://shed.gov.bd/
- https://shed.gov.bd/pages/officers/
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/365663
- https://www.dainikshiksha.com/en/news/new-secretaries-appointed-to-four-ministries-364301
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/382930/allocation-for-secondary-and-higher-education
- https://mof.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/mof.portal.gov.bd/budget_mof/bf0f4b5d_8c75_4453_9330_00a92a9f896a/125_SHED_English.pdf
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/education/govt-appoints-new-vcs-11-public-universities-1439556
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/Country/299740/bangladesh-govt-appoints-new-vcs-in-11-public-univs
- https://bdnews24.com/education/1574fb188b55
- https://en.prothomalo.com/youth/education/f4q2r52lof
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/11-universities-get-new-vcs-4176151
- https://www.daily-sun.com/sun-campus/875244/12-injured-in-duet-clash-over-new-vc-appointment
- https://www.thedailystar.net/campus/news/protest-over-new-duet-vc-turns-violent-gazipur-4177691
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/yet-another-unelected-vc-set-take-du-helm-4115016
- https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/partisan-selection-vcs-concerning-4131871
- https://english.thedailycampus.com/college/2244
- https://nctb.gov.bd/pages/static-pages/6922dff5933eb65569e24d31
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/education/251141/national-curriculum-to-see-more-change
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/barishal-university-comes-standstill-teachers-declare-vc-unwanted-1436011
- https://www.bssnews.net/national-budget-2025-2026/279410
- https://www.chea.org/international-directory/secondary-and-higher-education-division-ministry-education