Lesson 2/23 min
The coalition & the Education Movement
1956: the coalition government
- On 12 September 1956 a coalition of the Awami League and the Republican Party took office at the centre
- Prime Minister: Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
- In the 1956 coalition cabinet Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was Minister for Industries and Commerce (Labour was also in his portfolio)
1962: the Education Movement
- Cause: the Sharif Commission's report on education, which narrowed access to schooling
- On 17 September 1962 Waziullah, Mostafa and Babul were killed when a student procession was fired on
- 17 September is observed as ‘Education Day’
- It was the first major popular movement against Ayub Khan's rule
Memory trick: In the United Front ministry (1954) Sheikh Mujib held Agriculture and Co-operatives; in the coalition cabinet (1956) Industries and Commerce. Read the year to pick the portfolio.
Check yourself
On which date is Education Day?
At a glance
- 1
On 12 September 1956 a coalition government took office at the centre under Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.
- 2
In the 1956 coalition cabinet Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was Minister for Industries and Commerce.
- 3
The 1962 Education Movement was a protest against the Sharif Commission's report.
- 4
17 September is Education Day; Waziullah, Mostafa and Babul were killed that day.