Jamaat chief pledges better education, tax cuts and social security if elected

Jamaat-e-Islami has outlined an ambitious development agenda it says it will pursue if the party is given power in the next parliament, with Shafiqur Rahman pledging sweeping reforms across education, health, jobs, welfare and governance.

On Tuesday, Ameer Shafiqur presented the party’s election commitments before an audience of foreign ambassadors, senior political leaders, intellectuals, editors, journalist leaders, researchers and professionals.

The pledges were unveiled at the daylong Policy Summit 2026, held from 9am at the InterContinental Dhaka, where Shafiqur delivered the opening address.

Jamaat’s plans also include youth development, anti-corruption measures and the revival of closed industrial units.

Among the headline promises was the establishment of what Jamaat described as the “world’s largest women’s university” by merging Eden Mohila College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College, and home economics college.

Shafiqur Rahman said 100 students would be given interest-free education loans each year to study at top global universities, including Harvard, MIT, Oxford and Cambridge, ensuring that talented students from poor families are not left behind.

He also pledged to upgrade major colleges under the National University into full-fledged universities and to make all public recruitment strictly merit-based.

Jamaat, once a partner in the BNP-led four-party alliance government, has emerged as a major contender in the elections.

In the absence of the Awami League, which was ousted following the July Uprising, Jamaat is contesting as part of a 10-party alliance that includes the youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP).

Reiterating a promise of “zero tolerance for corruption”, Shafiqur said tax and VAT rates would be gradually reduced, with long-term targets set at 19 percent for tax and 10 percent for VAT.

He announced plans for a “smart social security card” combining NID, TIN, health and social services.

He pledged that gas, electricity and water charges for industries would not be increased for three years, that closed factories would be reopened under public–private partnerships with 10 percent ownership allocated to workers, and that farmers would receive interest-free loans.

Jamaat also promised interest-free monthly loans of up to Tk 10,000 for up to two years for 500,000 young people until they secure jobs after graduation, alongside similar education loans for 100,000 students.

Free healthcare was pledged for those aged over 60 and under 5, with 64 specialised hospitals to be built nationwide. Under a “First Thousand Days Programme”, maternal and child nutrition from pregnancy to age two would be brought under social protection.

The party also pledged to form a new ministry for skilled manpower and job placement, train 10 million youths in market-oriented skills within five years, set up youth tech labs in every Upazila, and ensure access to 5 million jobs through district-level job youth banks.