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Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury

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Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury
মহিবুল হাসান চৌধুরী
Nowfel in 2023
Minister of Education
In office
11 January 2024 – 6 August 2024
Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina
Preceded byDipu Moni
Succeeded byWahiduddin Mahmud (as adviser)
Member of Parliament
In office
3 January 2019 – 6 August 2024
Preceded byZiauddin Ahmed Bablu
Succeeded byMohammad Abu Sufian
ConstituencyChittagong-9
Deputy Minister of Education
In office
7 January 2019 – 10 January 2024
Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina
Personal details
Born (1983-07-26) 26 July 1983 (age 42)
Chattogram, Bangladesh
PartyBangladesh Awami League
Spouse
Emma Clare Burton
​
(m. 2007)​
Parents
NicknameNowfel

Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, commonly known as Nowfel Chowdhoury, (born July 26, 1983) is a politician affiliated with Bangladesh Awami League and a former Member of the Jatiya Sangsad from the constituency of Chittagong-9. He first served as Deputy Minister and was later appointed as the Minister of Education in the Fourth and Fifth Hasina Cabinets, respectively.[1][2] Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina he left Bangladesh and has since been living in exile in India.[3][4][5] He is the eldest son of A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhoury, former mayor of Chattogram City Corporation.

He has been accused by interim government led by Muhammad Yunus of involvement in the July massacre during the 2024 Student-People's uprising, and later International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh issued an arrest warrant against him.[6][7][8][9]

Early life and education

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Chowdhoury was born on 26 July 1983 into the family of former Chattogram City Corporation Mayor A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhoury and Shaheda Mohiuddin. He completed his schooling in Bangladesh before pursuing higher education abroad, earning a joint bachelor's degree in Law and Anthropology from the London School of Economics (LSE) and completing the Bar Vocational Course at the University of Law.[2] Mohibul was enrolled at the University of Bath as a Professional Doctorate candidate in 2023.[10]

He was a member of Awami League's Chittagong City executive committee from 2012 to 2016 and was later promoted as an organising secretary of Awami League Central Executive Committee.[11]

Career

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Chowdhoury, as the Minister of Education, submitting the statistics report of the Secondary School Certificate examination result to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in May 2024

Chowdhoury was elected to the Jatiya Sangsad in 2018 general election from Chittagong-9 as a Bangladesh Awami League candidate.[12] He was appointed as the deputy minister of education in the 4th cabinet of Sheikh Hasina.[13] From 2016 to 2019, Chowdhoury held the position of Organising Secretary of the Awami League's Central Committee. During his tenure in the secretarial body, he helped win the Narayanganj City Corporation election in 2016 which was the first city election with direct political party nomination in Bangladesh. He was one of the youngest organising secretaries of Awami League and was credited for managing the party in important districts such as Gazipur, Faridpur, Kishoreganj, Shariatpur, Gopalganj, etc. which districts are considered Awami League heartlands.[14] On 25 June 2018, he apologized to Bangladesh Election Commission for violating electoral code of conduct by participating in election campaign in Gazipur City Corporation as an outsider.[15][16]

Prior to his appointment to the Cabinet, he spent nine years practicing law as a member of both the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar and the Dhaka Bar Association. On 27 December 2019, he was removed from central executive committee of Awami League as part of the party's strategy to separate the government from the party.[17]

Policy initiatives

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Chowdhoury, along with Muhammad Zafar Iqbal⁠, distributes prizes at the Bangladesh Robotics Olympiad 2022.

On 9 April 2021, Chowdhoury said that the Bangladesh government might reconsider and cancel recognition of the highest degree from the Qwami Madrassa Board if the teaching of extreme religious interpretation is not regulated and basic academic standards are not met.[18]

At the UNESCO World Conference on Culture and Arts Education held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury, Bangladesh’s Minister of Education, highlighted the role of technology in advancing education sector, and the importance of data sovereignty, arguing that governments must have access to data generated by their citizens to design effective education policies and leverage artificial intelligence for addressing learning gaps. Chowdhoury also called for stronger collaboration between governments and global technology companies to ensure responsible use of AI, warning that without such cooperation, digital transformation could reinforce existing inequalities and cultural imbalances.[19][non-primary source needed]

The Ministry of Education in Bangladesh was in the process of rolling out a TVET and STEAM based school curriculum to achieve the newly promoted political and economic objective of "Smart Bangladesh". Regarding the new curriculum, when he was Deputy Minister of Education, he stated that there is a need to promote reading habits, implement continuous assessment methods, and integrate essential soft skills and vocational education skills. Therefore, conventional memory-based, public exam-based assessments should be discarded, and new curriculum should be implemented.[20]

One of the controversy in the proposed new curriculum was inclusion of third gender rights, reproductive health and mandatory science and maths education for all up to the age of 16. Staunchly secularist Mohibul defended inclusion of contents promoting rights of third gender and transgender people in textbooks after facing intense criticism from religious and political groups.[21] After protests about the inclusion of transgender Sharif's story in textbooks, Mohibul emphasised the importance of acknowledging legally recognised third gender community in society and ensuring that students are aware of this aspect of society. He had commented that this is just a rights issue of a gender minority but the conservative elements are trying to politicise the matter.[22]

Conservative religious leaders and pro Islamist academics have joined to remove educational contents seen as un-Islamic and demanded release of university teacher Asif Mahtab who protested inclusion of third gender/transgender contents in textbooks.[23] Religious and right wing political parties along with some academics have demanded revision of the new curriculam as Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country. The new Education Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud of the 2024 interim government of Bangladesh, following ouster of Mohibul as Education Minister and the entire government of Sheikh Hasina, have decided to scrap the new curriculum in favour of the old curriculum of 2012.[24]

Controversies

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Quota reform protest and student politics

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Following clashes between quota reform protesters and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League at the University of Dhaka on 15 July 2024, Chowdhoury faced criticism for failing to maintain a peaceful campus environment, and ensure the safety of students.[25][26] During the July–August protests, he ordered the closure of schools, colleges, universities, and residential halls nationwide, stating that the measure was intended to reduce tensions and prevent further clashes.[27][28][29][30]

Chowdhoury has been implicated in a murder case related to the death of a college student, Tanvir Siddiqui, during quota reform protests in Chittagong.[31] The case, filed by the victim's uncle, accuses Chowdhoury, along with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 32 others, of orchestrating an attack on peaceful protesters on 18 July 2024.[32] During the protest, unidentified assailants allegedly attacked students with firearms and other weapons, resulting in Tanvir being shot and later dying in the hospital.[33]

Mohibul has repeatedly distanced himself from any criminal or violent acts carried out in his or his late father's name and has warned that those involved in such activities will face academic and legal consequences.[34]

In February 2023, Avijit Das, a Chhatra League cadre/activist and a medical student along with his fellow students who were alleged to be unverified followers of Mohibul tortured 4 students of Chittagong Medical College to the extent that 2 of them were admitted in ICU.[35] Avijit admitted of 'quizzing' them only but journalists have found them in critical condition with marks all over the body. Mohibul never condoned the act, nor did he take any action despite being the education minister.[36][37] Following this incident Mohibul has condoned and criticized all criminal acts done using his or his political party's name in either the Chittagong Medical College or in any other institution and called for impartial investigation against all alleged criminals.[38]

Allegation of involvement in a counterfeit cigarette business

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Following the fall of the Hasina government, when Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury had gone into exile and was unable to respond to allegations, The Daily Star published a report citing a National Board of Revenue (NBR) investigation. The report alleged that Chowdhoury had profited from a tobacco business that may have embezzled funds from Premier University and produced illegal or counterfeit tobacco products worth crores of taka.[39] On August 20, 2024, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to Chowdhoury and his family members.[40] The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) later alleged that it had found evidence of more than Tk 211.20 crore in suspicious transactions across multiple bank accounts linked to him, indicating that he had accumulated significant wealth beyond his known sources of income.[41] On January 20, 2025, a Dhaka court ordered the seizure of his tax records following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.[42]

Premier University takeover

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Premier University, established between 2001 and 2002 by the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), was funded and developed by the corporation, including land acquisition and operational support.[43][44] Over time, allegations emerged that former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhoury and later his family, including his son Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury, assumed control of the university exercising political influence and through a trustee board largely composed of family members and acquaintances, including money launderer S. Alam.[45][46] CCC challenged this control in court; however, in 2017 the High Court ruled in favour of the family, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) did not file an appeal, allowing the arrangement to continue.[46] During Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury's tenure as deputy education minister, his influence over the institution reportedly increased.[47] Following the fall of the Awami League government, Chowdhoury went into exile in India and CCC renewed its claim over the university. With new leadership in both CCC and UGC, legal steps were taken to challenge the earlier verdict, and on 24 December 2024, the Appellate Division's Chamber Judge stayed the previous legal position, effectively restoring CCC's authority over the university.[48]

References

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  1. ^ "Bangladesh wakes up to new uncertain future after PM Sheikh Hasina's dramatic resignation". BBC News. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Mohibul Hosain Chowdhury new education minister". The Business Standard. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ Hasan, Md Mahmudul (19 September 2024). "Several Awami League leaders abroad". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  4. ^ যেভাবে ভারতে পালিয়ে যান শামীম ওসমান ও নওফেল. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  5. ^ "দিল্লিতে আবারও প্রকাশ্যে আওয়ামী লীগ নেতারা, বাজানো হল শেখ হাসিনার অডিও বার্তা". BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 24 January 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  6. ^ "3 more ICT cases filed against Hasina". The Daily Star. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Arrest warrants against Nowfel, AJM Nasir". The Daily Star. 26 March 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  8. ^ "ICT issues arrest warrant for Nowfel, Hasan Mahmud, Nasir over Chattogram killings". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  9. ^ bdnews24.com. "July Uprising: Chargesheet filed against Hasan, Nowfel, Javed over killing of shoe shop employee". Chargesheet filed against Hasan, Nowfel, Javed over July Uprising. Retrieved 16 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Professional Doctorate students at the IPR". bath.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  11. ^ "নওফেল সাংগঠনিক সম্পাদক হওয়ায় মিষ্টি বিতরণ". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 26 October 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Chattogram-9 - Constituency detail of Bangladesh General Election 2018". The Daily Star. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Oldest minister MA Mannan, youngest Nowfel". Dhaka Tribune. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Nowfel will continue to fulfill the expectations" (in Bengali). ekushey-tv.com. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  15. ^ "Noufel apologises to EC for violating poll code". The Daily Star. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  16. ^ "AL leaders break code in Gazipur, one says sorry". The Daily Star. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  17. ^ "9 ministers dropped from AL committee". The Daily Star. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Govt may reconsider recognition of top Qawmi degree: Deputy education minister". The Daily Star. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  19. ^ Bedirian, Razmig. "Tech companies must work with global governments to make AI work for all, ministers say". The National. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  20. ^ "New Curriculum will help build Smart Bangladesh". The Business Standard. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Education Minister talks about concerns over transgender issue". Shomoy TV. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  22. ^ "Sharifa's story: Rumours being spread for political gain". Shomoy TV. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Sheikh Ahmadullah seeks teacher Asif Mahtab's release". Shomoy TV. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  24. ^ "Will return to old curriculum as far as possible: education adviser". The Daily Star. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Education Minister Was Supposed to Protect Students. His Men Killed Them". Netra News — নেত্র নিউজ. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  26. ^ "Chhatra League takes control of DU campus after clashes". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  27. ^ "Minister: Current situation not conducive to reopening universities". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  28. ^ "Minister: No situation to reopen educational institutions right now". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  29. ^ "DU announces indefinite closure, asks students to vacate halls | News Flash". BSS. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  30. ^ "Countrywide 'complete shutdown' Thursday: Quota protest coordinator". The Business Standard. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  31. ^ "Hasina, Quader, Nowfel sued for student and teacher murder in Ctg, Bogura". The Business Standard. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Hasina, Nowfel, 32 others sued over killing of HSC examinee in Ctg". The Daily Star. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Sheikh Hasina, Nowfel, 32 others sued in murder case". Prothom Alo. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  34. ^ চবিতে ছাত্রলীগের অবরোধ প্রত্যাহার (in Bengali). Deutsche Welle. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Tortured CMCH student Sakib would run family with tuition money". Prothom Alo. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  36. ^ ডাক্তারি পড়তে এসে ছাত্র পেটায় ওরা. Samakal (in Bengali). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  37. ^ "4 students 'tortured' in CMC, 2 admitted to ICU". The Daily Star. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  38. ^ "E-Dainik Purbokone" কারো অপরাধের দায় নেবেন না নওফেল. Daily Purbokone (in Bengali). Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  39. ^ "Nowfel gained from illegal tobacco trade". The Daily Star. 23 December 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  40. ^ "Banks ordered to freeze accounts of Nowfel, family members". The Business Standard. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  41. ^ "ACC sues former education minister over alleged illegal wealth". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  42. ^ "Court orders seizure of tax files of Nowfel, wife". The Financial Express. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  43. ^ চৌধুরী, সুজন ঘোষ,সুজয় (20 September 2024). "শিক্ষামন্ত্রী হয়ে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় দখল". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 20 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  44. ^ "Free Premier University from 'control of Nowfel's family', return ownership to CCC: Students". The Business Standard. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  45. ^ jagonews24.com. "আদালতকে উপেক্ষা করে প্রিমিয়ার বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় দখলে নেন নওফেল". jagonews24.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ a b "How Ctg City Corpn lost control of Premier University to Mohiuddin family". The Business Standard. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  47. ^ Ghose, Sujoy Chowdhury,Sujan (20 September 2024). "Premier University: Education minister's forceful takeover". Prothomalo. Retrieved 20 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ bdnews24.com. "প্রিমিয়ার ইউনিভার্সিটিতে নতুন ট্রাস্টি বোর্ড". প্রিমিয়ার ইউনিভার্সিটিতে নতুন ট্রাস্টি বোর্ড. Retrieved 20 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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