The government has planned to appoint 11,880 sports teachers across the country's upazilas, with three teachers for each of eight sporting disciplines in every upazila, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque told Parliament on Monday.

The government is also planning to appoint one upazila sports officer in each of the country's 495 upazilas.

The state minister disclosed the plans while replying to a question from reserved-seat MP Newaz Halima Arly during the question-and-answer session in Parliament.

He said the Youth and Sports Ministry would appoint 495 upazila sports officers, while the Primary and Mass Education Ministry would take steps to recruit 24 sports teachers in each upazila, three for each of eight sporting disciplines.

He added that the process of taking necessary measures to expedite the recruitment of sports teachers was underway.

Replying to a question from reserved-seat MP Mosammat Nazmun Nahar, Aminul Haque said the Department of Youth Development had not conducted any survey to determine the number of unemployed young people.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data, the total number of unemployed people in the country is around 2.6 million, he said.

In response to a question from MP Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, the state minister said a feasibility study was underway for a project to develop one playground in each union across the country.

Work on developing the playgrounds would begin after the project receives approval, he added.

Replying to a question from Mardiya Momtaz, Aminul Haque said a five-member committee formed to investigate the question paper leak at the Department of Youth Development had submitted its report.

The report had been sent to intelligence agencies, and their investigation was continuing, he said.

Several members of an organised group suspected of involvement in the question paper leak had already been arrested, the state minister added.

Meanwhile, responding to a question from reserved-seat MP Sabikun Nahar, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, minister in charge of the President's Office in Parliament, said 41 of the 101 approved posts in the Public Division of the President's Office were vacant.

He said 99 of the 238 approved posts in the President's Secretariat's own division were also vacant.