Bangladesh's interim government has abolished the positions of music and physical education teachers in government-run primary schools, bowing to persistent pressure from Islamist groups who condemned the project as "un-Islamic". 

The move represents a stark reversal of earlier plans announced by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus' government to encourage cultural education alongside religious and academic pursuits, News18 reports.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education announced the change on Monday, adding that the new recruitment guidelines will eliminate positions for assistant teachers of music and physical education. 

“Although the rules issued last August had four categories of posts, two categories have been included in the amendment. The posts of assistant teachers for music and physical education are not in the new rules," said ministry official Masud Akhtar Khan.

The decision comes after months of protests by Islamist groups, which described the plan as part of an "anti-Islamic agenda". 

Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlish, and Hefazat-e-Islam held protests against the government's plans to incorporate music and dance into basic school.

The Yunus-led interim government's turnaround comes amid mounting allegations that it has catered to religious extremists. Islamist groups, who were once restricted under deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have grown in confidence and are advocating an increasingly hardline agenda.