The Anti-Corruption Commission has placed several recommendations before the Primary and Mass Education Ministry demanding urgent steps to remove corruption, irregularities, and mismanagement in the education sector to ensure a congenial learning environment for students.
ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmud paid a surprise visit to five primary and secondary schools in Chittagong on January 27 where he found most of the teachers absent.
Two separate letters with recommendations, signed by ACC Secretary Shamsul Arefin, were sent to the Secretary of Primary and Mass Education Ministry and to the Director General of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE) division to take immediate action for making educational institutions free of irregularities and mismanagement, ACC Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya confirmed this to the Dhaka Tribune on Monday.
A 15 page inspection report was prepared based on Commission Chairman Iqbal Mahmud's findings at the schools during inspection.
In the letter, the ACC said it is essential to take urgent initiatives to bring back a proper environment to the education sector by removing the irregularities, corruption, mismanagement, and disorder.
During inspection, 09 out of 11 teachers were found absent at Kattali Nurul Haque Chowdhury Government Primary School. Two out of 11 teachers in Bhatari Government Primary School were absent.
Also, the school’s attendance register showed students present when they were actually absent.
The commission also said that Abul Kalam Azad, head teacher of Shitalpur High School in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong, was found absent.
27 students of one or two disciplines of 9th class also passed 10th grade by paying Tk2000 per person while teachers are not coming to school regularly.
Students are being deprived of an education through promotion and teachers are being unethical without actually teaching the students.
The ACC is particularly concerned about such mismanagement in schools all over Bangladesh and thus recommended the actions, it said.
