M M Jasim :
The government is going to cancel Monthly Pay Order (MPO) of at least 26 schools due to zero percent pass rate in the Secondary School Certificate Examination- 2018.
These educational institutions will be shut down next year if their pass rate remains unchanged, Education Ministry sources said.
They said, the list of the institutions has been filed up and the ministry will issue a notice soon in this regard.
The numbers of zero percent pass rate institutions – seven schools and 19 madrasas – are MPO listed. The government took the decision to cancel their MPO. And the Ministry will also cancel the approval of 77 madrasas and 9 schools (not MPO listed) due to their zero percent pass rate.
Sources said, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid recently held a meeting with the chairmen of all boards. The Minister ordered the chairmen to take stern action, including cancellation of MPO and shutting down the zero pass rate institutions. As per the Minister’s direction the boards’ chairmen made a list of the zero pass rate institutions.
Chairman of Dhaka Education Board Professor Muhammad Ziaul Haque told The New Nation that the boards sent show-cause letters to the zero pass rate institutions. “The answer of the show-cause letters was not satisfactory. That’s why we have sent the answer sheets to the Education Ministry to take further action,” he said.
Joint Secretary (Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Division) of the Education Ministry Salma Jahan said, “We have received the respective boards’ letters over zero pass rates. The Ministry is now investigating the matter.
“I think the MPO of the zero pass rate institutions should be cancelled as early as possible. But it will not be illogical if the government shut down these institutions,” she said.
