News Desk :
The government is extending the coverage of its monthly pay order, or MPO, scheme to a new set of 2,716 educational institutions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced.
Hasina asked Education Minister Dipu Moni to take necessary steps in this regard on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com
The move highlights the government’s commitment to bolstering the country’s education sector, she said while virtually inaugurating the ‘Sheikh Kamal IT Business Incubator’ and ‘Sheikh Jamal and Rosy Jamal Dormitory’ at the Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology.
“Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said that spending on education is not an expenditure but an investment. That’s why we never look at the costs related to education as an expenditure and always take necessary measures to improve the sector.”
Primary schools in Bangladesh were brought under government management after independence by Bangabandhu. The Awami League government has also nationalised around 36,000 schools since taking power, according to Hasina.
The authorities always take into account the quality of education, number of students, exam results and student participation in exams before they bring an educational institution under the MPO scheme, she said.
“We try to ensure that the teachers and staff receive their salaries from the government even if the institution isn’t nationalised.”
Through the MPO programme, the government pays the salaries and allowances of teachers and staff in private education institutions. An institution can come under the MPO coverage when its staff is qualified enough to get the benefit from the government.
The staff in an educational institution under the MPO scheme receive salaries in accordance with the government pay scale.
Under the MPO scheme the government pays 100 per cent of the basic salaries to the teachers of non-government institutions.
The PM made the announcement while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of country’s first campus-based business incubator ‘Sheikh Kamal IT Business Incubator’ at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) through video links from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Among the new MPO beneficiaries are 666 lower secondary schools, 1122 secondary
schools, 136 higher secondary schools, 109 higher secondary colleges and 18 degree colleges.
The new MPO list also includes some 665 educational institutions under the vocational and madrassa education board.
These are 97 SSC vocational or Dakhil vocational, 200 SSC business management and technology, two diploma in agriculture, 264 Dakhil Madrassa, 85 Alerm Madrassa, six Farazi Madrassa and 11 Kamil Madrassa.
Along with unveiling the Sheikh Kamal Business Incubator the PM also inaugurated Sheikh Jamal Dormitory and Rosy Jamal Dormitory.
