M M Jasim :
Amid criticism, the Education Ministry hinted of taking action against extra fee charging schools to bring transparency in the education sector.
wThe ministry sent letters to the schools’ authorities not to take additional fees from the students in the name of development of the institutions.
The ministry also formed six monitoring committees to oversee the overall activities of the city’s non-government educational institutions.
The committees have been asked to submit their findings to the ministry before February 28.
The officials of the Education Ministry and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE) have been included in the committees.
Additional Secretary of the ministry Dr Aruna Biswas will lead the first committee for schools in Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Paltan and Shahbagh areas.
Team Two, led by Additional Secretary Chowdhury Mufat Ahmed would monitor the institutions located in Sutrapur, Kotwali, Lalbag, Kamrangirchar, New Market and Ramna areas.
Joint Secretary Salma Jahan will oversee the educational institutions situated in Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Adabar, Tejgaon, and
Cantonment and Gulshan areas.
Additional Secretary of the ministry Abdullah Al Hasan Chowdhury would oversee Uttarkhan, Dakshinkhan, Uttara, Bimanbandar, Turag and Shah Ali areas’ institutions.
The institutions of Mirpur, Pallabi, Shah Ali and Darussalam areas will be judged by the Additional Secretary Ruhi Rahman.
Aminul Islam Khan will lead the sixth monitoring team and will collect information of Jatrabari, Demra, Kadamtali, Badda and Khilgaon areas schools.
AKM Mostafa Kamal, Deputy Secretary (Secondary) of the DSHE, told The New Nation, “If we receive any allegation, action would be taken against the guilty institution,” he said.
The ministry and the DSHE sources said the monitoring teams have been formed to examine the allegations brought against the non-government educational institutions charging admission and other fees indiscriminately at the beginning of the year.
They said the teams would closely monitor the educational institutions and submit their recommendations. The ministry would later take stern action against the authorities of the educational institutions, the sources said.
On August 9 last year, the education ministry issued a circular fixing the ceiling for increasing school fees in the non-government educational institutions by not more than 30 per cent under any circumstances.
It also said that no extra establishment cost, mentioned in the admissions policy, could be realised as session charges and development fees from students.
The government fixed the ceiling of tuition fees in order to curb the unnecessary hike of fees by 50 to 100 per cent by some unscrupulous educational institutions under the pretext of the hike in the salaries of public servants in 2015.
The circular also said the educational authorities will discuss with the guardians about increasing the fees in accordance with their capacity, but the increase should not be more than 30 per cent.
If the authorities of a school find that they have a deficit of funds to run their institution and want to realise the money from students, they would have to send their recommendations to the district education officer in this respect.
Amid criticism, the Education Ministry hinted of taking action against extra fee charging schools to bring transparency in the education sector.
wThe ministry sent letters to the schools’ authorities not to take additional fees from the students in the name of development of the institutions.
The ministry also formed six monitoring committees to oversee the overall activities of the city’s non-government educational institutions.
The committees have been asked to submit their findings to the ministry before February 28.
The officials of the Education Ministry and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE) have been included in the committees.
Additional Secretary of the ministry Dr Aruna Biswas will lead the first committee for schools in Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Paltan and Shahbagh areas.
Team Two, led by Additional Secretary Chowdhury Mufat Ahmed would monitor the institutions located in Sutrapur, Kotwali, Lalbag, Kamrangirchar, New Market and Ramna areas.
Joint Secretary Salma Jahan will oversee the educational institutions situated in Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Adabar, Tejgaon, and
Cantonment and Gulshan areas.
Additional Secretary of the ministry Abdullah Al Hasan Chowdhury would oversee Uttarkhan, Dakshinkhan, Uttara, Bimanbandar, Turag and Shah Ali areas’ institutions.
The institutions of Mirpur, Pallabi, Shah Ali and Darussalam areas will be judged by the Additional Secretary Ruhi Rahman.
Aminul Islam Khan will lead the sixth monitoring team and will collect information of Jatrabari, Demra, Kadamtali, Badda and Khilgaon areas schools.
AKM Mostafa Kamal, Deputy Secretary (Secondary) of the DSHE, told The New Nation, “If we receive any allegation, action would be taken against the guilty institution,” he said.
The ministry and the DSHE sources said the monitoring teams have been formed to examine the allegations brought against the non-government educational institutions charging admission and other fees indiscriminately at the beginning of the year.
They said the teams would closely monitor the educational institutions and submit their recommendations. The ministry would later take stern action against the authorities of the educational institutions, the sources said.
On August 9 last year, the education ministry issued a circular fixing the ceiling for increasing school fees in the non-government educational institutions by not more than 30 per cent under any circumstances.
It also said that no extra establishment cost, mentioned in the admissions policy, could be realised as session charges and development fees from students.
The government fixed the ceiling of tuition fees in order to curb the unnecessary hike of fees by 50 to 100 per cent by some unscrupulous educational institutions under the pretext of the hike in the salaries of public servants in 2015.
The circular also said the educational authorities will discuss with the guardians about increasing the fees in accordance with their capacity, but the increase should not be more than 30 per cent.
If the authorities of a school find that they have a deficit of funds to run their institution and want to realise the money from students, they would have to send their recommendations to the district education officer in this respect.
