M M Jasim :
After three months of the ACC’s recommendation, the Education Ministry is yet to take any action against 522 teachers involved with coaching business in the capital.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) recommended transfer of 522 teachers of 24 government schools, saying they have been making money through private coaching centres for decades.
Those teachers have been working in the same institutions for 10 to 33 years, contrary to the law that the teachers must be transferred once in every three years.
Those working for more than five years should be transferred to schools outside the capital city and to other schools in the city in case of their stay in the same schools for more than three years, the ACC recommend.
It also found political influence, lobbying and unethical financial transactions as reasons behind the teachers’ remaining in the same institutions.
The Ministry sources said, most of the teachers allegedly involved in coaching are the spouses of top officials of the government. Even, some of them are influential officials of the Education Ministry.
An official of the Ministry wishing anonymity told The New Nation that the alleged teachers’ relatives are powerful. They influence the ministry not for taking any action against the teachers.
Chowdhury Mufad Ahmed, Additional Secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division (Secondary-1) of the Education Ministry, said, “The Ministry is evaluating the allegations of the ACC against the teachers. We will take action if any irregularity is found.”
“The ACC did not mention any name of the coaching center where the teachers are doing coaching. That is why we cannot take action immediately,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Headmasters and some teachers of the 24 schools have said that the teachers involved in coaching move in the schools rampantly. They do not follow the instruction of the schools. And even, they threat the Headmasters saying that they have power to transfer anyone outside the capital.
Headmistress of Tejgaon Government High School Rebeka Sultana said, few teachers of her schools do not take classes regularly for years. Some of them pass their time through gossiping.
“I have asked them several times to attend the classes properly. But they do not follow my instruction as their husbands are very powerful. The teachers also threatened me of transferring,” she said.
She also requested the Ministry to break the syndicate in the greater interest of the Education Sector.
