After the change in the political landscape, the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus came and started a massive reshuffle in the education administration. They appointed BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami officials to the top positions of various departments.
However, the instability in the education administration did not end with this. The officials in charge are getting involved in rivalry to establish dominance in their respective departments.
In this situation, the Ministry of Education is taking a tough stance to restore discipline.
Ministry officials say that as part of bringing discipline, four top officials of two departments were removed last Thursday. Among them is an influential BNP official. Action will be taken against anyone who is causing chaos in the future if such allegations are received.
It is learned that after August 5, some officials have become reckless in establishing their authority in the department by trading transfers. They are causing chaos by claiming that they were Chhatra Dal members during their student life. Due to this, there have been massive reshuffles in several other departments including the Education Board. A responsible official of the ministry has hinted at more major changes in the coming week.
An additional secretary told that top positions in various departments are being reshuffled by removing officials from the previous government. But the rivalry between themselves in several departments has reached a serious level. To maintain discipline, the top four officials of two departments have been removed. All of them were posted after August 5. Apart from this, the same decision will be made for those who show corruption or inefficiency.
When asked, Joint Secretary (Colleges) of the Ministry of Education Md. Nuruzzaman told Daily Industry that there are various allegations of breach of discipline against those who have been transferred. It will not be allowed to happen that the administration will be run as before in the new Bangladesh. More tough decisions may come in the future.
DIA director could not last 3-month due to internal conflicts and disputes
After the fall of the Awami government, Professor Kazi Qayyum Shishir was appointed as the director of the Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) as the first appointment from the nationalist panel of the education administration. Less than three months later, this 14th BCS officer was transferred to Mominunnisa Government Women’s College in Mymensingh on Thursday.
He was transferred for protecting and sheltering Awami League officials in his office, behaving indecently with the General Secretary of the Officers Club and behaving disrespectfully with the officials of the administration cadre. He was trying to build a ring to get posts in the education cadre and his office in exchange for money. This strict decision was taken against him after these issues came to the attention of the ministry.
The conflict between this influential official of the education cadre and the joint director of the same office Md. Abu Al Kaiser began two months ago. On August 4, a day before the fall of Sheikh Hasina, some Awami League officials shouted slogans calling former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia a murderer at the Education Bhaban. Several of them were DIA officials. Although these DIA officials were given show cause notices, no action was taken against Qayyum Shishir. In this case, the accused officials are alleged to have transacted a large amount of money.
There are further allegations against Qayyum Shishir, that he is sending six of the accused to inspect various schools and colleges while keeping them in custody. This is basically the beginning of the conflict between the two.
DIA sources say that last week, the director sent six people who were ‘slogans’ to inspect educational institutions in different regions. However, the joint director forbade them from sending them. This led to a second round of conflict. In the meantime, a team went to Cox’s Bazar and faced the wrath of the public.
An additional secretary of the ministry said that a competition started among them over who would maintain dominance in the DIA. They got into a conflict over many internal decisions. The director was transferred to protect the department from this confrontation.
When asked, Director Professor Kazi Qayyum Shishir told Daily Industry, not only the DIA, but many people in the Education Building raised slogans on August 4. Other departments did not take action against anyone. If I had taken action now, there would have been criticism.
Regarding the conflict with the joint director, he said, the department is a very technical department. New people who come in do not understand any work at first. That is why I wanted to form a team by combining old and new officers. But he did not want that.
Recently, Director Qayyum was also temporarily suspended from the membership of the Dhaka Officers Club. It is known that he was suspended for misconduct, failure to pay the club’s dues and violating the rules of the constitution.
It is known that he was an influential official in the education administration when the BNP was in power. He spent most of the 16 years of the Awami League outside Dhaka. He was last in a college in Kurigram. The Awami League government harassed him by filing various complaints against him, including departmental cases.
Top 3 officials of Department of Education and Engineering were removed
After August 5, Raihan Badsha was appointed as the chief engineer of the Department of Education and Engineering. Along with him, the head office’s supervising engineer Afroza Begum and Sameer Kumar Rajak Das were posted. All three have been removed on charges of corruption and inefficiency.
Raihan Badsha is accused of covering up corruption in at least 116 educational institutions in Sylhet. It was also alleged that he forcibly sent the executive engineer of Sylhet on indefinite leave to hide the corruption.
And Sameer Kumar Rajak Das is accused of not being in the office regularly and harassing contractors by withholding documents and drawings-designs.
Reshuffle in Education Board
Several posts have been changed in some branches of Dhaka Education Board. Kazi Faizur Rahman, who was on OSD in Mausi, has been made the school inspector of the board. Previous school inspector Abul Mansur Bhuyan has been transferred to Chittagong. Secondary examination controller Rafiqul Islam has been sent to Rajbari. Zakir Hossain, who was attached to Dhaka Udyan College, has been posted in his place. College branch deputy inspector Kalyani Nandi has been made OSD and Sana Ullah of Comilla Victoria College has been posted in her place. Deputy examination controller Zakir Hossain has been transferred to Dinajpur Phulbari College. Nurul Haque, who was NC2 at Eden Women’s College, has been posted in his place. Khan Khalilur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of the Administration and Establishment Branch, has been sent to Faridpur. Imdad Zahid, Associate Professor of Dhaka Alia Madrasa, has been posted in his place. Rubel Hossain, Research Officer of NCTB, has been posted as Audit Officer of Jessore Education Board. Niamat Elahi, Sub-Examination Controller of the same board, has been transferred. Khurshid Alam Mallick, Audit Officer of Jessore Board, has been promoted one step and made Sub-Examination Controller of the same board.
Similarly, Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Hossain Majumder, Associate Professor of Chauddagram Government College, has been posted as Sub-College Inspector of Comilla Education Board. Golam Mohiuddin has become the Sub-Secondary Inspector of the same board.
Besides, the government has given new principals to 11 government colleges in the country and deputy principals to three colleges. Officials from the college branch of the Ministry of Education have said that there will be more major reshuffles in 11 education boards soon.
