Capital’s 15 top schools under ACC scanner

Capital’s 15 well known primary and secondary schools are facing inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Commission over alleged corruption and other irregularities in student enrolment.
The schools include, Motijheel Government Boys’ High School, Ideal School and College, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Willes Little Flower School and College, Udayan Higher Secondary School, Government Laboratory High School, Holy Cross Girls’ High School, Dhanmondi Government Boys’ High School, Mohammadpur Preparatory High School, Saint Joseph Higher Secondary School, Dhaka Residential Model College, Azimpur Government Girls’ School and College, Agrani Girls’ School and College, Monipur High School and College and Rajuk Uttara Model School and College.
An ACC director general told New Age Sunday that these schools had been requested to furnish information about their enrolment procedures and how many seats had fallen vacant this year by January 12. 
He said that these schools were informed in letters that the ACC received specific complaints of corruption and other irregularities over student enrollment against them. 
He said that the ACC instituted a two-member inquiry led by its director Meer Joynul Abdin Shibli into the allegations.
He said that the inquiry team sent the letters to the principals or head teachers of the schools. 
He said that the ACC was holding the inquiries under Section-17(Ta) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004.
He said that the ACC had already identified at least four methods applied by these schools in making money while enrolling students. 
The methods used included enrolling students in excess of vacant seats, charging hefty admission fees flouting government’s instructions besides pocketing bribes and donations. 
He said that the admission fees became hefty as the schools charged fees under heads like mandatory coaching, holding milad mehfils, mosque construction, payment of fourth class employees’ salaries and for welfare fund.
Last year, parents took to the streets in protest against hefty admission fees charged by many schools, notably Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Willes Little Flower School and College and Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary School. 
An education ministry directive in January 2016 prohibited schools from collecting heft tuition and other fees.
The Secondary and High Education Directorate’s probes last year found seven schools in the capital had increased their tuition fees by 11 to 100 per cent, said an education ministry joint secretary.
On January 9, 2012, the High Court asked the government to explain why it would not take action against the schools found collecting hefty fees from students.
The court gave the order after hearing a writ petition filed by the Campaign for Popular Education Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury and the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust deputy director Farida Yasmin.
The petitioners drew the court’s attention to the fact that all the private schools in the capital were charging heft fees ranging from Tk8,000 to Tk25,000, flouting the government’s guidelines.
Asked to comment about the ACC move, Transparency International 
Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that it might help 
people get relief from paying hefty sums to get their children admitted to schools.
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