HPM Sheikh Hasina announces 2,730 educational institutions brought under MPO scheme

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced the list of 2,730 educational institutions brought under the monthly pay order (MPO) scheme asking their authorities to properly maintain the guidelines of the system.

“You’ve been brought under the MPO scheme as you’ve fulfilled the guidelines as per the policy in this regard. So, it’s now your responsibility to retain these guidelines,” she said.

The premier added: “If any institution fails to maintain these guidelines, its MPO will be cancelled immediately.”

The prime minister disclosed the names of the newly-enlisted educational institutions under the MPO scheme at a function at her official residence Ganabhaban on Wednesday afternoon.

Sheikh Hasina also directed the newly-enlisted educational institutions to maintain quality of education. “We’ll get salary and there is no need of providing education as MPO has been included — this thinking and mentality will have to be discarded,” she said.

Of the 2,730 institutions, 439 institutions are lower secondary schools, 995 are secondary schools, 93 are colleges, 56 are degree colleges, 557 are madrasas and 522 are technical educational institutions.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni also spoke at the function, while Deputy Minister for Education Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel was present on the dais.

Senior Secretary of Secondary and Higher Secondary Division Md Sohrab Hossain conducted the function, also attended by the members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Education.

About the educational institutions which remain out of the MPO, the prime minister said they should fulfill the relevant guidelines. “We’ll continue bringing the institutions under the MPO after scrutiny,” she said.

About the demand of the teachers for inclusion of their educational institutions under the MPO, Sheikh Hasina said the government is working to this end on the basis of a policy as it gives priority to education.

“The quality of education will have to be maintained and an institution be established at such a place where it is needed. Due to setting up institutions here and there, the standard of education is not up to the mark,” she said.

The prime minister said schools will have to be established considering the population and the number of students of the relevant area so that the quality of education is ensured.

Sheikh Hasina said her government made the highest allocation for the education sector as no nation could reach its desired goal without education.

“Our aim is to build a hunger-and-poverty-free developed and prosperous Bangladesh and we think an educated nation could only build a hunger-and-poverty-free country,” she said.

The prime minister said her government is working tirelessly for the development of education in the country following the path showed by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “Bangabandhu had given the highest priority to education and he made primary education compulsory and free in the constitution,” she said.

The prime minister said the Father of the Nation nationalised 36,165 primary schools and jobs of 1,57,724 teachers after independence.

“Following his footprint, our government in 2010 nationalized 26,193 primary schools and jobs of their one lakh three thousand teachers,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said a nation could be developed and prosperous if its education is better and proper from the primary level. “To this end, Bangabandhu had constituted an education commission headed by eminent scientist Dr Qudrat-e-Khuda,” she said.

The prime minister said her government, after assuming office in 2009, constituted an education commission and framed an education policy, the first of its kind in independence Bangladesh. “We’re now implementing the policy,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government modernised education and equipped it with science and technology. “We’re setting up multimedia classrooms in every school,” she added.

The prime minister said her government has also given importance to technical education so that students can get job after completing their studies. “We’ve made arrangements for awarding certificates to the Qaumi Madrasa students,” she said.

The prime minister extended her sincere thanks to all involved in the MPO process, saying a long-cherished demand of the teachers and others was fulfilled through it.

Terming the teachers as architects of building human beings, Sheikh Hasina hoped that they will perform their responsibilities in this regard properly.

“Our expectation is that the standard of education is improved … and we could build hunger- and-poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Bangabandhu,” she said.

With the announcement of the prime minister, the long wait for thousands of teachers and employees of non-government educational institutions for the MPO facilities has ended.

The MPO scheme will be effective from July this year, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni told a press briefing at the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI) at Segunbagicha in the city yesterday.

“From now on, qualified institutions will be brought under the MPO system every year,” she said, adding a total of 1,624 educational institutions were brought under the MPO scheme in 2010.