The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A special team of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) formed to look into corruption in the education sector has unearthed significant irregularities in the inclusion of educational institutions on the issue of monthly payment order (MPO).

The ACC Director General (Admin), Col Hanif Iqbal said yesterday at the Commission's regular briefing that as part of its job, the special team constituted to unearth organisational corruption, has collected documents from the Education Ministry relating to inclusion of educational institutions in MPO.

The team is now going through the files and documents to find out possible serious irregularities, he added.

He informed that the team as per requirement would compare the documents with those stored in the department that deals with the MPO. "Significant irregularities in MPO inclusion have so far been primarily revealed," he said.

The director general further said the Education Ministry has already cancelled some MPO-inclusion orders due to the irregularities.

He said the audit reports on the institutions about which complaints have been lodged with the Commission about mismanagement and financial irregularities or widely publicised have been gathered from the audit department. "The work to collect documents from concerned institutions is still on."

Hanif, also the ACC spokesperson, said the special team has so far contacted or planned to contact Viquarunnisa Noon School and College, Motijheel Ideal School and College, Lalmatia Women College, Titumir College and Borhan Uddin College for looking into financial irregularities, mismanagement, appointment of principals, teachers and employees and irregularities in student admission. "Everyday, new educational institutions are being included in the list."

The ACC director general reminded that private universities and schools are also within the purview of the special team.

Responding to a question, he said the special team would also investigate the allegations of irregularities made against educational institutions in the past.