The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission is going to look into corruption and irregularities in the country's private universities soon.

"A special team already constituted by the ACC to investigate corruption in the education sector will start looking into corruption and irregularities in private universities," a competent source told UNB.

The source said the special ACC team, headed by deputy director Syed Iqbal Hossain, would soon start investigating corruption and irregularities in some of the private universities.

The team would look into irregularities in student admission and also see whether the private universities are run as per the relevant government rules and regulations.

Apart from press reports, many complaints are being lodged with the anti-graft watchdog by members of the public about irregularities in private universities.

"The special team can investigate any corruption and irregularity in the education sector as it wants. It doesn't need to depend on complaints or reports," the sources said.

The source added that the head of the special team would soon go to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to know about the findings of the investigations already carried out by the UGC into the irregularities of private universities.

According to the source, the team would soon start investigating corruption, irregularities and financial mismanagement in different projects undertaken by the Education Directorate.

Meanwhile, the ACC team has primarily revealed significant irregularities in inclusion of educational institutions in the Monthly Payment Order (MPO). ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told a Commission's regular briefing Thursday that the team has collected from the Education Ministry the documents relating to inclusion of educational institutions in the MPO.

Examining the files and documents, the team is finding out possible serious irregularities, he said.

Hanif, also the ACC spokesperson, said the special team has so far contacted or planned to contact Viquarunnissa 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 irregularity relating to students admission.