The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission has so far identified quite a few retired officials of the Education Department involved in corruption and irregularities over enlisting educational institutions for Monthly Payment Order (MPO).

A special team constituted to look into corruption and irregularities in the Education Ministry has so far detected six former officials at deputy director and assistant director levels and others who were allegedly involved in malpractice relating to MPO, sources told UNB.

The team, which is now concentrating on the MPO-related corruption, has already questioned a couple of retired officials in this regard, as a purge against pervasive corruption has been underway since last year's changeover in the corridors of power.

The Anti-Corruption Commission team is facing difficulty in finding the addresses of these officials, who used to work in MPO-related matters. The addresses of two ex-officials, who were questioned, were found while the addresses of others were yet to be traced.

"The MPO-related issue is vast. The team is looking for the people involved. They have been able to trace some of them. Even, the Education Department can't provide us the addresses of the officials," an ACC official said.

"It seems the team itself will have to trace those people. It will take some time," the official added.

Meanwhile, the special ACC team has detected corruption and irregularities in some of the educational institutions, including a few renowned schools in the capital.

According to sources, as part of the investigations, the special team sought documents from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Motijheel Ideal School and College, Lalmatia Women's College, Titumir College, Borhan Uddin College, Barisal BM College and Pirojpur Suhrawardy College.

The documents were asked for looking into financial irregularities, mismanagement, appointment of principals, teachers and employees and irregularities in student admission, sarcastically called 'education commerce'.

There have been allegations of intake of lower-caliber students through underhand dealings screening out meritorious students in the name of viva after their qualifying in written test for class one at some reputed schools.

Browsing the documents received from the educational institutions, the team has found malpractice relating to MPO, appointment, student admission and mismanagement, sources said.

In phases, other institutions about which there are complaints would be asked to furnish the documents, they added.

Earlier at the beginning of their activities in mid-May, the special team had collected MPO-related documents from the Education Ministry and unearthed significant irregularities.