Despite strong criticism from students, teachers and parents ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasian led government introduced a new curriculum, and allocated money for the scheme “Dissemination of New Curriculum”.
Though teachers were not trained in that curriculum, the scheme directors spent 828 crore and 34 lakh taka! “The money spent on expanding the curriculum has been looted in various ways,” education officials allege.
According to the allegations, the controversial education curriculum was canceled after the dictator Hasina fled the country. But the scheme director Professor Syed Mahfuz Ali has now arranged to spend another thousand and 80 crore taka in the name of curriculum expansion.
Those concerned say that even though the 2012 curriculum has returned to the education system, the arrangement of spending nearly a thousand crore taka on the basis of expanding that curriculum is nothing but loot. While the name of this scheme was “Dissemination of New Curriculum” during the Awami League regime, the scheme has now been strategically named “Dissemination of National Curriculum”.
The revised draft of the scheme has mentioned the training of district-level trainers, upazila-level trainers, secondary-level school-college-madrasa teachers, education officers, record keepers, regional officers and others.
Apart from this, a large amount of money has also been spent on residential training. In addition, a proposal has been made to spend a large amount of money on various sectors including residential orientation of officials of the Ministry of Education, the Directorate of Education and others concerned.
It is alleged that the scheme director Mahfuz Ali and others concerned have spent money in collusion with close people according to their whims in the name of expanding the canceled curriculum.
This scheme of sharing was stopped after the fall of the autocratic government. However, the controversial director Mahfuz Ali remains in office, maintaining closeness with officials of the ministry.
Although he is employed as a teacher in a government college, he has spent a large part of his working life in the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB). After a long service career, he was transferred to a college, but he lobbied through an influential leader of the Awami League at the time to get the post of director of this scheme.
After the cancellation of the previous curriculum, 12 officers and seven employees of this scheme now have no work. Therefore, many do not even stay in the office. However, the government is spending lakhs of taka every month on their salaries and allowances. Academics have demanded that these officials be posted in government colleges.
Chairman of the Teachers and Employees Oikya Jote and Organizing Secretary of BNP, Principal Md Salim Bhuiyan said that crores of taka was looted in the name of expansion of the controversial curriculum that was introduced during the Awami League-led government.
Even though the curriculum was canceled, the curriculum scheme director remained in his post, which is unacceptable, the teachers’ leader added. He said that it is sad that many involved in the looting during the Awami era have not been removed yet.
After spending 828 crore taka in the name of controversial education curriculum expansion, the scheme director, Professor Syed Mahfuz Ali, who proposed to spend another thousand crore taka under the new name of the scheme, said, when there is a government, the instructions of that government have to be followed.
During the previous government's tenure, 7 lakh teachers were trained. He said, even though the curriculum was canceled, the training did not go in vain. He claimed that a new curriculum will start in education from 2026. The scheme has been designed taking into account what that curriculum will be like. There is no scope for wastage or embezzlement of money here.
Education adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud told Bangladesh Pratidin, there are many allegations of wastage and looting of money in the name of expansion of the new curriculum. The money spent will be investigated. And there is no scope for increasing the expenditure on the curriculum again.
Translated by Afsar Munna
