Non-govt Primary Schools
Govt goes for nationalisation
Process starts in January with MPO-listed schools; to be completed in three phases
The government is going to nationalise all the 26,284 non-government primary schools in the country in three phases starting on January 1 next year.
The jobs of 1,05,345 teachers of these schools will also be nationalised.
Implementation of the plan will require around Tk 1,308 crore a year, according to a draft policy formulated by the government.
In the first phase, 22, 981 schools which are already getting Monthly Pay Order (MPO) of the government will be nationalised.
The schools that are not on the MPO list will be nationalised in the second phase beginning on July 1 next year, and the third phase starting on July 2014.
MPO entitles the teachers of non-government primary schools to basic salary just as those of government schools, Tk 200 as house rent and Tk 200 as medical allowance.
Five categories of these schools — those having permanent or temporary registration, or approval, community schools, and government-funded NGO-run schools — will be nationalised in the second phase. Their number is 2,252.
Nationalisation of the remaining 1,051 schools, which either have approval or are awaiting approval, will take place in the third phase.
Once nationalised, teachers of these schools will get the same salaries and benefits as in the government primary schools.
Meanwhile, formulation of the policy followed a long drawn agitation of teachers of the non-government schools for nationalisation of their jobs and their institutions.
On May 27, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured of meeting their demand, and directed the primary and mass education ministry to draft a policy to this end.
The ministry then formed a committee that prepared the draft policy and submitted it recently.
A summary of it will be sent to the prime minister soon for her opinion.
In 1973, the government first nationalised 36,165 primary schools. Later, 1,507 schools were nationalised at different times.
At present, there are more than 85,000 government and non-government primary schools in the country.
Contacted, Abul Kalam Azad, additional secretary, who headed the government-formed committee, said, “After getting the prime minister’s opinion, the draft policy will be finalised. And she will announce the nationalisation plan at a teacher’s rally soon.”
-With The Daily Star input
