The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is scheduled to make a formal announcement today on the nationalisation of 26,200 non-government registered primary schools for
further development of elementary education.
Primary and mass education ministry officials said that of the 1,04,000 teachers of the schools, whose jobs would also be nationalised, 21,522 did not have required educational qualification.
The primary and mass education minister, Afsarul Amin, at a press conference on Tuesday said that the prime minister was going
to make a formal announcement on the nationalisation of non-government primary schools at a teachers’ rally at the National Parade Ground today.
Ministry officials, meanwhile, said that the government decision on job nationalisation would cover 21,522 non-government primary school teachers who fell short of minimum required qualification – a secondary school certificate or equivalent in second division.
Afsarul Amin told New Age that the jobs of teachers would be nationalised under the rules [of Primary Schools (Taking Over) Act 1974]. ‘We will check the certificates of teachers, if needed,’ he said.
At the press conference, he said the government was ready to nationalise all 26,200 registered non-government primary schools in three phases beginning on January 1.
A total of 22,981 MPO-enlisted registered schools, 388 permanently registered, 361 temporarily registered, 720 with teaching permission, 653 non-MPO community schools, 130 NGO-run schools, 151 schools recommended for teaching permission and 809 schools waiting for teaching permission, will be nationalised, he said.
Jobs of about 1,04,000 teachers of these schools will also be nationalised, he said.
The minister said that in the first phase, 22,981 schools already on the monthly pay order would be nationalised and 91,024 teachers of these schools would get benefit as government school teachers from January 1.
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.
A total of 2,252 schools and jobs of 7,025 teachers of those schools, that are yet to be on the monthly pay order but having permanent or temporary registration, or approval, community schools, and government-funded NGO-run schools will be nationalised in the second phase beginning on July 1.
Nationalisation of the remaining 960 schools and jobs of 3,796 teachers of those schools, either having or waiting for approval, will take place in the third phase, beginning on January 1, 2014.
The primary and mass education secretary, MM Neazuddin, said that kindergartens, schools run by different agencies, primary schools attached to high schools, would remain out of nationalisation.
Primary and mass education state minister Motahar Hossain also attended the press conference.
After the nationalisation of the schools, the teachers will get the same salaries and benefits as teachers of government primary schools do.
A nationalised government primary school teacher is entitled to a monthly entry level basic salary of Tk 4,700, house rent allowance, medical allowance, tiffin allowance, rest and recreation allowance, yearly increment, and timescale and pension.
An additional Tk 691 crore would be needed for the nationalisation process.
The government move comes in the wake of a prolonged movement by non-government school teachers since 1991.
On May 27, Sheikh Hasina assured the teachers of meeting their demand and directed the primary and mass education ministry to draft a policy.
The ministry then set up a committee that worked out the draft and submitted it in July, 2012. It was sent to the Prime Minister’s Office and approved.
In 1973, the government first nationalised 36,165 primary schools. Later, 1,507 more schools were nationalised at different time.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics, there are about 79,000 government and non-government and different types primary schools in the country; of them, 37,672, are government primary schools.
Courtesy of New Age
