Evidence of cronyism in almost all appointments was rife in the last five years. The government awarded recognition to Dawra degree under Kawmi madrasa, though it was ignorant of the number of institutions, curriculum and terms of study.

Teachers from all levels faced appalling torture, some were even killed, beaten up and became the target of frequent threats.

Analysts say the immediate past government actually fanned the poorly performing madrasas serving mostly the poor and proprietary English medium schools serving the elites. These were the potent symbols of the divisive system of the society during its tenure.

PRIMARY EDUCATION
A steady progress of enrolment (now 90.4 percent, which was 80.1 percent earlier) at primary schools and reduction in gap between gross and net enrolment and dropout rate (1.7 percent) were witnessed. But the government virtually failed to ensure quality primary education.

A recent study by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) shows at least two out of three are growing up into adulthood without learning basic literacy and numeric skills. The UNESCO in November 2004 released its monitoring report where Bangladesh was ranked at 106 of the 127 countries.

In a bid to ensure quality education, two projects -- the Second Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-2) and Reaching Out of School Children (ROSC) -- were undertaken. Sources said the projects might not succeed due to mismanagement and misappropriation of funds.

In most cases, 'business strategy' and tender manipulation of the ruling party men were hampering the progress. In Netrakona, followers of a high-flying state minister grabbed the tender and were caught red-handed by the community-monitoring group.

Besides, the government employed NGOs, which were earlier blacklisted for massive anomalies, in exchange of huge bucks. These NGOs were responsible for the failure of Directorate of Non-formal Education Programme (DNFE).

There are widespread allegations against appointments of teachers having political affiliation.

Sources said 'lobbying' was the greatest problem; sometimes the list was larger than the candidates. The government made four-party 'selection committees' for viva that included deputy commissioners, district education officers, teachers from government high schools and a 'high profile' personality. In most cases, the political personality directed the appointments.

Questions were raised over stipend distribution, where the political representative of the school management committee in alliance with corrupt officials tried not to cite the enrolled children.

SECONDARY EDUCATION
Massive change violating regulations:
As soon as the BNP-led four-party alliance assumed office, an unprecedented appointment process took place. The education ministry called an interview through which the principals of lucrative colleges were transferred.

Ignoring the 'selection grade', Dilara Hafiz, wife of Maj (retd), Hafizuddin got appointment at Eden College, Moriyam Begum, wife of former LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan at Dhaka College on contractual basis, Shaheda Obayed at Titumir College, and Lutfunnahar Nizam, sister of Sarwar Nizam, at Badrunnesa College.

Prof Dilara after the Eden College turmoil got promotion with bags of denouncement from all quarters. She became the NCTB chairman and later the DG of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Directorate.

During her term, she had frequent visits abroad. She allegedly snatched another tour to Canada from the DG of Directorate of Primary and Mass Education during October 13-25.

UNI-TRACK HOAX
Keeping all the 82 recommendations of Moniruzzaman Miah Education Commission in the moratorium, the government at the fourth year of its tenure played a hoax with the nation behind the placard of 'uni-track' education.

Safeguarding madrasas and English medium institutions, students of 14,552 schools under the seven general education boards were brought to a test.

Project Director Bashirul Haque then admitted a huge loss -- Tk 133 crore for construction of school buildings, Tk 68 crore for consultations, Tk 22 crore for equipment, furniture and vehicles, Tk 180 crore for women stipend, Tk 16 crore for human resources development and survey, Tk 57 crore for salaries and Tk 15 crore for training teachers and officials. But he later claimed the total expenditure for uni-track system was no more than Tk 32 crore.

The initiative was taken to bring mainstream students one step down and upgrade madrasa education; emphasis was given on religious studies but not on mathematics.

National Curriculum and Text Book (NTCB) Board Chairman Ahsanul Kabir blatantly supported the move and slated eminent academicians for opposing it.

The textbooks underwent distortion, which according to the NCTB chairman was nothing but 'adoption from the ministries of information and liberation war'.

Though the managing committee was supposed to monitor the proceedings of a school, a government directive for selecting members after the consent of the local MP or a political personality has taken the process away from community choice.

Former BNP lawmakers Nasiruddin Pintu is the chief of management committees of 16 schools and colleges, SA Khaleque is involved with five and Salahuddin with nine educational institutions.

Gross anomalies in connection with stipend distribution among the girl students were rife. Reports show 32.4 percent students had to pay Tk 40 each and the total amount of money from such drive stands at Tk 3.42 crore.

On the other hand, 22 percent of the girl students had to pay Tk 45 each or Tk 2.57 crore in total for getting the stipend.

Over 2,000 teachers and employees were fired illegally, including Principal Hamida Ali of Viqarunnisa Noon School & College, Principal Shyamoli Nasreen of Udayan School and College and Principal Kazi Faruq Ahmed of Sheikh Burhanuddin College.

On the other hand, pro-ruling party teachers were promoted. At a city college, a principal was appointed on the recommendation of Giasuddinal- Mamun, leaping 21 posts at a time.

The government filed 8,000 cases against teachers for their support to opposition or launching movements for their rights. At one point on August 16, police charged batons on teachers leaving seven injured.

Tk 376 crore of the education ministry and Tk 9 crore of the department of primary and mass education were left idle and returned in the last fiscal year. But the non-government teachers were not paid according to their demand, meeting of which was an election pledge of the BNP.

EDUCATION BOARDS
Secondary and higher secondary education boards became the pasture of crooked fellows. The network of 'procurer nexus' became as strong as ever.

A board official said there was not a single day they did not get phone calls for registration of schools and colleges that failed to meet government requirements.

From 2003 the government started distributing computers to schools, colleges, madrasas and vocational training institutions. As many as 1,506 computers were distributed till then.

Sources said the board authorities were under pressure at the fag end of the government. This year 523 computers were distributed and more are in the pipeline.

MADRASA EDUCATION
Though people across the country voiced concern over militants' links with madrasa education, the government paid no heed to it.

As many as 1,582 madrasas were established across the country during 2001-2005, while the numbers of new schools and colleges are 580 and 619. Newly set up Kawmi madrasas was kept out if this list.

The economic review 2005 shows the number of general educational institutions, which receive government funds, has increased 9.74 percent against a 22.22 percent growth of madrasas from 2001 to 2005.

The picture was different during the 1996-2001 rule of Awami League-led government. The number of general educational institutions rose by 28 percent while madrasas by 17 percent then.

Educationists believe madrasas have negligible contributions to creating skilled human resources in the country. Still these institutions received an average 11.5 percent of the total education budget in the last few years.

The government also announced recognition of Dawra degree under Kawmi madrasas equivalent to Master's degree.

With no knowledge of the Bangladesh constitution and very little of Bangla, English and mathematics up to class V, Kawmi students are now getting the licence to go for jobs with the mainstream students.

Sources said Kawmi madrasa leaders with Fazlul Haque Amini at the front launched a demonstration and submitted a memorandum to the then prime minister last year.

A committee was formed which proposed the recommendation to be forwarded to the University Grants Commission. But UGC officials said there was no such paper at the office.

Alaullah Wasel, press secretary of Islami Oikya Jote said, they have attached the Pakistan UGC recommendations. He however failed to confirm whether the recognition came after the Pakistan UGC paper. The prime minister had said, "The recognition was announced after an overall review."

ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOLS & PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
In the last five years, the country experienced a boost in English medium schools and private universities.

Forty institutions were established during the period and now the number of English medium schools in the city stands at 60. Of them, 22 are in Dhanmondi Residential Area and six more will be launched here soon.

Ataur Rahman Khan, school inspector for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, admitted that there is no standard in monitoring these.

Sources said a recently formed committee recommended establishment of Bangladesh English medium education board. The committee also suggested "an international curriculum for the students of English medium schools".

The number of private universities now stands at 54. Students of Stamford University, Darul Ihsan University and Asian University-Uttara staged demonstrations to press home their demands for recognition, proper facilities and a ban on mass admission.

A high-up of the University Grants Commission speaking anonymously said there are limitations in the monitoring system.

"Firstly, the officials were ordered not to talk to media, and secondly, the education minister himself is dissatisfied with the standard of private universities."

But he expressed the hope that the situation will be improved soon, though registration of six universities has been cancelled already.

Meanwhile, on October 19, registration of five universities was cancelled. Another university, named Green University, was excepted because the proprietor is a relative of former Jamaat lawmaker Delwar Hossain Saidee.

Public Service Commission
In addition to appointments of professionals allegedly with political affiliation, question leaks in three consecutive general BCS examinations -- 24th, 25th and 27th -- made the PSC controversial.

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
The public universities lost credibility for unchecked nepotism. Political affiliation rather than quality has become the norm for appointment at the universities.

The BNP-Jamaat coalition started its journey through violating the University Autonomy Act, 1973. All vice chancellors of the public universities were changed overnight.

Not even a single university escaped the vile grip of cronyism and politicisation. Without the recommendation of the Coordination and Development (C&D) committee, over a dozen teachers were appointed in several departments including chemistry, sociology, soil, water and environment, law, geography, marketing, pharmaceutical chemistry, computer science, English, population science and in Institute of Fine Arts recently.

Official sources said the current Dhaka University authorities have appointed 100 officers and more than 600 lower grade employees in recent years. Allegations are rife that almost all of these employees were appointed either on political or parochial consideration.

The scenario is almost the same at other public universities. People took to street against the appointments of 544 employees at the university administration. On October 20, a white paper on irregularities was unwrapped.

Sources said 85 percent appointments at Chittagong University were made on political grounds. The teachers' association against this backdrop filed a public interest litigation case which is still pending.

Rajshahi University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology passed a volatile period.

RU Shibir activists aided by authorities unleashed a rein of terror on the campus. On October 14, the authorities ordered to vacate all dormitories fearing Shibir cadres might not restore their hold on the halls during the caretaker government's tenure.

Apart from these institutions, gross anomalies occurred at the Open University and National University as well.

TIB REPORT
Transparency International, Bangladesh termed it one of the most corrupted sectors.

Of the 18 sub-sectors, the TIB found incidence of corruption at 14 sub-sectors. Huge amount of money was drained out through abuse of power, bribe, grabbing money, fraudulence, nepotism, irresponsibility in performing duties, realising money forcefully, threatening, and irregularity in government purchase.

In these cases of corruption, the government officials were found guilty in 45.23 percent cases, and 49.19 percent were not brought to trial.

Even a member of parliamentary standing committee, Shah Shahid Sarwar, on the 20th meeting on 'government pledges' explained his experience with Education Engineering Directorate as 'mysterious' and pointed finger at the institution for all sorts of embezzlement.

SENSE OF INSECURITY
Professor Aftab Ahmed of Dhaka University was shot at his Fuller Road house and succumbed to injuries. No-one was arrested in this connection.

An RU employee regretted to The Daily Star, "During the Liberation War Pakistani junta established a concentration camp at the Shamsujjoha Hall. Now Shibir is playing the same role. This hall has become the base camp of Shibir on the campus.

The deaths of Prof Yunus and Prof Taher remain as the epitome of brutality. Yet Shibir leader Salehi, main accused in the Taher killing case, boastfully moved around the campus. In the mean time, another professor of RU and eminent litterateur Hasan Azizul Haque received death threats.

Earlier in 2004 during Ekushey Boi Mela, Humayun Azad was chopped on the Mela premises. Popular writer Prof Zafar Iqbal has become the target of killers and got frequent threats from an evil quarter.

Besides, police atrocity at the female hall of Dhaka university on July 23, 2002 and keeping the investigation report at the moratorium reminded people of an eerie darkness.

HASTY ALLOCATION
The government hastily allocated money in three projects just 12 days before its tenure expired.

To upgrade quality and infrastructure of the universities, Tk 194 crore, to develop registered non-government primary school (third phase) Tk 814 crore, and to renovate and reconstruct PEDP-2 project Tk 1,182 crore were allocated.