Junior schools get priority in MPO

The government yesterday listed 1,022 new non-government secondary and higher secondary educational institutions for receiving its monthly pay order (MPO) facilities.
The list of schools, colleges, technical institutions and madrasas, which came six years after the annual scheme had been suspended, was posted on the education ministry website (www.moedu.gov.bd) around 4:00am yesterday.
The ministry gave priority to junior schools while preparing the list.
Of the 1,022 institutions, 228 are junior schools, 204 secondary schools, 14 institutions having both school and college sections, 50 higher secondary colleges, 18 degree colleges, 163 dakhil madrasas, 27 alim madrasas, six fazil madrasas, 151 vocational institutions and 161 business management colleges.
Teachers and employees appointed in these institutions as per rules will receive full basic salaries and other benefits from the government from January 1 this year, said an official handout.
Education ministry sources, however, said the ministry will first scrutinise the appointments of these teachers and employees.
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education will carry out the next steps for implementing the MPO.
The government allocated Tk 112.35 crore for MPO for this fiscal year.
More deserving institutions will be brought under the scheme within two-three months depending on allocation in the upcoming budget, said an official handout.
Directives of a high-powered committee, the finance ministry, an inter-ministerial committee and the Prime Minister's Office were strictly followed while selecting the new institutions for MPO. The education minister monitored the whole procedure, it said.
The government provides the financial support to private educational institutions to help them run the institutions smoothly.
Around 26,340 educational institutions including 2,386 colleges, 15,515 secondary schools, 7,344 madrasas and 1,095 technical institutes are currently receiving MPO facilities.
The annual listing of educational institutions for receiving MPO facilities was suspended in 2004 in the wake of massive corruption and irregularities in the process.
The teachers and employees of private institutions have been facing financial difficulties since then.
Soon after the Awami League assumed power, its lawmakers in parliament raised the demand for immediate resumption of MPO.
In June last year, the government formed a committee to devise a policy for the MPO and set some criteria for MPO enlistment.
To finalise the new list, ministry officials had to work till night outside the ministry to avoid the pressure of lobbying by ruling party lawmakers and influential leaders for including institutions of their choice in the list.
Over 7,000 educational institutions applied this year for being included in the list.