Govt goes again for MPO revision

The government is again revising the list of non-government secondary educational institutions qualified for monthly pay order (MPO) facilities.
This is the second time that the MPO list has been put on hold.
On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the education ministry to review the revised list prepared by her adviser Dr Alauddin Ahmed, said ministry sources.
Her instructions came after many lawmakers of the ruling Awami League had complained that the new list too has institutions founded by controversial leaders of BNP and Jamaat.
The aggrieved lawmakers pointed out to her that while these institutions have been included, the schools, colleges and madrasas they patronise have been left out.
As the ministry began reviewing the list yesterday morning, the ruling party lawmakers and leaders set about intense lobbying for the institutions of their choice.
Talking to The Daily Star in the afternoon, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the prime minister had asked him to sort out immediately whatever problems there might be on the list.
His ministry published the first MPO list on May 6. But the prime minister assigned her adviser Dr Alauddin Ahmed to revise that roll after some ministers at a cabinet meeting on May 10 raised objections.
On Monday, Dr Alauddin came up with the revised list of 1,483 institutions. His list included 600 new institutions and dropped some 140 from the previous list.
In drawing up the list, he claimed, he followed local legislators' preferences instead of the policy on the basis of which Nahid prepared the first list of 1,022 institutions.
Many MPs however allege Alauddin did not at all attach importance to their choices.
They said his list did not include institutions recommended by senior ministers and party leaders like Matia Chowdhury, Deputy Speaker Shawkat Ali, Air Vice-Marshal (retd) AK Khandkar, Abdul Jalil and Suranjit Sengupta.
It also excluded institutions established by Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman, economist Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad and poet Nirmalendu Goon while having those backed by BNP and Jamaat men.
The MPs said they were particularly upset at the inclusion of Pabna's Alhaj Ahed Ali Biswas Collegiate High School, named after grandfather of Shimul Biswas, personal assistant to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Patuakhali's Golachipa Ideal Junior Secondary School, founded by district Jamaat Ameer Prof Shah Alam, and Sherpur's Shapmari Dakhil Madrasa, set up by a Jamaat-e-Islami leader.
They said they wonder how come the institutions patronised by BNP-Jamaat men had made it on the list when the adviser said he had revised the roll on the basis of lawmakers' demands.
As the news of the revision spread, ruling party lawmakers and leaders began thronging the education ministry to lobby for the schools and colleges of their choice.
At least 100 MPs met the education minister to hand their demand order (DO) letters, said sources adding that the ministry received at least 200 DO letters yesterday alone.
This correspondent saw many lawmakers making serious allegations to the education minister about some institutions on the new list. Some expressed grievances and enquired how certain institutions of their constituencies got onto the list when they did not even recommend their names.
A few even alleged underhand dealings by Dr Alauddin over MPO inclusion.
Many lawmakers were seen pressing for 10-15 institutions each.
The ministry officials, preferring anonymity, said they were examining the controversial institutions on the revised list and also those which were dropped.
They said they would complete the task as soon as possible, as there is not much time left.
Meanwhile, repeated revisions of the MPO list have caused frustrations among teachers of non-government secondary schools and colleges. They said they worry about the fate of their institutions.