Parents worried over Aga Khan School’s planned closure
Many parents of Aga Khan School are anxious about the future of their children, as authorities concerned will close down the school and establish a new institute, which will reportedly charge more and restrict the option of choosing curriculums.
Besides, parents are worried whether they will be able to admit their children to the new institute.
They wrote a letter to Education Minister Dipu Moni, and sent copies to Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Mahbub Hossain, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Prof Syed Md Golam Faruk and Dhaka Education Board Chairperson Prof Nehal Ahmed and others in this regard.
One of the parents, Noor Khan, said they had sent the letter on August 16.
In the letter, parents urged authorities to take necessary steps to keep the present English-medium school open and continue Cambridge International Examinations and International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculums, so students can choose between them.
Prof Faruk and Prof Nehal both said they are yet to receive the letter.
"After getting the letter, we will take necessary steps following discussions with the education ministry," Prof Nehal told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon. Parents said the present school has been operating at the capital's Uttara for 33 years, and about 1,000 students are studying there.
Aga Khan Education Service, the managing authority of Aga Khan School, in an online meeting on June 16 and then via email, said the school would be closed down in phases during the next two academic years. Aga Khan Academy's campus will be at Bashundhara Residential Area.
Many of the 1,000 students of the present school will have to be transferred. "We'll have to transfer our children to Aga Khan Academy or change schools," Noor Khan said.
The letter said authorities assured that there will be an opportunity to transfer students to Aga Khan Academy. Some days later, after an exchange between guardians and school authorities, parents came to know that tuition fees of the new school will be three to four times higher than that of Aga Khan School.
Current tuition fees vary from Tk 21,000 to Tk 25,000 per month.
Parents in the letter said the new school will offer only IB curriculum, which is reportedly not accepted by all universities in the country.
Contacted, Amyn Saleh, chairman of Aga Khan Education Service, Bangladesh, said their media team will send a statement over the issue soon.
All students at Aga Khan School who wish to transfer to Aga Khan Academy will be offered a place on priority basis, along with financial support to ease the transition, stated the statement from Aga Khan received yesterday.
Fee schedule for students transitioning from the current school will only be developed after consulting with parents, the statement read.
Regarding the IB curriculum, Aga Khan Education Service said at least five private universities accept IB diploma as entrance qualification, and students can get an "equivalency certificate" to get into public universities.
Comments