Teachers embezzle over Tk 4.28 cr in the name of MPO in Uttara School

Staff Reporter :
Though some 20 assistant teachers were appointed for primary branch of Uttara High School and College in Dhaka as junior teachers, they were shifted to the secondary branch later hiding the information to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE).
Hiding the information, they were enrolled for government’s Monthly Payment Order (MPO) with the support of the college’s principal and the then-managing committee. The college authority and the teachers in return have embezzled around Tk 4,28,88,332 from the government’s fund by enrolling for MPO illegally.
An investigation team of the DSHE’s Dhaka Region office has found the irregularities in appointing the 20
teachers and enrolling the junior teachers of primary branch for the MPO of the government.
The investigation officer, College Inspector Mosammat Shahara Khanam, working as Deputy Director (acting) of DSHE Dhaka region, submitted the investigation report to the offices of Director General of DHSE and Assistant Director (Secondary-2) on Sunday.
In the report, the DD of Dhaka Region suggested the college authority to return the entire amount of money to the government’s fund and requested the authorities concerned to take necessary legal steps against those involved with the occurrence and realize the embezzled money.
The investigation was conducted upon a letter of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sent to the DSHE on April 5 this year. The DSHE asked the DD of DSHE Dhaka region to investigate the allegations against the college authority on June 20 this year. DSHE Dhaka region’s acting DD Shahara Khanam herself investigated the allegations and prepared the report.
According to the DD office sources of DSHE Dhaka region, during the investigation the college authority tried to put pressure on the investigation team for giving the report on behalf of them using influential persons from different corners.
A group of three teachers – Abdul Malek, Jahirul Islam and Nuruddin – on Monday allegedly went to the office of DSHE Dhaka region’s DD for pressurizing the DD, so that she doesn’t submit the report against them. Assistant Account Officer of the DSHE’s DD Dhaka office Khurram Molla also accompanied them.
When the DD told them the report was submitted and she has nothing to do now, they left office and went to the DSHE DG office. Before leaving the office, they threatened the officials and employees who assisted the DD to prepare the report and submission to the DG Office.
In a written complaint filed to the DG’s office on Monday, the plaintiff Safiqul Islam Chowdhury, who filed the petition mentioning the irregularities in the college, said that the illegally MPO enrolled teachers along with Khurram Mollah are giving him threat for withdrawing the complaint.
In the probe report, the head of the investigation team claimed that assistant teachers Abdul Malek (D479604), Minhazur Rahman (D479603), Atiqur Rahman (D479605), Mohammad Golzar Hossain (D479606) Jahirul Islam (D479607), Afroza Khatun (D479608), Mohammad Abdul Hannan Miah (D479609), Manjurul Haque Majumder (D136341), Abul Kalam Md. Shahidullah (D479610), Shamima Afroz (D479611), Honufa Begum (D479612), Md. Nuruddin (D478805), Subhash Chandra Mitra (D478805), Muahmmad Lutfar Rahman (D481412), Meherun Nesa Khanam (D481407), Parveen Aktar (D481411), Mohammad Ziadul Haque (D482540), Jahangir Hossain (D482541), Jinnatun Nesa (retired) and Afroza Begum (D481408) were appointed for the primary section of the college.
Of them, assistant teacher Jinnatun Nesa has already retired and Afroza Begum died in April this year.
Though they were appointed for the primary branch of the college under the grade-16, the college authority forwarded the names of the teachers for enrolling as assistant teachers of the college under grade-9 and they were enrolled illegally.
The report said that assistant teachers Abdul Malek embezzled Tk21.05 lakh while Minhazur Rahman Tk21.27 lakh, Atiqur Rahman Tk20.99 lakh, Golzar Hossain Tk21.23 lakh, Jahirul Islam Tk21.24 lakh, Afroza Khatun Tk23.45 lakh, Abdul Hannan Miah Tk31.85 lakh, Manjurul Haque Tk23.46, Abul Kalam Shahidullah Tk21.43, Shamima Afroz Tk21.67 lakh, Honufa Begum Tk22.61 lakh, Nuruddin Tk21.09 lakh, Subhash Mitra Tk27.99 lakh, Lutfar Rahman Tk24.24 lakh, Meherun Nesa Tk21.48 lakh, Parveen Aktar Tk22.59 lakh, Ziadul Haque Tk21.12 lakh, Jahangir Hossain Tk16 lakh, Jinnatun Nesa Tk24.10 and Afroza Begum embezzled the entire money she got during her service period after MPO.
According to the report, though the teachers were enrolled under MPO in May, 2000, the investigation team got statement from July 13, 2002 to July 21, 2022.
It said that the teachers were appointed in 1997, 1998 and 2000 as junior teachers of the primary branch. As there is no post of junior teacher in the high school and college levels, they were enrolled as assistant teacher in the secondary level of the college illegally showing fake papers of appointment.
When contacted over phone, college’s Principal Hafizur Rahman Mollah told this correspondent, “It’s an official matter. I am not now in the college. I’m not ready to talk on the matter now. You, rather, come to the college for talking on the matter in detailed.”