Training of 56 Fake Headmasters
Institute staff involved, laxity of top officials let it happen
Primary probe findings show that an assistant director and three employees violated rules that led to the selection of 56 fake headmasters for the May 22-27 government training while two top officials of Secondary Teachers Training Institute in Rajshahi showed 'utter negligence' during the whole process.
Following suggestions from institute Director Dr Swapan Kumar Dutta, Assistant Director M Shamsuzzoha let the 56 fake headmasters go away on May 26 while Additional Director Dr Selina Afroze, also the training coordination committee chief, had failed to check registration of fake participants.
After interviewing officials and employees and examining documents, Rajshahi New Government College teacher Shamsul Kalam Azad, the chief of three-member probe team, and Mushfikur Rahman, deputy director of the Teaching Quality Improvement (TQI) project based in Dhaka, yesterday shared their findings with The Daily Star.
Enrolment for the training was done without scrutinizing the list while participants from different districts were included in the training meant for participants from Dinajpur district only, they said.
"I will need two more days to submit the report. The institute director has assigned me to investigate the matter as chief of the three-member probe committee. I am not in a position to directly report all the findings, especially the ones that go against the persons who are senior to me in rank," Azad said.
"However, as aid to further investigation and action by the higher authorities concerned, I shall leave some clues and questions that need to be answered if all the perpetrators are to be found out," he added.
Shamsul Kalam Azad quoted Jahangir Hossain, personal assistant to the institute director, and another employee Shafik Ahmed as saying that Shamsuzzoha ordered them for registering without scrutiny.
Jahangir, who had gone into hiding after disclosure of the incident of 56 fake headmasters' enrolment for the training, later returned to appear before the investigation officials.
"The institute authorities called police to arrest the 56 fake headmasters. But when police went there, the institute director informed police that the fake participants were shown mercy and let go," Azad added.
"The institute officials showed us statements of 18 fake headmasters, saying that office peon Abdul Hannan took Tk 1500 from each of them in exchange of inclusion into the training for which the participants will be given Tk 3400 each in addition to free stay and meals during the training period," Mushfikur Rahman said.
"The officials also gave us a document that shows Hannan sent Tk 44,000 to his village home in Nilphamari on the first day of the training," he said, adding, "One need not be an expert to understand that Hannan alone cannot dare committing the crime.”
"Swapan Kumar Dutta, and Selina Afroze cannot avoid their responsibility as the list, comprising 56 fake participants, was approved before the training. They did not even notice that the participants from districts other than Dinajpur were included in violation of rules," he said.
Contacted, Dutta said, “If I am involved why I would go for identifying the fake ones.” Asked why he forgave and let the fake headmasters go away, he said, "They fled away without my notice."
Selina Afroze said, "I was never provided with necessary documents for conducting scrutiny. Dr Dutta and Shamsuzzoha dealt with the registration of participants and the two officials ignored my opinion regarding the matter."
Shamsuzzoha also denied allegations against him and said, “How can I come under question when Selina madam was the chief coordinator?”
Contacted over cell phone, the TQI project director Nazrul Islam said, "We have taken the matter very seriously. Stern action will be taken against those found guilty for the wrongdoings.”
Meanwhile, following directives of the education ministry, Prof Taslima Begum, director (Training) of the directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and M Abdul Kuddus Sikdar, assistant director, started for Rajshahi yesterday evening to enquire into the matter.
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