Managing committees and governing bodies of MPO-listed private schools and colleges in Bangladesh will no longer have the authority to recruit non-teaching staff.
Under new rules, recruitment recommendations will be handled by a committee led by the respective district commissioner, with no representation from the managing committee or governing body.
The changes were detailed in a circular titled “Guidelines for Recruitment of Non-Teaching Staff at Entry Level in Private Schools and Colleges”, issued Sunday night (28 September) by the Ministry of Education’s Secondary and Higher Education Division. The circular was signed by division secretary Rehana Parveen.
Previously, recruitment of non-teaching staff in MPO-listed institutions was overseen by committees headed by the governing body or managing committee chairperson.
Speaking to the media, Syed A Z M Morshed Ali, deputy secretary of the Private Secondary Branch, confirmed that authority is shifting to ensure greater transparency.
According to the new circular, the district commissioner will chair the recruitment recommendation committee.
Members will include the principal (or representative) of the oldest government college in the district, a representative from the relevant education board (not below inspector rank), and the district’s deputy or assistant director of the Department of Youth Development. The district education officer will act as member secretary.
The committee will be responsible for conducting recruitment exams, preparing results, and making recommendations.
It may also form multiple interview boards when necessary, each headed by a representative of the district commissioner and consisting of three officials not below the ninth-grade rank.
For decades, non-teaching staff recruitment in private schools and colleges was managed by governing bodies or managing committees, which faced allegations of corruption, nepotism, and irregularities.
The January 10, 2024, circular had last reaffirmed the authority of governing bodies or managing committees to lead recruitment, with other committee members drawn from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, education boards or the National University (for degree colleges), and the district commissioner’s office, while the institution’s head acted as member secretary.
