Rein in corruption before it assumes the reins of our future

It has long been alleged that corruption and irregularities have become commonplace in our education sector. The media and other watchdog bodies have regularly covered specific instances of such depravity. But every time such reports come out, the government tends to hunker back into its denial mode. However, a recent bombshell study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has once again brought to light just how morally bankrupt our education sector has become.

The study discovered that the secondary education sector is mired in different corrupt practices, including illegal financial transactions for the appointment of head teachers and officials in other positions. Aspiring head teachers or assistant head teachers had to pay between Tk 3.5 lakh and Tk 15 lakh to get employed in schools. Transfer of teachers, their inclusion to the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme, schools' academic approval, school inspections, etc also involved plenty of instances of corruption, according to the study.

Despite there being an online process for non-government teachers to apply for MPO benefits, the study found that they still had to pay money at four stages. This is just one example of how ingrained corruption has become in the sector. Another example of this lies in the fact that many government schoolteachers and upazila education officers have been working at the same place for more than 10 years, despite there being a provision that allows an officer to stay at the same station for a maximum of three years. And while all this is going on, there is a serious lack of manpower when it comes to supervisors of secondary schools at field-level offices, adding to the lack of good governance, transparency, and accountability in the sector that we see. How can we expect anything good for our nation to happen when our education sector has become so rotten to the core?

When teachers, who are expected to instil values into our children, are involved in such systemic corruption, what values will our children learn from them? What ideals will our society embrace? These are questions that we all must ask, because so far, the authorities have shown a woeful apathetical tendency to such corruption, and have too often turned a blind eye. This environment of apathy and inaction has only emboldened the offenders.

Instead of denying the allegations made in the study—which the government has a habit of doing in the face of unflattering revelations—it should launch an investigation into the matter and seriously start cracking down on corruption in this sector, as well as in others. Moreover, the government should listen to the recommendations made by the TIB, educationists and other experts, and try to plug the holes that are allowing corrupt individuals to take over and pollute the entire education sector.