In the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Girls College, allegations of fraud have surfaced against the administration, concerning 25 teachers, all of whom are now living in fear of losing their jobs.
Among them, 17 are permanent non-MPO teachers, while the rest are on a temporary or part-time basis. These teachers have been serving for eight to over 16 years.
It has been alleged that since Jakir Hossain Kamal took over as chairman of the institution’s ad hoc committee, he has been intimidating teachers with threats of dismissal—warning that they could be terminated at any time.
As part of this process, the administration issued two rounds of recruitment notices for part-time teachers.
The first was on March 25, when 14 positions were advertised, and the second on June 27, when 44 part-time positions were announced in a national daily.
According to the affected teachers, the administration told them they must apply for reappointment as part-time teachers, claiming their previous appointments were invalid. However, the teachers insist that they were permanent staff. Seventeen of them used to receive regular salaries and benefits, while the others were paid on a temporary, part-time basis.
After the second recruitment notice, on June 28, a WhatsApp message was sent to the 25 teachers. In the notice, sent by Acting Principal Maksuda Begum, it was stated: “Based on the inspection report from the Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) dated May 27, the appointments and permanent status of the following teachers—Sayanika Akter, Gulshan Ara Ahmed, Salma Begum, Mehenaz Nayara, Rekha Mondol Dina, Urmi Naznin, Majeda Khanom, Tahmina Begum, Pritika Rani Das, Bina Akter, Soma Rani Chand, Jharna Rani Mondol, Sumi Akter, Jochna Akter, Md Johurul Islam, Mousumi Akter, Samia Akter Mou, Jakia Akter, Samina Afroz, Monira Sharmin, Ayesha Siddika, Khadija Akter, Aleya Akter, and Rajiya Sultana—have been declared invalid by the DIA.”
The notice requested all of them to apply as part-time teachers.
Following this, the newly appointed Principal, Russel Mahmud, continued the process and on July 24 sent another letter asking the 25 teachers to apply for part-time positions by July 30.
One affected permanent assistant teacher (who requested anonymity) told Bangla Tribune: “The move to reappoint us as part-time teachers is a trap. If permanent teachers are reclassified as part-time, it will be easy to gradually dismiss us all.”
“To resist this, we submitted a written complaint to the Chairman of the Dhaka Education Board on July 30. None of the teachers are willing to reveal their names publicly out of fear of dismissal,” the teacher also said.
In the written complaint, signed by 10 teachers, it was stated: “We have been working as non-MPO permanent teachers (funded by the institution) at Sher-e-Bangla Girls College for between 8 and 16 years. Since the current ad hoc committee chairman, Jakir Hossain Kamal, took charge, he has been intimidating us with threats of dismissal. As part of this, 14 part-time positions were advertised on March 25 and another 44 on June 27. Acting Principal Maksuda Begum also declared 25 permanent non-MPO teachers invalid via WhatsApp and pressured us to reapply.”
The complaint further mentioned that during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays on June 1, the governing body dismissed two long-serving teachers, Aklima Akter, 13 years in service, and Rajib Das, without notice.
It also alleged that on July 25, the newly appointed principal, Russel Mahmud, conducted written and oral exams for part-time appointments.
Fourteen of the 25 teachers unknowingly sat for the exam. Following this, their benefits, including provident fund, gratuity, retirement, and welfare allowances, were suspended.
The teachers also said their salaries have been withheld since July. The 10 teachers who did not participate in the exam were targeted for dismissal.
The guardians’ representative on the ad hoc committee, Lutfun Nahar Chowdhury Tuli, informed the Dhaka Education Board and filed cases in the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and the High Court challenging the validity of the recruitment notice.
Authorities’ statements
Current Principal Russel Mahmud told Bangla Tribune: “I joined recently. The recruitment notices were issued before my appointment. If you visit the institution, you will get a clearer picture.”
However, teachers alleged that the principal himself issued the entry cards for the exams and sent letters to 25 teachers, asking them to apply for part-time roles.
When asked, current governing body President Jakir Hossain Kamal said: “Check if there were any official orders for their initial appointments. DIA declared their appointments invalid, so we are following their instructions.”
When asked if teachers had been defrauded, he admitted: “Of course, there has been fraud.”
But former principal Monowar Hossain rejected these claims, saying: “The current authorities are misinterpreting the DIA report. The governing body’s decision is final in appointing non-MPO teachers, and the DIA report itself acknowledged this.”
DIA’s report
The DIA’s report stated that the governing body’s decision is final, and recommended against mass recruitment of part-time teachers. The report also noted that the permanent status of part-time teachers raised questions, as no provision exists for part-time teacher posts under MPO or private education policy.
Despite this, the current principal has issued letters asking the 25 serving teachers (both permanent and part-time) to reapply as part-time teachers, effectively putting their jobs at risk.