Test relief rice allotted to school gobbled up in Mymensingh

A local Awami League leader in Mymensingh has allegedly gobbled up one tonne of Test Relief (TR) rice allotted to a school.   Shahidul Islam is the president of the managing committee of the Renaissance Girls’ High School and the secretary of the Awami League Char Sirta Union Parishad unit.    Sources in the school said last month, the government allotted one tonne of rice to the school, which, however, never got to the school authorities because Shahidul had allegedly hoarded the rice.   Later, the Shahidul told the school authorities that he had sold the tonne of rice for Tk17,000. He also reportedly said he had spent about Tk5,000 from that amount for “office maintenance” and would soon deposit the balance with the school fund.   However, despite being reminded several times over the last month, Shahidul has still not deposited the money.    Shahnaz Parveen, headmaster of the school, said: “We discussed the matter among the staff several times and asked the president to deposit the money. But he kept on avoiding us.”    The headmaster alleged that Shahidul had also pocketed Tk3,000 from the sale of three trees on the school campus, felled and sold for repairing the school building.   When contacted, Shahidul said the money from the sale of the TR rice was spent on earth filling the school ground.     About the Tk3,000 raised from the tree felling, he said he would deposit the money as soon as possible.    The headmaster, however, brushed aside Shahidul’s claim saying no earth filling had happened at the school.    The existing managing committee, chaired by the AL leader, will expire on July 26 and a new managing committee has already been formed, Shahnaz Parveen said. She said Shahidul was not a member of the new managing committee.