No work is carried out without a bribe at the Department of Primary Education Kashiani upazila office in Gopalganj.
With hundreds of thousands of takas taken as bribes for all kinds of paperwork related to the primary school teachers, the education office has been turned into a money making machine. The teachers are being made to pay bribes for transfers, due bill approvals, travel approvals, etc and have become hostages to the Kashiani education office.
According to sources from the Kashiani education office, teachers going for their LPR are charged bribes of Tk10-20,000 each; in case of transfers the bribe goes up ranging from Tk30,000 to Tk1,00,000. It was alleged that a teacher named Champa was transferred illegally for over one lakh taka while she was on maternity leave.
For reassignments, the bribe is Tk30,000; if teachers want to take a loan from the general providend fund (GPF) they are made to pay 10% of the amount; the office takes bribes for all such duties, informed the sources.
A teacher on condition of anonymity said Education Officer Md Rafiqul Islam of the Kashiani Department of Primary Education is behind all the rampant bribery. He alleged that Rafiqul, earning a salary of Tk30,000 – of which Tk15,000 goes to GPF loan repayment and Tk7,000 in rent – is erecting a three-storied building in his home village.
The teacher said Rafiqul is transferring junior teachers instead of the seniors in exchange of large amounts of bribes. Following his suit, everyone in the office including the attendants are taking bribes; it is now an open secret, he added.
Denying the allegations, Rafqul Islam said: “I have a GPF loan, but I do not that much rent. I am also not erecting the building as alleged. Investigation into the bribery allegation will also prove nothing.”
