MPO List

Ministry busy doing final scrutiny

13 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The committee of the education ministry, which drafted the announced MPO-list, was doing its final scrutiny to submit the review report to the Prime Minister's Office. Highly placed sources said the committee might submit its report anytime. But, none of the officials of the ministry ascertained the exact time of submitting it till filing of this report at 9:00pm yesterday. Meantime, fresh lobbying has been started in the education ministry and office of the education adviser following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's directive on Monday to review the announced MPO list. Many of the ruling party lawmakers and Awami League leaders of different levels were seen gathering in the ministry for the last two days for submitting the Demand Order (DO) letters in favour of their choices. "I came here [in the ministry] with a demand order made by our local lawmaker for my institution which was not included in the earlier list," a school teacher from Satkhira told The Daily Star. After a gap of six years the government on May 7 published the list of 1,022 new non-government secondary and higher secondary educational institutions for giving the monthly pay order (MPO) facilities. But the prime minister directed the education ministry to review the list in the face of vehement demand of some cabinet colleagues. The institutions on MPO list get government subsidy as monthly pay orders to meet a portion of their teachers' salaries and benefits. Teachers and employees of many newly MPO listed institutions expressed their concern saying the process could be delayed once again.