Editorial
Why this foot-dragging on MPO?
The indecision may prove costly
WE are told that the government is going for revising the already revised monthly pay order facilities. Let us get the fact straight. The first version of the MPO list, that was finalised by the education minister and was ready for implementation on 6th May, and was held back and revised under the instruction of the PM by one of her advisors, is in for another revision. This time the education minister has been tasked with the responsibility, apparently for the same reason that the first revision was done - the list was not to the liking of many in the ruling party.
The MPO facility is one that is very keenly sought after by non-government schools and colleges that use the money to supplement the pay of their teachers. And there are well laid out conditions basing on which the ministry of education determines which institutions should qualify for the grant. What we have seen happening in this respect in the last two months is extremely disappointing and manifestly harmful to the system.
The first list, that included 1022 institutions, was not acceptable to the ruling party members, including some members of Hasina's cabinet, and MPs and their cronies, who had their own favourites to push. The list was amended under the PM's order, that time by an advisor who dropped about 140 institutions from the first list and added 600 new ones. This will be revised once again!
We feel that the matter has been handled in the most amateurish manner. In the first place, while the PM may have wished to have the list revised on very compelling rationale, we wonder whether it was appropriate to have it done by her advisor. We have said before, if at all, it is the education minister who should have been tasked to review the list to remove the lacunae, if any.
In this very column not long ago, we had impressed upon the need to stick to the established criterion in drawing up the MPO list. We had also cautioned against giving in to political pressure in a matter that has to do with education. In this regard the advisor is reported to have said that in picking up schools and colleges, he had kept in mind the legislators' preference. If that is the case, why have rules and regulations regarding MPO enlistment at all?
This game of revision and re-revision cannot go on much longer. It will be the institutions that will suffer. We say again, the government should go by the established norm in drawing up the list and not succumb to any pressure. In any case, never will the government be able to make everybody happy.
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