Editorial
Politicised school management committees
A problem that must be put out of the way
Good, balanced, representative and efficient school management committees have chronically been in short supply in this country. Educationists are very strongly of the opinion that this is endangering the school level learning, which is the foundation for the entire edifice of education. Successive governments have, by word of mouth, prioritized school education but neither in budget allocation nor in terms of educational administration have they ever lent any attention to this stage of education.
A yet-to-be-published World Bank study reveals the moral degradation that most school management committees are saddled with because of their partisan composition. The study, as cited during a dialogue by DU professor Amanullah who was a part of it, shows that at least 62 per cent members of the school committees are politically nominated. As media reports have also disclosed, lawmakers or people with a known political clout are often selected as chairmen of management committees, that too, of several schools at a time. Such a politically affiliated school governing body can only lead to nepotism and even corruption in matters of teachers' recruitment and students' admission. We urge the education ministry to take this matter very seriously and ensure that the school committees are constituted mostly by people of knowledge, education and non-partisanship. Professional management of schools is key to imparting quality learning.
When a teacher's recruitment and his enlistment in the MPO (monthly pay order) depend on bribery or political affiliation, he gets entangled in a vicious cycle. Resultantly, teachers have little or no qualm for skipping classes, drawing more students through manipulation to his coaching centre and dragging education down to a commercial enterprise. One cannot but wonder what example a teacher with such ethical standards can set to his pupils.
Imparting education is one of the noblest of all professions. This is precisely why transparency and accountability must be built into school managing committees to run the schools professionally. We must keep in mind that a teacher does not merely deal with a roomful of students; he rather deals with the future and he, indeed, builds the future.
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