Pvt School in Barisal
Teachers without salaries for months
Jagadish Saraswat Girls' High School and College
Teachers and employees of a prominent private school in Barisal city have not been getting their salaries for the last four months due to complications arising over the institution's management committee. The victims said they did not get salaries and bonuses ahead of the last Eid, and it was uncertain this time too. They feared whether they could celebrate the forthcoming festivals of Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Azha this year. Principal of Jagadish Saraswat Girls' High School and College Abu Md Faruk said it was unprecedented that the district education office stopped signing bills of salaries of the teachers and employees after May this year. The complications arose after Barisal Education Board dissolved the school management committee led by the sadar upazila Awami League convenor Anwar Hossain alias VP Anwar after completion of his one-year term on January 18. The board also formed an ad-hoc managemnet committee on January 26, led by city Jubo League convenor Nizamuddin Nizam, who belongs to Anwar's rival faction. On April 4, Anwar lodged a case with the High Court against the formation of the ad-hoc committee, saying he was removed illegally from the school management committee. The case is now pending with the HC, and it is yet to be decided if there is a "functioning management committee" at the school. Salaries are not disbursed without a functioning committee. The teachers alleged that the two AL rival factions were trying to lead the committee to misappropriate the fund approved for development of the college section of the institution. District Education Officer Manowar Hossain said he signed the bills of monthly pay order (MPO) for February-May as per recommendation of the government pleader and stopped signing the bills further after the pleader refused to recommend that. The pleader, Advocate KBS Ahmed Kabir, said he did not recommend the MPO bills as the HC had accused him of contempt of court for recommending the bills when the case regarding the committee was yet to be disposed of. He advised the teachers and employees to appeal to court for getting an order to receive MPO bills. The victims said they are taking preparation to go to court.
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