'competency' Test
Pry schoolteachers in northen dists apprehend losing MPO
A large number of teachers of non-government primary schools in the northern districts are worried of losing Monthly Payment Order (MPO) following issuance of a recent government order asking them to face competency tests.
The Primary Education Directorate issued the order on July 31. The order asked the teachers to face the 'competency' tests by November 18. For failure, the official order warned, suspension of MPOs.
There are 900 non-government primary school teachers in the entire northern districts.
Under the official Compulsory Primary Education Programme, the government is providing salaries to the teachers through MPOs since 1991. But the government put a condition to enjoy the benefits of MPO. Officially, it has been assessed that the teachers who passed only the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination are 'incompetent' teachers. In a similar manner, the teachers who have third division in both the SSC and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations are treated as 'incompetent' teachers. Teachers of such categories must face competency tests conducted by the Education Department.
However, the teachers having SSC and HSC certificates with at least one second division are treated as 'competent' teachers. Many teachers have entered the teaching profession fulfilling the official requirements before 1991.
Earlier, the government took several attempts to hold 'competency' tests but in face of stiff opposition from teachers' associations and political parties, the attempts were foiled.
On contact, Babu Griza Prosonya Roy, Nilphamari district unit president of Bangladesh Non-government Teachers' Association said 98 percent of non-government primary school teachers underwent the required training courses like Certificate-in-Education (C in Ed) from Primary Teachers' Training Institutes (PTI) in their districts. They also received subject based and cluster based trainings to acquire competency, he said.
While contacted, Mansoor Ali, general secretary of a faction of Non-government Primary School Teachers' Association said to this correspondent over cell phone that most of the teachers entered the teaching profession fulfilling the government requirements before 1991. Many of them are near to their retirement age. If some of them fail to pass the competency tests, they would face acute economic hardship following suspension of MPOs, he said terming this 'inhuman'.
Meanwhile, a writ petition was filed, opposing the government move, with the High Court (HC) Division of Supreme Court on August 21.
Non-government Primary Teachers' Association office secretary Rezaul Haque submitted the writ petition on behalf of the teachers. The HC division bench comprising of Justice Sayed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Farid Ahmed issued a 'Rule Nisi' on the government on August 26.
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