Govt to Take Legal Action to Recover BDT 7,000cr Looted from Teachers' Trust: Education Minister

Bangladesh’s education administration has signalled a broader reform agenda centred on academic quality, teacher capacity and greater consistency across examination systems.

Speaking at a coordination meeting ahead of the HSC and equivalent examinations in Dinajpur, Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon discussed policy priorities covering teacher recruitment, curriculum development and institutional accountability. He announced that the government will initiate legal measures to recover BDT 7,000 crore looted and laundered from the teachers' retirement benefit and welfare trust under the previous regime.

During the meeting, he also referred to allegations of financial irregularities involving teacher retirement and welfare funds and said legal measures would be pursued to recover assets where applicable and protect beneficiaries.

The education minister made this statement on Friday (June 26) at a view-exchange meeting with exam center officials at the District Shilpakala Academy auditorium in Dinajpur, aimed at ensuring a smooth and malpractice-free HSC examination.

Presided over by Dinajpur Education Board Chairman Professor Moha. Tohidul Islam, the meeting was attended by Madrasa Education Board Chairman Professor Sadikur Rahman, Technical Education Board Chairman Engineer Ruhul Amin, and Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner Rafiqul Islam. Education board officials and institutional representatives attended the session and exchanged views on examination management and long-term education reform priorities.

The minister highlighted the lack of headmasters in over half of the primary schools and assured that legal complications delaying teacher recruitment would be resolved swiftly. He also noted that "Moral Education" and "Family Values" are being integrated into the curriculum.

Addressing staffing challenges, he noted that many educational institutions continue to face leadership shortages and that recruitment processes have been delayed due to legal complexities. Authorities aim to accelerate appointments after completing procedural requirements. 

The minister also raised the issue of institutional confidence, encouraging educators to strengthen trust in their own institutions as part of improving education outcomes.

During the meeting, the minister expressed dissatisfaction over institutional confidence when he asked the four hundred attending teachers how many of them enrolled their own children in their respective workplaces. Only 15 to 20 teachers raised their hands, prompting the minister to remark that if teachers lack the confidence to educate their own children at their institutions, it reflects poorly on the quality of education being delivered.

Regarding the upcoming public exams, the minister stated that this year's HSC exams are being held under uniform question papers across the 9 general education boards. In the future, compulsory subjects in madrasa and technical boards will also feature identical question papers to unify standard competencies. 

Discussions further addressed assessment structures and equal opportunity considerations for students entering higher education. Addressing a demand by a madrasa principal to reduce the Alim Bengali and English marks from 200 back to 100, the minister rejected the proposal, stating it is necessary for university admission compatibility. However, he promised to address the structural injustice where madrasa students take exams for 1,700 marks compared to 1,200 marks in general boards.