STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon yesterday told parliament that a white paper will be published on irregularities and corruption in the education sector during the Awami League era.

His announcement came in response to a query by Pabna-5 MP Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas during the question-and-answer session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.

Milon said the government has placed policy emphasis on investigating irregularities and corruption in the education sector from the 2008–09 fiscal year to 2024–25, adding that the education ministry has already instructed relevant authorities to thoroughly examine possible financial and administrative lapses, along with managerial weaknesses, and prepare a consolidated report.

The minister added that once the investigation and verification process is complete, the government will take steps to draft and publish the white paper in phases.

However, given the broad scope of the inquiry, he noted that it is not possible at this stage to set a specific timeline.

OVER 92,000 TEACHER POSTS VACANT

The education minister also said the country’s secondary institutions are suffering from around 92,081 vacant teacher posts across government and non-government institutions in general, madrasa, and technical streams.

Replying to queries from MPs at the question-and-answer session, he added that 77,227 posts remain vacant in private (MPO-listed) educational institutions.

Through the e-requisition process, the ministry has compiled a nationwide list of vacancies, and the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) will soon issue a recruitment circular to gradually fill the posts, he said.

In another response, Milon said that technical education institutions have 15,844 sanctioned teacher posts, of which 7,074 are occupied and 8,770 are vacant.

The minister added that recruitment is already underway for 1,552 positions, while the Directorate of Technical Education has sent a requisition to the Public Service Commission to fill another 1,579 posts.

He said three government Alia madrasas currently have 114 vacant teaching posts, while non-government madrasas face 1,354 vacancies for superintendents and 1,774 for assistant superintendents.

Milon further informed parliament that government secondary schools have 2,842 vacant posts, assuring that steps are being taken to fill them through the PSC in government schools and through NTRCA in non-government institutions.