Guardians forum demands quick managing committee elections in private educational institutions

The Guardians Unity Forum, an organisation working for the interests of students, has demanded that the new regulations for running private schools, colleges and madrasas be finalised and elections for managing committees and governing bodies be held quickly.

The forum president, freedom fighter Md Ziaul Kabir Dulu, and general secretary Md Selim Mia made the demand in a joint statement on Sunday.

In the statement, the leaders said that in early October the chairmen of the education boards issued a directive suspending elections for managing committees and governing bodies of private educational institutions across the country, citing the regulations not being finalised. The forum described the directive as undemocratic.

The statement said that a month has passed since that directive, yet no progress is visible in finalising the new regulations.

The leaders alleged that instead of forming new ad-hoc committees in place of the expired ones, the education board authorities are conspiring to extend the tenure of the old committees.

They said it is incomprehensible why the education administration and the education boards are failing to hold elections for managing committees and governing bodies in private educational institutions when a democratic government is in place in the country and an election atmosphere prevails in villages and towns.

The statement said there is a rumour that a group of bureaucrats hiding inside the government is delaying the finalisation of the new regulations to keep government officials dominant in the governing bodies of private educational institutions, as was the case during the previous Awami League government.

The leaders said that when the previous government issued regulations making members of parliament presidents of at least four educational institutions each, the Guardians Unity Forum filed a writ in the High Court and had it cancelled.

They warned that if the present government, like the previous one, arbitrarily imposes the authority of bureaucrats on the governing bodies and delays finalising the new regulations, or tries to form so-called special committees through bureaucrats, the guardians will be compelled to take legal steps.

The Guardians Unity Forum reiterated its demand to finalise the new regulations and hold the elections quickly.