Desk Report: Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir has expressed strong concern over a possible decision to return the authority to recruit entry-level teachers at private educational institutions to local managing committees and governing bodies.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, August 10, the organisation described the proposed move as “self-defeating” and contrary to the principles of fair and merit-based recruitment.

Shibir Central President Nurul Islam and Secretary General Sibgatullah said handing recruitment authority back to local committees could create opportunities for corruption, nepotism, political influence and financial transactions in the appointment process.

According to the statement, the organisation believes that a quality education system is essential for building a merit-based, non-discriminatory and developed country, while qualified teachers are central to ensuring quality education.

The leaders argued that teacher recruitment through local managing committees in the past had been associated with allegations of financial transactions, favouritism, political interference and the use of forged certificates. They said the introduction of recruitment through the Non-Government Teachers` Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) was intended to address such problems by appointing teachers according to merit rankings.

“Returning to such a system would amount to going back to a dark era,” the Shibir leaders said, according to the statement.

They, however, acknowledged that the existing NTRCA recruitment system has some structural weaknesses, including postings to distant workplaces and administrative delays.

Instead of transferring recruitment authority back to local bodies, they proposed modernising the existing recruitment system, introducing a clear transfer policy and ensuring faster appointments based on merit.

The organisation warned that restoring the principal recruitment authority to local managing committees or governing bodies could once again increase the scope for undue influence and irregularities in teacher appointments.

The statement comes amid continuing discussions over how teachers should be recruited in privately run educational institutions. The issue is particularly important because the quality and transparency of teacher recruitment directly affect millions of students across the country.

Shibir called on policymakers to address the weaknesses of the existing system without abandoning merit-based recruitment and urged the authorities to ensure a transparent, accountable and corruption-free process for appointing teachers.

The organisation’s statement reflects its position on the proposed recruitment policy; further clarification from the relevant government authorities would be necessary to establish the details and status of any proposed policy change.