ACC chairman for closing coaching centres in no time

FE Report

Calling these "safe houses of corruption", the chief of the national anti-graft authority suggested immediate shutdown of coaching centres and an end to question leaks.

"It can't be that our children should roam from one coaching centre to another. So, these centres need to be shut down at any cost," said Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) chairman Iqbal Mahmood on Saturday.

He came up with the views at an assembly and oath-taking programme styled 'Shatata Sangha (integrity units) organised by the commission at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city as a part of observance of 'Corruption Prevention Week 2018'.

The ACC chief made the remarks close on the heels of this year's HSC examinations against the backdrop of much-talked-about digital leak of questions ahead of public exams in recent times.

ACC commissioners Dr Nasiruddin Ahmed and AFM Aminul Islam, ACC secretary Dr Md Shamsul Arefin and director-general (prevention) Md Jafar Iqbal also spoke at the function.

The ACC chief said, "Recently, Education Minister marked the coaching centres as illegal, but we want to say that these centres are not just illegal but safe house of corruption."

He urged the government, teachers, students and guardians to act in a synergy to close the operation of these private tuition centres and prevent question leak.

Stating that the teachers play the most important role in nation building, Mr Mahmood said the ACC will always be in support of the teachers in ensuring their social status, increasing salaries and other facilities.

The chief corruption combatant also said that the teachers should provide such classroom teaching so that the students don't have to go to the coaching centres.

The country can't take advantage of demographic dividend without ensuring quality education, he reminded, reflecting opinions of economists, development partners and policy think-tanks.

Addressing the students and members of integrity units, the ACC boss said, "You shouldn't go after only obtaining A+ or good results rather try to gain knowledge dedicatedly."

He also urged the government to take effective measures to spread vocational and technical education in every upazila in the country.

Under the initiative of corruption-prevention committees, the ACC has created around 25,000 integrity units in the country's educational institutions including secondary schools, madrasas, colleges and universities.

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