Fresh MPO list published

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has unveiled a new list of 2,730 educational institutions qualified for the monthly pay order (MPO), report agencies.

The new MPO scheme will take retrospective effect from July this year.

The fresh list was published from an event at the prime minister's official residence Ganabhaban on Wednesday.

In 2010, a total of 1,624 educational institutions were brought under the MPO scheme.

After that, the enlisting was closed down for a long time leading to protests by teachers and staff.

Teachers and other employees of nongovernmental schools and colleges under the MPO scheme receive a portion of their salary from the government.

The 2,730 newly-enlisted institutions include 1,651 schools and colleges, 557 madrasahs and 522 technical and vocational institutes as per the new list.

Among the schools and colleges, there are 439 junior secondary schools (Class VI-VIII), 995 secondary schools (VI-X), 68 higher secondary schools, 93 colleges (XI-XII) and 56 degree colleges (XIII-XV).

There are 357 Dakhil, 128 Alim, 42 Fazil and 29 Kamil institutes among the eligible 557 madrasahs.

The 522 technical and vocational institutes are 62 agriculture institutes, 48 vocational (independent), 129 vocational (affiliated), 175 BM (independent) and 108 BM (affiliated) ones.

Addressing the function, the Prime Minister asked the 2,730 newly-enlisted institutions to uphold all the conditions mentioned in the MPO policy to continue their names under the MPO system.

"The conditions will have to be maintained. If any institution fails to maintain the conditions, the institution will be excluded from the MPO enlistment," she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged the newly-enlisted institutions to improve the quality of education and create education-friendly atmosphere for building children as worthy citizens to make Bangladesh a hunger-poverty-free country as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

She said the government will bring institutions, which are really needed and fulfill the conditions described in the policy, under the MPO scheme in the future.