The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is intensifying its campaign involving youths and adolescents in the graft prevention activities so that they refrain from such acts.
Under the initiative, the commission is mainly focusing its efforts on setting up of Satata Sangha (integrity units) and Satata Stores (integrity shop) at schools, distributing education materials tagged with anti-graft slogans among the students, and arranging essay and cartoon competitions for them.
The ACC also held an increasing number of public hearings last year and recently made a national cricketer its goodwill ambassador to encourage youths to stand against corruption menace.
"As of December 2017, the commission formed around 25,129 integrity units at secondary schools across the country and around 824 integrity shops at different schools," said ACC deputy director Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee.
Integrity shops display stationery items and other education materials with price tags while the students can buy items from the store as per their choice and put prices of those items in the designated cashboxes of their own.
There are no shopkeepers in these stores or closed-circuit cameras to monitor the activities inside it, the ACC official said, adding that the process of buying products of their (students) own teaches them to be honest.
The anti-corruption watchdog inaugurated an integrity shop last month at Willes Little Flower School located in the city's Kakrail area.
Several students of the school told the FE that they purchase exercise books, pens, pencils and some food items from the store of their own which make them feel to be responsible and honest person.
Nazib Hossain, a fifth grader of the school said, "I bought a pencil from the store and put Tk 10 in the cashbox."
Besides, the students joining integrity units set up at different schools take vow to fight corruption and prevent graft in the society by encouraging other people.
As per the five-year strategy and work plan for the commission, the number of integrity units will increase to 33,000 as part of its nationwide anti-graft campaign.
Talking to the FE, Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, Secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan), said involvement of schoolchildren in corruption prevention campaigns is a good initiative.
"I am also involved with a school where an integrity store was set up and as I know the shop is running nicely," he said.
Apart from preventive measures, the anti-graft body needs to take action against most corrupt people in a bid to curb corruption from the society, he added.
The commission distributes pencil, pen, geometry box, scale, exercise book, stickers portraying anti-graft slogans and cartoons, and some other education materials to the students of different schools in the country.
On February 11, ACC made Shakib Al Hasan, cricket all-rounder of the country, as its goodwill ambassador to encourage people to stand against graft.
The commission also formed 490 Corruption Prevention Committees (CPCs) at district and upazila levels to enhance moral uprightness in the society.
The anti-graft watchdog last year held 71 public hearings on services provided by local government organisations in a bid to ensure better quality. It held 30 public hearings in 2016.
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