School admission

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IN December, the guardians of young children, seeking admission to schools, remain on their toes. Admissions syndicates, unknown in the past, create pressure on guardians, asking for donations for school development. Until the nineties, berths in the schools were assured to children whose guardians could afford the cost of education.
The donation system has been replaced, in recent times, by a different syndicate, comprising the teachers of such schools as well as outsiders. They run coaching centres close to reputed schools. They advertise, without any hide and seek, that school admission would be assured to children sent to the coaching centres. The coaching centres charge a lot of money. A section of the teachers run the coaching centres with support from the governing bodies.
For all practical purposes, it tampers with children's right to school admission. The distortion, in lieu of money, leads to denial of the right to education, a fundamental right in Bangladesh.
The opportunity of education is shrinking for the non-affluent families. The situation calls for close attention of the government. The corruption in the admission process must be eliminated with a firm hand. The government should ensure transparency and accountability in the admission process to eliminate corruption.
For a durable solution, the government should open more schools to end the rush for school admission.
Zillur Rahman
Dhanmondi, Dhaka