69 teachers appointed with ‘forged signatures, backdated papers’

Widespread irregularities in teacher recruitment have reportedly been uncovered at 14 secondary schools in Gangni upazila, Meherpur, with investigations suggesting possible rule violations in the appointments of at least 69 teachers.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Kushtia Integrated Office, along with several committees formed to probe the matter, has alleged that forged signatures of senior officials, including the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education’s DG representative and members of school managing committees, were used to legitimise the appointments.

According to prevailing regulations, teacher recruitment must follow published circulars, followed by competitive written and oral examinations. Investigators claim that these procedures were ignored, with appointments made under undue political influence during the previous Awami League administration. 

The schools implicated in the irregularities include JTS Secondary Girls’ School, Garabaria Secondary Girls’ School, KAB Secondary School, HM HV Secondary Girls’ School, Harabhanga Secondary School, MGGM Secondary School, Sahebnagar Secondary School, NP Secondary School, BBN Secondary School, Kazipur Mathabhanga Secondary Girls’ School, Karamdi Kalyanpur Secondary Girls’ School, MBK Secondary School (Manikdia), HB Secondary School, and Harabhanga Adarsha Secondary School.

District education office sources said there are currently 5,569 teachers working across 177 secondary schools in Meherpur. Investigators found that many of the accused teachers continued to receive salaries despite the absence of valid appointment approval letters from the Jashore Education Board. Allegations have also surfaced regarding large sums of money being exchanged in connection with the fraudulent appointments.

Helaluzzaman Helu, headteacher of JTS Secondary Girls’ School, admitted that his political involvement with the BNP during the previous government limited his oversight. “As a result, many things happened without my knowledge,” he said, adding that in 2022, four teachers were appointed using backdated documents, which were later verified as forged. Abdul Halim, headteacher of HM HV Secondary School, said the recruitment at the time followed the directions of elected representatives.

The teachers accused of wrongdoing, however, have denied all allegations, claiming they sat for examinations, received legal appointment letters, and joined their posts in accordance with the rules. Following exposure of the matter, the Secondary Education Department formed multiple investigation committees, while the ACC launched a separate inquiry. Bulbul Ahmed, assistant director of the ACC Kushtia Integrated Office, said the primary probe found the allegations credible and that more evidence was being gathered for a comprehensive report.

Acting Meherpur District Education Officer Abdur Rahim said that multiple investigation committees were examining the incident and had been asked to complete their work promptly and submit reports. 

Professor Dr AKM Nazrul Kabir, convenor of one of the investigation committees and principal of Meherpur Government College, said the probe had uncovered evidence of fake appointments involving large-scale financial transactions and that the matter was being investigated thoroughly.