Recognition for coaching centres demanded

An association of coaching centre owners has demanded the government recognise the institutions as supportive education centres or shadow education system.

The leaders of Coaching Association, Bangladesh raised the demand at a press conference in the capital's National Press Club on Sunday.

They also requested the government not to shut the coaching centres down in the future as they were not involved with question paper leaks.

During the recently held Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations, the education ministry closed down all kinds of coaching centres across the country for a month to curb the leak spree.

The SSC exams, however, ended on Saturday with a record number of question paper leaks this year.

Question papers of 12 compulsory subjects were leaked despite almost a dozen of initiatives by the government.

Convener of the association, Emadul Haque, said that some 42 schoolteachers, 92 students, and 85 of other professions were arrested during this year's SSC exams for question paper leaks.

Allegations were made against only a few coaching centre teachers for question paper leak, he added.

Emadul also demanded the government bring all the perpetrators behind question question paper leaks under law.

Leaders of the association said they did not make any student take lessons at their coaching centres rather the guardians voluntarily send their children as they consider the classroom teachings inadequate.

The leaders who term their institutions education service providers, highlighted their contribution to education sector in the press conference.

The Coaching Association, Bangladesh was floated on 27 January after the government had decided to close down all the coaching centres in the country for a month.