BIGM does not provide accounts despite receiving government grants

The organisation is neither a government body nor an autonomous one. Yet, it has been receiving millions of taka in grants from the government treasury for years. It provides no account for this huge sum of money.

An investigation by Prothom Alo reveals that the organisation is primarily run by retired bureaucrats and has become their 'rehabilitation centre'. They take money from the government but do not provide any accounts back to the government.

The organisation's name is the Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM). Its website claims that BIGM is a public-private specialised institution under the Ministry of Public Administration. However, those involved say they have no accountability to the ministry.

In 2006, a few officials of the administration cadre established the Civil Service College, Dhaka. It was later renamed the Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM). This institution, affiliated with Dhaka University, offers master’s degrees and short-term courses on various topics, including good governance, administration, and human resource development.

According to the Ministry of Public Administration, BIGM receives an average of 100 million taka in grants each year. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, they were granted Tk 115 million, and in the recently concluded 2024-25 fiscal, they received Tk 125 million.

In total, the institution has so far received grants of almost Tk 1.8 billion. However, the Ministry of Public Administration has been unable to get detailed information about how these large sums of money are spent.

A source at the ministry said that on 30 October last year, the Ministry of Public Administration sent a letter to BIGM asking under which law or policy it was receiving money from the government treasury. A relevant source has confirmed that BIGM has not yet responded to the letter.

Following the letter, BIGM submitted a draft list of expenditures, stating that of the money received in the 2024-25 fiscal year, Tk 80 million would be spent on staff salaries, Tk 12 million on research, Tk 6 million on purchases, Tk 1.8 million on building renovations, and Tk 1.3 million on stationery.

Against this backdrop, on 24 November of last year, a separate letter was sent to the ministry's secretary from the Research and Reform Wing of the Ministry of Public Administration.

The letter stated that although the Ministry of Public Administration is represented on BIGM's board of directors, the institution has no accountability to the ministry.

It questioned whether the method of financial assistance to such an institution, run by a board of trustees, was sustainable.

The letter also described the institution’s method as an 'exploitative system of governance', noting that BIGM does not adhere to the government's pay scale.

This correspondent visited the office of BIGM director in the capital’s Agargaon recently. Former finance secretary Mohammad Tareque has been on the board of directors for nine years.

When asked about the grants, he said, "Ask the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Finance this question. This money is a grant-in-aid. Those who provide it know why." He then told this correspondent, "You can write whatever you want about me," and asked him to leave the room.

Later, ANM Moinul Islam, the head of the Ministry of Public Administration's Career Planning and Training Wing and an additional secretary, was contacted to inquire about the grants. He told Prothom Alo that he was new to the department and did not know anything about the grants.

BIGM's board of trustees has 15 members, including the secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration and the finance secretary, along with several retired secretaries. The ministry itself has raised questions about the method and duration of the director's appointment.

Officials from the Ministry of Public Administration say they have no information about the appointment methods and terms for BIGM's director and other top officials. Despite sending letters, BIGM is not cooperating.

Following up on the letter, an investigation revealed that BIGM has become a 'rehabilitation centre' for former administration cadre officials. Most of the top educational and administrative positions are held by retired government officials. Among the former bureaucrats in various key roles are Sultan Ahmed, Golam Faruk, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Abdur Rahim Khan, Mohammad Golam Sarwar, and Krishna Gayen.

In addition, officials from the finance and public administration ministries regularly take classes at BIGM. A relevant source says they receive a large sum in honorariums.

It has also been discovered that government employees are offered master's degrees in six subjects at a low cost, with several other courses available for a nominal fee. One student who enrolled in a master's programme at BIGM said that favouritism in appointments here is obvious.

Sheikh Yusuf Harun, a former secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, told Prothom Alo on 12 July that if an organisation takes money from the government, it must be accountable.

This money belongs to the people. He said BIGM must be accountable to those from whom it receives grants, and if it fails to do so, it is regrettable.