10 institutions already named after state minister Shahe Alam’s family, another proposed

A proposal has been made to rename the 53-year-old Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School in Shibganj upazila of Bogura as ‘Shibganj Mir Shahe Alam Pilot Girls’ High School’. The application was recently submitted to the Ministry of Education by the school’s managing committee. The ad hoc committee is headed by Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ziaur Rahman.

Mir Shahe Alam, state minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, is the member of parliament for Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency.

His comments on the matter could not be obtained. However, his political press secretary, Atikur Rahman, said that on 1 June the state minister had sent a demi-official (DO) letter to the secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education requesting that no educational institutions be named after him.

In the letter, the state minister stated that since assuming office, various individuals had been submitting proposals to name educational institutions after him on their own initiative and for personal gain, something he considered undesirable and unwelcome. He said it was more appropriate to preserve the long-standing traditions, identity and distinctiveness of educational institutions.

The DO letter also mentioned 10 educational institutions already named after Mir Shahe Alam and members of his family. It stated that he had long been involved in expanding education through donating land, purchasing land with personal funds, covering establishment costs and providing overall patronage.

With his direct support, several educational institutions have been established or developed at different times since 1997. These include Mirbari Government Primary School (established in 1997), Betgari Mirbari Government Orphanage (2004), Betgari Mir Shahe Alam Girls’ High School (2001), Betgari Mir Shahe Alam Technical School and BM College (2004), Tiyail Mir Laboni Government Primary School (2012), Betgari Mir Shahe Alam Fisheries and Agricultural Technology Institute (2013), Betgari Mir Mahatab–Shahe Alam Women’s Dakhil Madrasa (2023), Mokamtala Mir Shahe Alam–Sattar Talukdar College (2023), Kichak Mir Shahe Alam College (2023), and Betgari Mir Shahe Alam Veterinary Institute (2025).

In the concluding part of the letter, the state minister requested that no proposals to name any further educational institutions after him or his family members be accepted or approved beyond those already listed.

Meanwhile, a letter signed by Shirin Akter, senior assistant secretary of the Non-Government Secondary-1 Branch of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, on 9 June stated that a proposal had been received to rename Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School as Shibganj Mir Shahe Alam Pilot Girls’ High School.

Accordingly, under Clause 14.5 of the Non-Government Educational Institutions (Junior Secondary, Secondary and Higher Secondary) Establishment, Teaching and Academic Recognition Policy-2022 (Revised 2023), issued by the Secondary and Higher Education Division on 13 July 2023, the chairman of the Rajshahi Education Board and the deputy commissioner of Bogura were asked to inspect the institution on site and submit a comprehensive report, including a clear opinion, justification and recommendation regarding the proposed name change.

Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School was established in 1973. Matiar Rahman, former general secretary of Shibganj upazila BNP, served three terms as chairman of the school’s managing committee.

He told Prothom Alo that the school was founded by former minister and local MP Mozaffar Hossain. The school occupies 74 decimals of land. The land was donated by the late Rafiq Uddin Pramanik, the late Musa Chowdhury and several other local education enthusiasts. He added, “I served as chairman of the school committee for three terms. Awami League leaders also held the position in the past. But no one had ever attempted to change the school’s name before.”

Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School’s headmaster Tajul Islam said the school currently has two streams, including a technical section. It has 34 teachers and staff members with 924 students. He added that despite meeting all the requirements, the school was excluded from nationalisation in 2018.

“The state minister for Rural Development and Cooperatives and MP for Bogura-2 (Shibganj), Mir Shahe Alam, has contributed in various ways to the school’s development and improving educational standards since before the election,” said the headmaster.

“Through his efforts, an auditorium costing Tk 2 million (20 lakh) and a prayer room costing Tk 700,000 (7 lakh) have already been constructed through the Education Engineering Department. The process of nationalising the school has also begun. In recognition of his commendable contribution to improving educational standards, the school managing committee decided to apply to the Ministry of Education to name the school after him,” he added.

The headmaster also claimed that another letter was sent to the ministry on 11 June withdrawing the application because of the state minister’s objection. However, when asked, he was unable to provide a copy of that letter.