No double shift at edu institutions, branches to become separate institutions

The government has decided to shut the double shift at all educational institutions operating under the education ministry from the next year and the decision will be implemented gradually in the next five years. The government also decided to shut the branches of all educational institutions and those campuses will be operated as separate institutions with separate educational institute identification numbers (EIINs).

These decisions were taken at a meeting at the education ministry on 21 April with education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury in the chair. Sources at the education ministry and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) said that these decisions were taken in light of introducing the new educational curriculum as educational institutions struggle to operate classes with adequate time in double shift as per the new curriculum.

There are currently 465 educational institutions operating double shifts with over 750,000 students across the country. Of those institutions, 165 are government-run with about 270,000 students and 222 enjoy the MPO (monthly payment order) facility with about 385,000 students. Teachers and employees of non-government schools and colleges under the MPO scheme receive a basic salary and some allowance from the state coffers. There are also 78 non-MPO-listed institutions with over 96,000 students.

The education ministry decided to shut the double shift at entry classes of educational institutions from 2025, and the decision will be implemented at all classes in the next five years. Respective educational institutions will also be operating class activities on Saturdays before going on a single shift entirely. No new teacher will be brought under the MPO scheme, and for the teachers from double shifts already enjoying the MPO facility, a strategy will be formulated to keep them employed. No educational institutions with the doubled shit will be approved to open any new classes anymore once the double shit becomes a new institution.

Replying to a query on whether the closure of double shift affects student enrollment, a DSHE director told Prothom Alo that student enrollment will be affected since the process is being implemented in phases.

A decision was also taken at that meeting to close the branch campuses of educational institutions. The education boards will provide these branches with separate EIIN from the Bangladesh Bureau of Education and Statistics (BANBEIS), and these branches then will operate as separate institutes with the teaching approval of education boards. Besides, the education boards concerned will also take necessary steps to form managing committees to operate those institutions.

Once these decisions are in place, branches of the educational institutions including Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Ideal School and College in capital’s Motijheel and Monipur Uchcha Bidyalaya and College in the capital’s Mirpur will turn into individual institutions with separate managing committees and principals.

Currently, branches run under a single managing committee and have separate branch heads.

According to the education ministry, the non-government educational institution (school and college) organogram and MPO policy will be amended to implement the new decision.

The current policy states no educational institution will open a branch anywhere except the approved main campus. However, the DSHE can consider the opening of a branch of an educational institution on the land with mutation and record of rights on the basis of demand and appropriateness.

So, this section of the policy will now require amendment.

Sources concerned said this plan to shut branches of educational institutions had been taken quite long ago, and it is being implemented now.

Professor Md Ziaul Haque, former chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka, told Prothom Alo both decisions are good because branches are apparently illegal and the existing policy does not allow opening branches, which is why they have long been telling these branches to become separate institutions.

Besides, educational institutions do not often get adequate time for classes due to operating a double shift and co-education operations also face problems during this time. Since there are an adequate number of educational institutions, student enrolment will not be affected much. However, efforts must continue to improve the education quality of all institutions, he added.