A total of 2,695 educational institutes, which are mostly privately run, have closed their operation over the past couple of years despite having the educational institute identification number (EIIN) approved by the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED), according to Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS).
These institutes have EIIN which means they have the approval of the education board, but they are yet to be included in the official list of closed institutes.
Two responsible officials of BANBEIS informed Prothom Alo of this. They said they came to know about these institutes while gathering data on the Bangladesh Education Statistics.
BANBEIS is the lone government organisation in education sector of the country responsible for the collection, compilation and dissemination of educational information and statistics on secondary to higher education institutes.
According to the BANBIES, there were over 18,000 secondary schools, about 1,500 school and colleges, 3,341 colleges, 9,259 madrasas, 5,395 technical institutes and 171 universities in the country in 2023.
BANBIES data showed 1,274 secondary schools closed their operation, 91 school and colleges, 921 colleges, 741 madrasas, 37 teacher training institutes, 313 technical education institutes, 44 professional education institutes and three private universities shut their operation. These institutes, however, have their EIIN, and that means they still exist on documents.
Privately-run Western School and College opened in the capital’s Katabon area in 2006 with the approval of the education board, but the BANBEIS data shows this institution is no longer in operation.
Visiting the Katabon area on Saturday, a real estate company is constructing a multi-storied building on the location of the institute. An on-duty gatekeeper said he has been working here since 2021 and never saw an education institute.
When Prothom Alo called over the mobile phone associated with this institute, a certain Tanvir Haque received the call. He identified himself as the then-vice principal of the Western School and College. He told Prothom Alo the operation of their institute has remained postponed since the coronavirus pandemic, and it has not been possible to resume the operation anymore.
This correspondent also visited the address of another institute in the Lake Circus area of the capital’s Kalabagan, but could not find its existence.
BANBEIS officials, however, could specify the reasons behind the closure of the operation of these institutes. An official told Prothom Alo operation of educational institutes is being closed relatively more in the northern regions. Officials think most private educational institutes open with the hope of being listed in the monthly payment order (MPO) facility, and many of them quit when they cannot get it after long. Besides, educational institutes were launched without considering the proper demand, and later these institutes could not get an adequate number of students.
Many educational institutes also allegedly get approval by following various ‘tricks’.
People concerned from the education sector said education institutes felt the impact of the one-and-a-half-year closure of schools during the pandemic in 2020. BANBEIS said more than 700 educational institutes were closed in 2020.
Former chairman of Dhaka Education Board professor M Ziaul Haque told Prothom Alo many educational institutes start unnecessarily and those do not have quality teachers and infrastructures. As a result, they can no longer stay in operation after a certain time.
Education boards have the updated information on these institutes and they should revoke the EIIN number or cancel approval and inform the BANBEIS so that BANBEIS can take necessary measures, he added.