Serious allegations of recruitment irregularities and fraud have emerged against seven teachers, including the headmaster and assistant head teacher of Astomonisha High School in Bhangura Upazila of Pabna.
An audit report from the Ministry of Education has flagged the violations and recommended that Tk 11,705,917 received in salaries and allowances be returned to the state exchequer.
According to official sources, Astomonisha High School was established on 1 January 1957. The institution was inspected on 12 March 2020 by Assistant Education Inspector Rakibul Hasan of the Directorate of Inspection and Audit under the Ministry of Education.
He submitted his audit report on 31 August 2025, highlighting widespread irregularities in the recruitment of the headmaster, acting head teacher and several assistant teachers.
The report states that the school currently has 14 teachers, 13 of whom are under the government’s Monthly Payment Order (MPO) scheme. Of these, the appointments of seven teachers were found to be non-compliant with government recruitment rules.
The headmaster, Md Ansar Ali, joined the school on 30 September 2012. He previously served at Rupashee High School in the same upazila from 5 January 1995 to 28 September 2012. His MPO status began in January 2000. However, the audit report notes that at the time of his appointment as headmaster, he did not meet the required 12 years of experience for the post.
Assistant head teacher Md Ainol Haque joined the institution on 25 January 2018. Prior to that, he served as an assistant teacher (computer) at Chinavathkur Waresia Dakhil Madrasa in Chatmohar Upazila from 1 December 2003 to 24 January 2018.
The audit found that he did not submit a release order from his previous institution at the time of joining.
Assistant teacher Swapna Rani Pal, who joined on 1 January 2001, was found to have lacked the required academic qualification at the time of appointment. Similarly, assistant teacher Rokshana Khatun, appointed on the same date, did not possess the required agricultural diploma, making her application ineligible under recruitment rules.
Assistant teacher Md Rezaul Karim, who joined on 10 June 2010, was found to be ineligible under the recruitment policy issued on 4 February 2010 for the social science post due to insufficient qualifications. The report also states that he did not obtain a BEd degree from a government teachers’ training college in 2012, making him ineligible for higher pay scale claims.
Assistant teacher Muhammad Ali was found to hold a certificate from an unrecognised institution, rendering his appointment invalid under service rules. Meanwhile, assistant teacher Md Hamidur Rahman was unable to present all required educational certificates during inspection.
In light of these findings, the audit report recommended that the seven teachers refund Tk11,705,917 received in salaries and benefits to the government treasury.
Reacting to the report, assistant teacher Swapna Rani Pal rejected the allegations, claiming she had submitted all required documents at the time of appointment and that her records were later misplaced from office files. She said she had since resubmitted her certificates and insisted the allegations were incorrect.
Assistant head teacher Md Ainol Haque also dismissed parts of the findings, stating that all teachers had submitted written explanations and documents. He acknowledged issues regarding the release order but claimed it had later been corrected and resubmitted. “We will accept whatever decision the ministry takes,” he said.
Assistant teacher Md Rezaul Karim defended his appointment, saying it was carried out following consultations with education authorities and based on institutional needs. He claimed his qualifications in mathematics (Honours and Master’s) were considered valid for the post advertised as social science/BSc.
Headmaster Md Ansar Ali, however, rejected the audit findings, stating that his recruitment and experience were fully compliant with government rules. He also called for accountability of those involved in the original recruitment board.
Bhangura Upazila Acting Secondary Education Officer Md Atikuzzaman said he had not yet received any official communication regarding the allegations. “If we receive instructions, necessary steps will be taken accordingly,” he added.
The audit report has triggered widespread discussion and controversy in the local education sector, raising fresh questions over recruitment practices in MPO-affiliated institutions.
