Majhira Model High School || Photo: Collected –
Masum Hossain –
For nine long years, the secondary-level textbooks to be distributed for free by the government used to be kept in a school room. Recently the books were no longer found in that room. It was after that that a rumor spread that the government books had disappeared. The headmistress of that school also confessed to selling the books. But later on, she filed a GD herself at the police station about the disappearance of the books.
Such an incident occurred in the Shajahanpur Upazila of Bogura. The secondary government books were kept in a room of the Majhira Model High School in that Upazila. There is now no trace of the books.
It has been alleged that the books have been sold for around 8 lakh taka. The school’s headmistress, Mirza Dilruba Lucky, is directly involved in selling the books.
Mirza Dilruba Lucky filed a General Diary (GD) at the Shajahanpur police station on Thursday regarding the missing books. The GD mentioned that the government books were missing from one of the rooms of her institution. This is what the headteacher Mirza Dilruba Lucky said.
But in a video interview last Sunday, the headmistress said to the journalists, ”Because of the large number of our students, it was necessary to vacate the room where the books were kept. I reported the matter to the secondary education office. Later, he (Upazila secondary education officer) asked to shift the books to another place. Therefore, some old and damaged books have been sold. The books were from 2015-2016. At the same time, we also sold some of our unnecessary old documents.”
But now she is saying something different. She said over the phone, “I don’t know anything about the disappearance of the government books. I have complained to the police station; the Upazila secondary education office will investigate and search for the books.”
When asked, the Upazila Secondary Education Officer Mahbubul Hossain said, “The headteacher, Mirza Dilruba Lucky, informed me before the start of the SSC examination this year that the old books kept in the room have to be transferred. Later I talked to the UNO about selling the books at auction. The UNO did not let me know the decision at that time. Now I see that the books kept in the school room are no longer there.”
We talked to the Secondary Education Officer of the Adamdighi Upazila, Bogura, Md Taufiq Aziz. Earlier, he worked as a Secondary Education Officer at the Shajahanpur Upazila of Bogura.
He said, “Last June, I came to Adamdighi after being transferred from the Shajahanpur Upazila of Bogura. It is difficult to tell the exact number of books in that room. However, after the distribution of the books in educational institutions of the Upazila, there remain some extra books every year. Those books were kept in a room at the Majhira Model High School.”
He also said, ”Many educational institutions in the Upazila used to take more books than necessary. Later, the extra books were taken back from them and kept in that room. The room being vast, approximately 65-70% of the room was filled with old books. As the Upazila secondary education office did not have its storehouse, the books were kept in that school room.”
Md. Taufiq Aziz also said, “The old books are sold at auction with government permission. Later, the money earned from the sale of the books has to be deposited in the government treasury.”
Abdul Halim Dudu, the assistant teacher of the Majhira Model High School, said, “The sale of the government books started from the day the SSC examination started (September 15). Later, the books were sold within 12-15 days. Every night the books were taken out of that school room and picked up in a pickup.”
He also said, “From 2013 till 2021, the Upazila Secondary Education Office kept books in the school room every year.”
On condition of anonymity, an assistant teacher of that school said, “The headteacher of the school, Mirza Dilruba Lucky, is directly involved in the sale of the government books.” There were about ten pickups of books in the school room. They have been sold for around eight lakh taka.”
When asked, the Majhira Model High School Managing Committee President Nuruzzaman said, “The headmistress is not involved in the sale of the books. Some naughty teachers of the school are conspiring to frame her. It is those teachers who sold the books but are blaming the headmistress Mirza Dilruba Lucky. I’m not fully in the know of the matter, though.”
Asked, the Shajahanpur Police Station Officer-in-charge (OC), Md. Abdullah Al Mamun said, ”The government books have disappeared from the school room; a general diary has been filed at the police station. If the authority concerned files a case, necessary measures will be taken after a thorough investigation.”
When asked, the District Education Officer, Md. Hazrat Ali, said, “No one has informed me of the disappearance of the government books so far. Necessary steps will be taken in this incident after inquiry.”
