‘Principals to be appointed through NTRCA’

City Desk:

Education Advisor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar has announced that initiatives have been taken to appoint headmasters and principals of private educational institutions through the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA).

Speaking at an event marking World Teachers’ Day in Dhaka on Sunday, he said the move aims to ensure merit-based appointments.

“Following the Anti-discrimination Movement, the [education] ministry has been working tirelessly to revitalise the education system. Our single goal is to ensure quality, inclusive, science-based,

and humane education. Through the expansion of modern science and technical education, we aim to develop the young generation into skilled, innovative, and globally competitive citizens,” said Abrar, reports bdnews24.com.

“Alongside fostering ethics, we are working to build environmental awareness and tolerance toward differing opinions because an educated person does not mean merely someone who reads books. The term educated means tolerant, responsible, and humane. To keep pace with the world, we are placing special emphasis on life skills, language education, and professional skill development. Our objective is to prepare students not only for exams but for life itself.”

Highlighting various initiatives taken by the Ministry of Education, Abrar added: “In light of past movements and demands, we have taken practical and positive steps. The process of producing accurate and quality textbooks has begun; the formulation of the NCTB (National Curriculum and Textbook Board) regulations is ongoing. Continuous discussions are being held with stakeholders to raise the standards of UGC (University Grants Commission) activities to international levels.

“A search committee has been formed for the appointment of vice-chancellors, and initiatives have been taken to ensure transparent recruitment in various key positions of the ministry through open applications. Based on the recommendations of different education commissions, white papers, and task force reports, steps are being taken for effective implementation.”

According to the advisor, the ministry has continued to make policy decisions in consultation with stakeholders at the grassroots level. To uphold merit in public exams, it has adopted a policy against inflated Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results and introduced scholarship tests to identify deserving students, he said.

He added that a new framework for technical education had been completed, while work to finalise the secondary-level framework was nearing completion through a consultation committee. The inclusion of new institutions under the monthly pay order (MPO) scheme is progressing, alongside reforms to education welfare trusts and governing boards. Research opportunities have also been expanded through the BANBEIS platform.

Until now, the NTRCA had the responsibility to recommend appointments only for entry-level teacher and lecturer positions in private educational institutions. The authority to appoint headmasters, assistant headmasters, and staff members, however, rested with the governing bodies of the institutions.

After losing the power to recruit employees, the governing bodies are now also losing the authority to appoint headmasters and principals.

At a workshop organised by the NTRCA on Sept 30, the organisation’s Chairman Aminul Islam said that a decision had been made to conduct the recruitment recommendation process for headmasters, assistant headmasters, principals, and vice-principals of private educational institutions under government supervision.

He added that the education ministry had formed a committee to determine which procedure and through which authority this process will be conducted. The committee will also decide under what model these appointments will take place.