DHAKA (UCAN): The Catholic Church in Bangladesh shut down all its education institutions indefinitely in an area of Dhaka following demands by some student groups to sack teachers who they claim supported ousted prime minister, Shiekh Hasina.
On August 14, Archbishop Bejoy D’Cruze issued a notice calling for the indefinite closure of all Catholic-run education institutes in the Nawabganj subdistrict of Dhaka due to the unprecedented situation. The notice said the institutes would reopen after the end of “misunderstandings” and all concerned parties reach a settlement.
Jyoti F. Gomes, secretary of Bangladesh Catholic Education Board, said that students “in groups are coming to the schools and are threatening us. They are demanding accounts of our finances and suspension of certain teachers.”
Archbishop D’Cruze of Dhaka, the board chairperson, made an appeal to education adviser, Wahiduddin Mahmud, for protection in an August 25 letter.
In a statement, the authorities of Bandura Holy Cross High School and College in Nawabganj, which were closed, pushed for an end to the stalemate through dialogue with students and guardians.
Meanwhile, in an August 24 statement, St. Philip’s High School and College in northern Dinajpur district, apologised for “unexpected incidents and misunderstandings” and promised to fulfill the students’ “logical demands.”
[…students] in groups are coming to the schools and are threatening us. They are demanding accounts of our finances and suspension of certain teachers
The development came about two weeks after the fall of the Awami League government of Sheikh Hasina following a deadly students-led mass uprising on August 5.
Following Hasina’s ouster, some students in groups identified teachers who had close ties with the deposed regime and demanded their resignation.
They also demanded the permanent suspension of teachers who allegedly ran private tuition businesses, made vast amounts of money, and even punished students for not taking private tuition with them.
Gomes said that investigating teachers for irregularities and acting against them is common practice in Church-run institutes. He said that following complaints, some teachers were suspended, but the demand has turned into threats of attacks.
Holy Cross Brother Toren Palma, the principal of Bandura Holy Cross School and College, one of the oldest Catholic schools in Bangladesh, said that students in groups have been pressing hard for the resignation of teachers.
“Because of repeated incidents of such nature, our teachers were reluctant to continue classes,” Brother Palma said.
A senior teacher from St. Philip’s School and College said some students and alumni have made various demands, including space and time for prayers, teacher suspensions, and recruitment of qualified teachers.
“The authorities already held a dialogue with the teachers. We will hold dialogue with the guardians and students for an amicable solution,” the teacher said.
Mahmud warned against illogical demands and said that forcing resignations might lead to a total collapse of the education system.
