Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW Vol. 4 Num 222 Fri. January 09, 2004       Letters to Editor Education Ministry's circular on third class bar M. Sadeq,Chairman, Dept. of Management Tejgaon College, Dhaka The Ministry of Education's circular No. Sha.11/6(2)/2002/347(13), dated January 4, withdrawing one third class bar in any public examination for recruitment of teachers in non-governmental educational institutions and enabling them to be appointed as teachers with the entitlement of enlistment in government, has been endorsed to the DCs and UNOs only and the same has not been circulated to the educational institutions who are more in need of it for necessary action and compliance. No educational institution of Dhaka mohanagar even is in receipt of this circular, for which third class bar is still found to be imposed in the recruitment advertisements published by some educational institutions. The National University which has also some connection with the recruitment of teachers in non-government degree colleges has also not been posted with the decision of the government regarding the withdrawal of one third class bar. The NU regulations regarding appointment of teachers in non-government degree colleges have got to be amended as per the decision of the government. That the withdrawal of one third class bar is equally applicable for appointment of teachers in HSC level and degree colleges is quite clear from the circular of the Education Ministry. The NU being the affiliating University of the Non-government degree colleges also needs to accommodate the decision of the government in its SSR and apprise all the colleges under its control. The NU is a university directly under the administrative jurisdiction of the Education Ministry and as such any decision of the Ministry regarding relaxation of academic qualification, age and experience of teachers of non-government colleges becomes automatically binding upon it. It is therefore necessary that the NU is duly posted about any decision of the Education Ministry regarding recruitment, promotion, extension of service etc. of non-government college teachers. Similarly, any decision of the NU should have prior or post-facto approval of the Ministry of Education. In any circumstance there should exist no scope of tussle between the Ministry of Education and the National University which is bound to cause untold sufferings of the innocent citizens. I have narrated the above point from a bitter experience of a recruitment case of a candidate with one third class in degree and a first class in Masters. The College GB selected him for appointment, but could not issue appointment letter as yet since the NU regulations of 1994, which requires a candidate to possess minimum second class in all public examinations, stood as a bar for him. It is learnt that the college authority has referred the case to the NU for approval in terms of the Education Ministry's decision regarding one third class bar. It is still uncertain whether the NU would accord approval to the above selection or not. The candidate under reference told me that the NU seems to stick to its 1994 regulations and does not seem to comply with the Education Ministry's circular withdrawing the one third class bar. I would request the Education Ministry to kindly endorse the copy of the aforesaid circular to the National University with special advice to incorporate the withdrawal of class bar in the SSR/1994 of the NU in the greater public interest. This will save the Non-government Colleges from unnecessary sufferings and harassments.