Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Prof Mujibur Rahman on Tuesday criticised the government's decision to give management committees of MPO-listed schools and colleges the authority to appoint teachers, saying it is a deviation from the spirit of the July movement.

Speaking as the chief guest at a meeting of the central committee of Bangladesh Adarsha Shikkhak Federation at the Jamaat central office, he accused the BNP government of disrespecting the people’s mandate given in the referendum and committing a “heinous crime” by not implementing it.

“There is no precedent of not implementing the people's mandate in a referendum, but the current government has set it,” the Jamaat leader said.

On alleged politicisation of educational institutions, he said students had protested against the quota system, but within a few months of taking office, the BNP government has appointed vice chancellors to nine public universities on political considerations.

Mujibur also alleged that administrators have been appointed to most district councils instead of delegating authority to elected representatives, which he said is against the aspirations and spirit of the July uprising.

Criticising the decision to hand over teacher appointments in MPO-listed educational institutions to management committees, he alleged that “the BNP's tradition is to make appointments in exchange for money.”

“We witnessed it in the past. The government has taken this initiative to bring it back and lay a new foundation,” the Jamaat leader said.

He alleged that politicisation is pushing the education system towards “darkness” by allowing incompetent people to be appointed to educational institutions. He, however, asserted that the people of this country will not accept it.

Mujibur said Jamaat, as an opposition party, has a responsibility to realise the demands of teachers.

He also called for effective steps to stop the harassment and humiliation of teachers by miscreants in different places.

A detailed discussion was held on launching a movement and programmes to protest the decision, and a proposal to hold the movement in several phases was accepted.

The meeting also demanded that teacher recruitment in private educational institutions, including schools, colleges and madrasahs, continue through the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA).