Bhandaria (Pirojpur) Correspondent

The headmaster of Bhandaria Thana Girls’ Secondary School in Pirojpur, S.M. Mujibur Rahman, has been served with a show-cause notice over 24 allegations, including misappropriation of funds, operating the school’s bank accounts with a sole signature, financial irregularities, preparing fake bills and vouchers, negligence in maintaining financial records and taking financial decisions without approval from the school’s governing committee.

The notice was issued on September 13 and signed by Md. Hasibul Hasan, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and current president of the school’s governing committee. It asks the headmaster to explain why he should not be dismissed from service or subjected to any other appropriate disciplinary action over the allegations.

He has been asked to submit a written response within 10 working days. He has also been asked to inform the authorities within the stipulated period whether he wishes to appear for a personal hearing.

Among the allegations listed in the notice are operating two of the school’s bank accounts with a sole signature, failing to properly maintain records of school funds and allegedly not depositing approximately Tk 7.904 million collected from different classes and other sources into the bank accounts between January 2024 and June 30, 2026.

The notice also alleges that the headmaster handled income and expenditure without approval from the governing committee and allegedly misappropriated school income kept in cash through fake bills and vouchers.

It further states that the headmaster did not follow the committee’s approval and resolutions when making expenditures. Another serious allegation is that he allegedly failed to deduct VAT and income tax from expenditures, resulting in an estimated Tk 1.2 million in lost government revenue over the past two and a half years.

Other allegations include failing to use revenue stamps on vouchers, irregularly assigning roll numbers to newly admitted female students, collecting monthly tuition fees from students receiving stipends and failing to distribute tuition fees received against stipends among teachers.

According to the notice, fake bills and vouchers amounting to approximately Tk 4.997 million were allegedly prepared between January 2024 and June 2026. It also alleges that no accounts could be found for approximately Tk 2.907 million during the same period.

The notice further alleges that between 2024 and 2025, approximately Tk 770,000 was misappropriated by showing the headmaster’s personal loan as school income and later using the school fund to repay it.

Another allegation concerns approximately Tk 500,000 received under the PBGSI scheme for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The money was allegedly not spent according to regulations and was returned in January 2026. The notice states that this adversely affected disadvantaged female students, students with special needs, teachers and the school’s development activities.

It was also alleged that although students were charged Tk 200 annually as laboratory fees, the school laboratory was not made operational, leaving students deprived of practical classes.

Further allegations include holding meetings and making financial decisions unilaterally without the president, deciding to pay approximately Tk 1.13 million, dismissing an assistant headteacher and failing to properly maintain the school’s cashbook.

The notice also alleges that the headmaster arbitrarily stopped the school-funded portion of teachers’ salaries without approval from the governing committee, continued to receive housing allowance without approval despite a committee decision, and made indecent and objectionable remarks about an assistant teacher’s marriage, age, complexion and clothing.

Another allegation is that three benches and a table belonging to the school were sold to the owner of a hotel located in front of the school for Tk 1,500.

The notice states that such activities constitute punishable offences involving incompetence, professional misconduct, negligence of duty, corruption and moral misconduct under the relevant regulations of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Barishal, 2024.

It also states that the alleged activities constitute misconduct under the Financial Transparency and Accountability Policy for Private Educational Institutions, 2026.

The matter was discussed at a school meeting on September 10, where a decision was taken to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the headmaster. The show-cause notice was subsequently issued as part of that process.

The notice states that if the headmaster fails to submit his response within the stipulated period, or if his response is deemed unsatisfactory, an investigation committee will be formed in accordance with the rules and further action will be taken.