Govt picks 285 colleges, 40 high schools for nationalisation

The government has finalised 285 colleges and 40 high schools throughout Bangladesh for nationalisation.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) on Thursday issued an order asking the authorities of these 325 institutions to hand the movable and unmovable assets to the government.

Notable in the list of colleges is the Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Women's College in Mymensingh's Fulbarhia, the place that became a hotspot for demonstrations a few months ago.

Local people, students and teacher of Fulbarhia College, which was established before the women's college, took part in a series of demonstrations demanding the nationalisation of the college.

A teacher of the college and another person were killed when the police charged baton to disperse the demonstrators.

Though the Fulbaria College is left out of the list, five colleges named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's mother Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib in different districts have made it to the final list.

The others include Savar College in Dhaka, and Nizampur College, Hathazari College, Raozan College, Fatikchharhi College, Anwara College and Rangunia College in Chittagong.

The government is nationalising one college each in the Upazilas without any government college. As many as 14 colleges in three Chittagong Hill Tracts districts are being nationalised under this criterion.

The order has been sent to deputy commissioners.

The education ministry also asked the DSHE to know the amount of money needed to pay the salaries and allowances of the teachers and employees of these institutions.

DSHE has been asked to stop exchange of assets and appointments in these institutions.