Satkhira Development Organisation (SAS) is a non - governmental organisation allegedly embezzling crores of Taka from the project of ‘Drop Out of School Student Education Project in Satkhira, which aims to bring back education deprived students to the academic sphere.
SAS NGO acquired the ‘Drop Out of School Student Education’ project worth Tk22 crores from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education in 2020 to offer education to students who dropped out from primary schools during the Covid-19 pandemic in Satkhira.
But the NGO officials and Assistant Director of Satkhira non formal education bureau Soroj Kumer Das are allegedly embezzling the huge amount of public money from the project without offering the non-formal education to drop out students of the district.
Visiting the project areas, our correspondent didn’t find a number of non-formal education centers in six upazila of Satkhira district, where SAS NGO would build 420 education centers across the six upazila.
Many centers, rented in the name of the project, were seen being used as the farmyard as there were no teachers or students to run academic activities. Locals alleged that the few students in the paper are from nearby primary schools but the project is supposed to teach dropped out students aged between 8-14 years.
Visiting the centers in Satkhira’s Sadar, Tala, Kolaroa, Debhata, Kaliganj upazilas, it was seen that some three to four students aged between five to six years who also are enrolled in different primary schools.
The NGO allegedly embezzled huge amounts of money in the name of buying furniture, preparing centers and education materials after publishing a circular in a local newspaper.
Sources from the Bureau of Non Formal Education in Satkhira said that SAS NGO started their project work after 20 months of fixed time.
Satkhira primary education office source said that there are about 1500 dropped out students in the district but SAS said they are implementing the project for more than 12 thousand dropped out students in 420 centers in the six upazila of the district.
Rahima Khatun, a local, said, “Students are not coming to the centers and classes are not being conducted. The few students who occasionally go to the centers are already enrolled in nearby different schools.”
Some local guardians of the students said that the NGO officials enrolled their kids to the non formal education centers after promising to give many things including clothes and education materials. But they are not keeping their word, the local guardians alleged.
Head Teachers of different Primary Schools expressed their doubt that there are no dropped out students learning in the centers.
“They are enrolling our students by promising students’ guardians that they will provide many things to the students,” the head teachers said. Satkhira Development Organisation (SAS) Executive Director Sheikh Iman Ali threatened this correspondent while he went to talk about the project.
“I will do whatever I want with the money. I am a local of Satkhira and i studied here. I have a Pistol (gun) with me,” he threatened.
“My people will see you," SAS’ Executive Director Sheikh Iman Ali further said.
While contacted, Assistant Director of Satkhira non formal education bureau Soroj Kumer Das said, “We have sent a letter (to SAS) to find out dropped out students and to enroll them.
He however denied to comment on the project.
