Festival Allowances
Tk1.75 Crores embezzled by two teachers, only 'Semai Money' for the rest
Collected Photo
For private school teachers, Eid is not a complete joy but some partial celebration which is again clouded by financial dilemmas—should they buy vermicelli (semai) and sugar, or clothes for their children? While government school teachers receive a festival bonus equivalent to 100% of their basic salary, private school teachers used to receive only 25% (which is currently 50%). Many private school teachers, therefore, jokingly said, 'This money doesn't fund Eid, it only buys semai.'
Amidst this grim reality, two teachers from a school in the capital have pulled off something unimaginable. The headmaster and assistant headmaster of Siddheswari Girls' High School in Dhaka drew their bonuses via a "VIP Package". While a regular private school teacher receives a combined total of around 14 to 15 thousand Taka for both Eid festivals, these two individuals pocketed nearly 1.75 crore Taka over a 10-year period.
One of them is Sahab Uddin Mollah, the former headmaster who is now retired. The second is assistant teacher Delwar Hossain, who currently serves as the acting headmaster. They misappropriated this money over a decade, spanning from 2014 to 2025.
This fraud came to light during an investigation by the Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) under the Ministry of Education.
The investigation report states that the headmaster and assistant headmaster collectively plundered a total of 1.77 crore Taka.
At a time when private school teachers are protesting on the streets, braving the sun and rain to demand a 100% festival allowance, this bleak picture of looting has been uncovered at a renowned school in the capital.
How the 1.77 Crore Taka Was Looted
According to the investigation, former headmaster Sahab Uddin Mollah regularly drew an additional 98,000 Taka in some months and 75,000 Taka in others, entirely outside of his official salary and allowances. However, this extra amount never fell below 75,000 Taka in any given month. Over 10 years, this accumulated to 97,19,000 Taka.
The current acting headmaster, Delwar Hossain, who served as the assistant headmaster during Sahab Uddin's tenure, was no less involved in the corruption. Matching his colleague stride for stride, he illegally pocketed 80,28,612 Taka.
The total amount of illegal funds taken by these two teachers stands at 1,77,47,700 Taka. The investigators have declared these withdrawals illegal and recommended that the entire amount be recovered and returned to the institution's general fund.
Festival Allowance for General Teachers
According to government regulations, an MPO-enrolled headmaster or assistant headmaster of a school used to receive 25% of their basic salary as a festival allowance (which is currently 50%). This means if the basic salary was 29,000 Taka, the bonus amounted to only 7,250 Taka.
The DIA investigation report is currently on the table of the Ministry of Education. Approved last Thursday, it has been submitted to the ministry for further action. The teachers and staff of the school are now waiting to see what disciplinary action the ministry takes against the two teachers who drew this unprecedented festival allowance.
Monirul Islam, Assistant Inspector of Education at the DIA and the investigating officer, told Agamir Somoy, "During the audit, we found evidence of these irregularities after verifying the financial records, salary registers, bank accounts, and relevant documents of these two teachers. We have recommended recovering the illegally withdrawn excess money and taking administrative action."
Monirul Islam further stated that besides the excessive festival allowances, severe irregularities were also found in recruitment, accounting, tax and VAT payments, and procurement processes within the institution. These matters are now under consideration by the Ministry of Education.
Regarding the allegations, Acting Headmaster Delwar Hossain told Agamir Somoy, "I do not know what is written in the investigation report. However, the allegations brought against us are not true. I drew my bonus at the same rate as any regular teacher, and I received it through the bank."
The statement of the retired headmaster, Sahab Uddin Mollah, could not be obtained.
