Patuakhali District Correspondent

A massive web of irregularities, forgery, and corruption has engulfed the Mirzaganj Union Dargah Sharif Secondary School in Patuakhali upazila. Definitive evidence has emerged showing that a teacher has been drawing salaries from the state exchequer for over 20 years using forged certificates. However, the Upazila Secondary Education Officer faces serious allegations of submitting a superficial investigation report to cover up the crime in exchange for a large financial bribe. To make matters worse, two media workers who went to gather information on these irregularities were held hostage and threatened with a heavy iron hammer inside the school premises, requiring an emergency rescue operation by the police via the national emergency service '999'.

Two Decades of Forgery
According to school records, a teacher named Chhobi Rani Khaskel joined the institution as a Hindu Religion teacher on September 28, 2003. Since her monthly pay order (MPO) enlistment, she sequentially secured a B.Ed scale, a time scale, and eventually a second higher grade scale in 2023. However, a deeper investigation revealed that her academic certificates—spanning Adya (1996), Madhya (1997), and Upadhi (1998) examinations under the 'Bangladesh Sanskrit and Pali Education Board' through Bakai Hari Gobind Sanskrit College—are completely fabricated.

A school resolution claiming she would complete the course within five years of joining was also found to be a forgery. Saidur Rahman, a former teacher at the school, confirmed that the signatures on the resolution were faked, noting that none of the listed teachers had signed it. Despite taking no official study leave to complete these courses, she allegedly uploaded these fraudulent certificates to the EMIS cell on April 6, 2023, with the help of the then-acting Headmaster Rabin Lal Roy to secure her higher pay scale.

Education Officer’s Biased Probe
Following the exposure of the certificate scam, the Upazila Secondary Education Office initiated an investigation under memorandum number 38. However, sources allege the investigation was turned into a complete farce. Reliable sources claim that on May 19, 2026, Mirzaganj Upazila Secondary Education Officer Shahidul Islam submitted a highly biased and deceptive report to the District Education Officer after a significant financial exchange to protect the accused teacher.

The report brushed off the allegations by stating that the complainant had withdrawn the complaint. Conscious citizens and educators have questioned the integrity of the officer, pointing out that a criminal or departmental offense like certificate forgery cannot be validated simply because an individual complaint is withdrawn. Overlooking the forgery based solely on a withdrawn complaint has heavily questioned the education officer's honesty. He was reportedly assisted in this cover-up by the current acting Headmaster Md. Shah Alam (BSc) and the supervisor of a local madrasah, who is widely known as the education officer's accomplice in various misdeeds.

Journalists Attacked and Threatened with Hammer
The corruption took a violent turn on July 5, 2026, when Monzur Morshed Tuhin, the district correspondent of the national English daily The Country Today, along with Md. Badal Hossain, a correspondent for Bonik Barta and Asian Television, visited the school to collect information. While interviewing Chhobi Rani Khaskel in the assistant teachers' lounge with the headmaster's permission, a fourth-class employee (peon) named Jalilur Rahman Goldar suddenly grew aggressive and began verbally abusing the journalists.

Though the headmaster moved the journalists to his private office to defuse the tension, Jalil—instigated over the phone by ICT teacher Md. Sohail and English teacher Billal Hossain Raju—stormed the office at 1:35 PM. Brandishing a heavy iron hammer used for ringing the school bell, Jalil charged at the journalists in the presence of Chhobi Rani and threatened to murder them. The reporters immediately contacted the National Emergency Service (999), prompting a team from the Mirzaganj Police Station to rush to the spot and rescue them. A General Diary (GD No. 191) has been lodged regarding the assault.

Further Irregularities Unearthed
The backlash against the media has uncovered additional scandals within the institution, which are explicitly detailed in copies of files 1000053599 and 1000053600. Serious allegations of child marriage have surfaced against ICT teacher Md. Sohail, who is reportedly cohabiting with an underage minor student from the same school, identified as the daughter of local resident Abul Sharif. Furthermore, it has been revealed that Jalilur Rahman Goldar, the employee who attacked the journalists with a hammer, secured his own job using a fraudulent Class 8 certificate. A review of school archives indicates that no student by his name ever existed during the academic year listed on his certificate.

Statements from Authorities
When contacted, Upazila Secondary Education Officer Shahidul Islam cleverly evaded questions and failed to provide a valid reason for submitting a compromised investigation report. Patuakhali District Secondary Education Officer Mujibur Rahman stated that his office has not yet received a formal complaint regarding the compromised probe, but assured that strict legal action would be taken if specific evidence is presented in writing.

Meanwhile, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), who also serves as the current President of the school's governing body, stated that he was unaware of the details surrounding the certificate forgery and the prior investigation. He added that the police are handling the assault on the journalists, and the headmaster has been directed to form an internal probe committee to recommend further regulatory actions based on their findings. Local educational circles noted that allowing such a controversial officer to hold simultaneous charge of four upazilas destroys the moral framework of the education system, demanding a higher-level independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.