Shah Alam School Naming Proposal Debated

A proposal to rename the 53-year-old Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School in Bogura as “Shibganj Mir Shah Alam Pilot Girls’ High School” has sparked discussion in the district, while the State Minister concerned has reportedly expressed opposition to further educational institutions being named after him or his family members.

The proposal was recently submitted to the Ministry of Education by the school’s management committee. The institution is currently being administered by an ad hoc committee headed by Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ziaur Rahman.

Mir Shah Alam, the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and Member of Parliament for Bogura-2 (Shibganj), did not provide a direct statement on the matter. However, his Political Press Secretary, Atikur Rahman, said that on 1 June the minister sent a demi-official (DO) letter to the Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education, requesting that no initiatives be taken to name any educational institution after him.

According to the letter, since assuming office, various individuals have submitted proposals to name institutions after him, often on their own initiative. The minister described such proposals as undesirable and stated that preserving the long-standing heritage, identity and distinctiveness of educational institutions would be more appropriate.

The letter also referred to ten educational institutions already named after Mir Shah Alam or members of his family. It stated that these institutions were established or developed through land donations, personal financial contributions, support for establishment costs and long-term patronage of education.

Educational Institutions Named After Mir Shah Alam’s Family

In the concluding section of the letter, the minister requested that no additional proposals for naming educational institutions after him or his family members be accepted or approved beyond the ten institutions already listed.

Meanwhile, a letter dated 9 June, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Shirin Akter of the Private Secondary-1 Branch under the Secondary and Higher Education Division, confirmed that a proposal had been received to rename Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School. The ministry instructed the Chairman of the Rajshahi Education Board and the Deputy Commissioner of Bogura to conduct an on-site inspection and submit a detailed report, including recommendations and justification, in accordance with Clause 14.5 of the “Private Educational Institutions (Junior Secondary, Secondary and Higher Secondary) Establishment, Teaching and Academic Recognition Policy-2022 (Amended-2023)” issued on 13 July 2023.

Established in 1973, Shibganj Pilot Girls’ High School is one of the oldest educational institutions in the area. Former management committee chairman Matiar Rahman, who served in the role on three occasions and is a former general secretary of the Shibganj Upazila BNP, stated to our representative that the school was founded by former minister and local Member of Parliament Mozaffar Hossain. He added that the institution occupies 74 decimals of land donated by the late Rafique Uddin Pramanik, the late Musa Chowdhury and several other local education advocates.

Rahman further noted that leaders from different political backgrounds had previously chaired the management committee, but no attempt had ever been made to change the school’s name.

According to Head Teacher Tajul Islam, the school currently operates both general and technical streams. It has 924 students and 34 teachers and staff members.

Current Profile of the School

The head teacher also stated that despite meeting all required criteria, the institution was not included in the nationalisation programme in 2018. He said that Mir Shah Alam had contributed to the school’s development and educational improvement before becoming a minister. According to him, a multipurpose hall costing BDT 2 million and a prayer room costing BDT 700,000 were constructed through the Education Engineering Department with the minister’s support. He further stated that the process of nationalising the school has also begun.

Tajul Islam said that, following the minister’s objection, another letter was sent to the ministry on 11 June seeking withdrawal of the naming proposal. However, he was unable to provide a copy of that letter when requested.