PM directs nationalisation of Bandarban's Tindu Lower Secondary School

On the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon has announced the nationalisation of Tindu Lower Secondary School in Thanchi upazila, Bandarban.

The minister made the announcement during the discussion on the budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year in parliament on Sunday, June 28.

"The honourable prime minister has sent a directive to nationalise that school in the Tindu area of Thanchi. A slip has been sent today in this grand parliament. I want to inform you that the school will be nationalised soon," the education minister said.

Prime Minister's Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman said the prime minister recently learned through social media that the school's head teacher, Bamang Khiang Minglem, had been operating an engine-powered boat on the Sangu river on holidays to pay his colleagues' salaries.

He said the head teacher earned Tk 40,000 in March and April alone through boat operations, of which he spent Tk 30,000 on his colleagues' salaries. The prime minister was moved by this sacrifice to keep a school running in a remote hilly area. After the matter came to his attention, he instructed the education minister to take necessary measures to nationalise the school.

Established in 2020, Tindu Lower Secondary School currently has 56 students. However, due to the poverty of most students' families, regular fee collection is not possible, creating a long-standing crisis in paying teachers and staff.

According to media reports, the head teacher had been using his holiday earnings from boat operations to pay the school teachers' salaries to overcome the crisis. The school was established on 18 November 2020 with only eight students and three teachers. Apart from the head teacher, the two other teachers were also receiving only partial salaries from the government.