Managing committees and teachers of government primary schools in the capital rent out their campuses for holding weddings, birthday parties and others social events ignoring the rules.
Rented out school class rooms and open spaces remain littered with leftovers, said students.
Teachers told dainikshiksha.com that they rented out school campuses for social function pressure from the managing committee members.
School managing committee members said no rent was charged from social function organizers on Fridays or vacations when schools remain closed.
But some of them said that they had to rent out school campuses to mobilize funds for paying wages of cleaners and ayas.
It costs between Tk 2,000 to Tk 3,700 to rent school campuses on weekend evenings or public holidays.
It costs double the amount to rent a school campus for midday especially in the winter, admitted decorators.
Often school managing committee members force teachers to agree to renting out school campuses for social events, said Dhaka district primary education officer Shahin Ara Begum.
Action would be taken for such irregularities, she said.
She said that she heard that rentals for social events are spent for paying wages of cleaners and ayas.
Government primary school campuses are rented out for weddings, iftar parties and other social events in gross violation of official directives, said director general of primary education Md Alamgir.
He said that action was taken whenever such violations come to the authority’s notice.
In August 2009, primary education authorities prohibited renting out class rooms and school campuses.
On visits, earlier this month, New Age found the campuses and even class rooms of several government primary schools in the capital under use for social events on payment of rentals.
The violations were witnessed at Mahuttuli Government Primary School, Bakshibazar Government Primary School, Nabab Katra Government Primary School, Najirabazar Government Primary School, Narinda Government Primary School and Suritola Government Primary School.
Locals reported that weddings, bridal receptions, birthday and circumcision parties are held on government primary school campuses and at greater frequencies in the winter.
A Class V student told New Age a kitchen built by a decorator and its stock of cutlery for holding parties reduced the playground of Mahuttuli Government Primary School.
Overuse had made the kitchen walls completely dark.
Locals said Palak Decorator, housed in the next building, holds the parties on contracts.
Palak Decorator charges Tk 3700 for organizing an evening party.
Headmistress Ismat Sultana admitted that many functions take place at her school.
But she pleaded her ignorance about who rents out her school campus for holding parties.
She also said that the salaries of five part time teachers and a few cleaners and ayas were paid from the rental earnings.
She said that the salaries of only six teachers were paid by the authorities.
She also said that the authorities did not sanction cleaners for her school with 850 students.
The tiny auditorium and open space of Bakshibazar Government Primary School were littered with leftovers.
The same was the picture at Nabab Katra Government Primary School.
Headmasters said that school managing committees rent out both the campuses to pay the wages of aya and cleaners.
Locals said they could use the campuses of both the schools paying rentals ranging from Tk 2,000 to Tk 3,000 for an evening.
Bakshibazar Government Primary School managing committee member Abdur Rahim no wedding parties were permitted on the school campus.
