Monipur High School and College, a renowned educational institution at Mirpur in the capital Dhaka, allegedly witnessed unprecedented looting, fraud and administrative misconduct over the past 16 years during the ousted Awami League regime, according to a government probe report.

An audit found irregularities and embezzlement amounting to about Tk 552 crore, while about Tk 50 crore in value-added tax and income tax was allegedly evaded over the past 16 years.

The investigation and audit conducted by the Directorate of Inspection and Audit under the education ministry unearthed massive irregularities at the institution, and the 140-page DIA report was submitted on Sunday to the secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the education ministry.

MM Shohidul Islam, director of the Directorate of Inspection and Audit, told New Age that the audit report, along with its recommendations, had been submitted to the ministry.

He added that the ministry would take further steps in this regard.

According to the report, irregularities amounting to Tk 436.12 crore occurred in construction and renovation works between 2009 and 2025. About Tk 87.94 crore was allegedly looted in the name of academic development and city allowances for teachers and staff, while another Tk 5.25 crore was collected from students as magazine fees over the past 12 years without any magazine being published.

The report further alleged that Tk 11.43 crore was embezzled in the name of printing, despite the institution having its own printing press. The managing committee allegedly took Tk 2.43 crore as honorarium although such payments were not allowed under institutional regulations.

The report stated that Tk 87.94 crore was misappropriated over the past 16 years through illegal academic development and city allowances for teachers and staff, and that the money should be returned to the institution’s fund.

It also said that Tk 66.53 lakh out of Tk 2.65 crore collected from the Ibrahimpur branch of the educational institution was not deposited in the general fund and was allegedly embezzled. Another Tk 79.20 lakh collected as canteen rent was not deposited.

Between the 2009–10 and 2024–25 financial years, Tk 436.12 crore was reportedly spent on construction, repair and development works, but no vouchers, expenditure records or governing body resolutions approving the spending could be produced.

The report also noted that Tk 4.01 crore was shown as advertisement expenditure without any supporting bills or vouchers.

Although no annual magazine was published, Tk 5.25 crore was collected from students over 12 years in the name of magazine fees. At the Ibrahimpur campus, Tk 1.17 crore was allegedly spent on painting and repair works without any proof of expenditure.

The report further said that although the rules governing governing bodies and managing committees did not allow honorariums, Tk 2.43 crore was paid as honorariums, and the money should be refunded to the institution’s fund.

Regarding the tax evasion, the report stated that Tk 36.75 crore in VAT for the period between the 2009–10 and 2024–25 financial years must be deposited into the government treasury through treasury challans, and copies of the challans must be submitted to the ministry.

It also said that about Tk 14 lakh in property VAT, Tk 1.5 crore in income tax related to special classes and committee honorariums, another Tk 1.5 crore from development works conducted by ad hoc committees, and Tk 10 crore in income tax from bills paid to five contractor firms should be recovered and deposited into the government treasury.

According to the report, 662 out of 794 teachers were recruited illegally. The allegedly illegal appointments included 67 teachers in the morning section and 65 in the day section of the main boys’ branch, 75 in the morning section and 61 in the day section of the main girls’ branch, 63 and 61 in Branch-1, 32 and 30 in Branch-2, 56 and 53 in Branch-3, 24 and 26 in the college section and 25 and 24 in the English-version college section.

The report also termed the appointment of acting head teacher Md Sirajul Islam illegal, saying that there was no job application, no nomination letter from the DSHE director general representative, no recruitment committee resolution, no recommendation resolution and no tabulation sheet for the recruitment process.

It also stated that there was no governing body approval for his appointment and joining, and that proper recruitment procedures were not followed.

The DIA also presented evidence regarding irregularities in the appointments of 661 other teachers. In many cases, teachers were appointed without registration certificates, making the appointments completely illegal.

The report recommended that salaries and benefits received by illegally appointed teachers be returned to the institution’s fund.

Acting head teacher Md Sirajul Islam told New Age that all the irregularities and corruption took place during the Awami League regime which was outed on August 5, 2024.

‘Now we will act according to the ministry’s decision to run the school transparently,’ he added.

The report also mentioned that, out of the institution’s 14 shifts across six campuses, only four had official approval, while the remaining 10 were operating without authorisation.

It said that during the previous ‘fascist regime’, corruption, mismanagement and the unchecked collection of money from students became institutionalised, benefiting teachers, staff, governing body members and business syndicates associated with the institution.

The report observed that the salaries of teachers and staff had increased to such a level that many were earning four to five times more than employees of government institutions, encouraging uncontrolled student admissions.

It recommended forming a high-powered monitoring committee involving the education ministry, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and the DIA to oversee the institution.

It also suggested restructuring branches into separate institutions and appointing members of the BCS education cadre on deputation to those institutions as head.

DIA officials said that it was learnt that the institution had long been under the influence of former state minister for industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder during the previous Awami League regime.

Kamal Ahmed, who is now in jail in connection with a number of cases, had allegedly attempted to bring the institution under a trust structure and appointed his daughter to the trust as chairperson and to the governing body as president.

With the assistance of former principal and several loyal teachers and staff members, large-scale financial irregularities were allegedly committed, turning the institution into a commercial enterprise, DIA officials said.

A seven-member audit team inspected the institution and collected documents in October and November in 2025.

The institution has six campuses in the capital with a total of 14 shifts. It currently has 29,209 students and 794 teachers. Of the teachers, 46 are under the monthly payment order facility, while 748 others are outside the facility.