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Bangladesh orders closure of 'peace schools' which reportedly promoted religious extremism

Others
Dhaka Division, BangladeshUpdated: Aug 03, 2016, 08:31 AM IST
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The directive -- to shut down the schools -- was passed after detailed discussion of an intelligence report about the operations of the peace schools, the Daily Star?quoted sources who had been part of that meeting as saying. Photograph:(AFP)
The Bangladesh education ministry has asked the home ministry to shut down the country's “peace schools” without further delay.

“We have taken the decision as the educational institutions have no approval from the government,” education minister Nurul Islam Nahid told The Daily Star on Tuesday evening. “No institute can run without following rules and regulations.”

The shut down of the schools was ordered following intelligence and media reports that the schools' curriculum promoted religious extremism. 

“As we did not approve them (peace schools), we have nothing to do with them. These unapproved schools must be closed with the force of law enforcers. That's why we have made the call to the home ministry,” a senior education ministry official told the Daily Star.

The schools have been up and running due to a lack of government oversight, he added.

The directive -- to shut down the schools -- was passed after detailed discussion of an intelligence report about the operations of the peace schools, the Daily Star quoted sources who had been part of that meeting as saying.

According to the report, as many as 27 schools in six districts were regulated by Jamaat-e-Islami and a part of their earnings was spent on the party's organisational activities.

(WION web team)