The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has condemned the closing of 265 primary schools in Kurigram centring Sunday's wedding reception of the son of state minister for primary and mass education.
Shutting down the schools, more than 1,000 teachers from Chilmari, Rowmari and Char Rajibpur upazilas under the district attended the ceremony on the day.
They also presented gold rings, a refrigerator and a washing machine to the newly-wed as gifts in his wedding reception.
For this, each teacher had to chip in Tk 500 in order to buy him those presents.
Against this backdrop, the Dhaka chapter of the Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog in a statement has expressed its grave concern over the incident.
It called for bringing to book those responsible, education officers, teachers and the state minister for primary and mass education, for this "heinous" act.
Citing the incident, TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the state minister, education officers and teachers concerned have committed an immoral act by breaking rules of the education system.
They have also showed sheer disrespect to teaching profession, he continued.
The Kurigram incident is a classic case of the country's education system being held hostage by partisanship and abuse of power, according to Mr Zaman.
"The state minister, education officers and teachers concerned cannot avoid the responsibility," he said.
The TIB said head teachers in those schools institutionalised the issue of personal invitations by taking advantage of their three days' reserved leave.
"But this calls for a clear explanation from the government as to whether this leave reserved for special circumstances can be used for such [private] events or not," it queried.
Mr Zaman said, "The incident of closing so many schools, participating in a private event and giving gifts by collecting Tk 500 per person is easily understandable that it cannot happen with the active cooperation of education officials".
The state minister and his family received those gifts only to show a "disgraceful mentality", he stated.
The government should explain the incident plainly to the public, especially to the students.
sajibur@gmail.com