Dhaka, Sep 13 (V7N)- None of the five local government laws require candidates to have a specific educational qualification to contest local government elections, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam has said.
He urged prospective candidates not to be misled by misinformation regarding educational qualifications for local government elections.
The State Minister made the remarks on Sunday during a briefing at the Secretariat following a meeting between the Local Government Minister, the State Minister and the Swiss Ambassador.
Mir Shahe Alam said there is no mandatory educational qualification for candidates seeking election as Union Parishad (UP) members or chairmen, Upazila chairmen or vice-chairmen, Zila Parishad chairmen, municipal mayors or councillors, or city corporation mayors or councillors.
Regarding MPO-listed teachers, he said local government laws clearly stipulate that a person holding a full-time, remunerative position under the Republic, a local council or any other local authority is ineligible to contest the elections.
He further said the Ministry of Education’s 2021 policy on manpower structures and MPO guidelines for private educational institutions also prohibit MPO-listed teachers and employees from simultaneously holding multiple positions, jobs or other financially remunerative posts under rules 11.17(a) and 11.17(b).
According to rule 11.17(b), a financially remunerative post refers to a position that provides salary, allowances or honoraria from the government, private educational institutions, organizations, universities or the legal profession in exchange for services.
The State Minister said the Election Commission is responsible for election regulations and determining candidate eligibility. The EC will now review the relevant local government laws alongside the Ministry of Education’s policies to determine whether MPO-listed teachers can contest local government elections.
He also said it would be unjust for Jamaat to blame the government over the issue of MPO-listed teachers contesting elections, noting that Jamaat representatives were present in Parliament when the relevant bill was passed.
END/SMA/AJ
