Govt to Recover Tk 534 Crore from 739 Fake Certificate Holders

A massive investigation by the Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) has uncovered a staggering scale of certificate fraud and land encroachment within the country's educational institutions. Over the last five fiscal years, the DIA inspected 7,382 institutions and identified 739 teachers and staff members working with forged certificates. The agency has recommended that the government recover Tk 534 crore paid to these individuals in salaries and benefits.

Specific cases highlight the depth of the crisis. Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, an assistant computer teacher at Bataichari High School in Cumilla’s Barura, was found to have submitted a fake computer training certificate. The DIA has recommended recovering Tk 30.80 lakh from him. Similarly, Md. Nazim Uddin, a math teacher at Hazrat Shahjalal (R.) High School in Sylhet’s Bishwanath, was found with a fake registration certificate by the NTRCA on March 29, 2025, leading to a recovery order of Tk 22 lakh.

According to DIA data, 8,018 reports were submitted to the Ministry of Education between the 2021-22 fiscal year and February 2025-26. The number of fake certificates and the amount of recoverable money have surged annually. In 2021-22, 86 fake certificates were found with Tk 43.53 crore to be recovered. This rose to 127 certificates and Tk 96.49 crore in 2022-23, followed by 105 certificates and Tk 83.89 crore in 2023-24.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, the 2024-25 fiscal year saw the highest recorded fraud with 274 fake certificates and Tk 195.68 crore identified for recovery. In the first eight months of the current 2025-26 fiscal year, an additional 147 fake certificates were detected, adding Tk 115 crore to the total. This brings the total amount owed to the government to approximately Tk 534 crore.

Beyond certificate fraud, at least 2,186 acres of institutional land have been encroached upon or lost through irregularities in the last five years. In the current fiscal year alone, 199 acres were found missing across 736 institutions. Previous audit records show 657 acres lost in 2024-25, 232 acres in 2023-24, 465 acres in 2022-23, and 638 acres in 2021-22, mostly occupied by influential individuals.

The encroachment is particularly visible in the capital. Sher-e-Bangla School and College in Madhubag has lost 1.46 acres to surrounding residential buildings. Nayatola AUN Model Kamil Madrasa in Shantinagar, which originally claimed 93 decimals of land, now possesses only 71.89 decimals. At Jatrabari Mannan High School and College, only 30 decimals of the documented 84.90 decimals remain, despite Tk 15 lakh being spent to purchase a portion of that land.

Other regional institutions have suffered similar fates. The land of KKT Haji NC Institute in Gopalganj decreased from 4.39 acres to 3.40 acres over a 27-year period. In Gendaria, Fazlul Huq Mohila College, established in 1970, has seen its original 2.32 acres shrink to just 1.05 acres. DIA inspections confirmed that over an acre of the college's land has been systematically encroached upon over the decades.

DIA Director Professor M.M. Shahidul Islam told The Daily Campus that despite manpower shortages and various obstacles, the directorate is highlighting these irregularities in every audit report. He emphasized that the DIA has formally recommended the Ministry of Education take strict action regarding the recovered funds and the retrieval of encroached land to ensure accountability in the sector.