Education Ministry Scraps Controversial Quantum Foundation Letter Amid Outcry

The Secondary and Higher Education Directorate has suspended a letter issued on 5 March regarding the implementation of the ‘Scientific Lifestyle Development and Mental Health Services Programme’ prepared by the non-government organization Quantum Foundation. This decision was announced in a notice published in the media on Saturday (14 March).

The notice states: “The letter issued by the Secondary and Higher Education Directorate on 5 March regarding the implementation of the ‘Scientific Lifestyle Development and Mental Health Services Programme’ prepared by the non-government organization Quantum Foundation has been suspended.”

Prior to this, widespread criticism arose over the involvement of the private organization in conducting training sessions on this topic in educational institutions.

Expatriate journalist Julkarnain Saier brought the issue to light in a social media post, writing: “You must have seen the post about Quantum Foundation a while ago (see in comments), which includes various interior photos of their Lama centre in Bandarban. For the past few days, while investigating Quantum Foundation and their activities, the preliminary information obtained is quite surprising, but I will present those later.

For years, they have been operating unhindered in a strategically important location like Lama in Bandarban, spanning about 2,500 acres. Who regulates them? What kind of training is conducted here with 1,200 staff? No such information is available, and entry is restricted not only for ordinary citizens but also for security personnel.

The connection of Quantum Foundation’s chairman Shahid Al Bokhari—referred to as ‘Guruji’ and ‘Mahajatak’—with the notorious Chhoton Gang has made me more interested in their activities.

Interestingly, during the interim government period, an MoU was signed with the Education Ministry, allowing Quantum Foundation to implement a one-day training programme at their own venue, free of cost, under the name ‘Scientific Lifestyle Development and Mental Health Services’ in all secondary and higher secondary educational institutions in the country.

Based on the manual prepared by Quantum Foundation for ‘Scientific Lifestyle Development and Mental Health Services Programme,’ training will be provided to teachers and students in more than 20,000 educational institutions across the country.

A pilot programme has already trained teachers from 128 institutions. The initial impression is being given that such measures are essential for improving students’ mental health.

However, no satisfactory answer has been found as to why Quantum Foundation was assigned this task and why they would conduct meditation sessions for students in 20,000 secondary and higher secondary institutions free of charge.

To conduct the training, personal information of teachers and students from 20,000 institutions will undoubtedly reach Quantum Foundation—will this be beneficial for national security?

What does this foundation aim to achieve by conducting a one-day meditation programme for all teachers and students in secondary and higher secondary institutions nationwide, and under whose patronage was this MoU signed? It is essential to investigate these matters. I hope the relevant authorities will take the seriousness of the issue into account and adopt appropriate measures.”