The Education Act 2020 draft finalised on Tuesday by the education ministry empowers it with more authority to monitor the activities of non-government and private educational institutions as well as coaching centres.

It makes it mandatory for all madrassahs, kindergartens, English medium schools and non-government schools to obtain government registration for their operation.

It further empowers the government to appoint headteachers or principals of any non-government schools or colleges for three years if required.

It prohibits teachers to teach their students at any centre, residence or online platforms other than those of their own institutions in exchange of fees. But it creates an option for arranging extra classes at all educational institutions for weak students.

The draft further prohibits printing and distribution of notebooks and guidebooks but allows publishing supplementary books on conditions.

Education minister Dipu Moni will brief the press soon about the draft, education secretary Md Mahbub Hossain told New Age on Wednesday.

Ministry officials said that the draft would be referred to the cabinet soon for approval and after getting its approval it would be placed in the parliament for the enactment of a law.

They said that the ministry initiated the draft in 2011 for making an umbrella law by incorporating all the existing education-related laws and rules.

In 2018, they said, a draft law was placed in the cabinet, but it was sent back to the ministry after recommending 13 corrections to avoid contradictions.

They said that the latest draft act kept a provision for punishing a teacher for giving private coaching at any centre, residence or online platforms other than those of the person’s own institution, treating such an act as a punishable offense for misconduct.

All coaching centres must obtain registration from the education ministry for their operation, stipulates the draft, adding that the registration of a coaching centre would be cancelled if it allows a student or a teacher of the centre to engage in coaching during class hour.

A coaching centre will not be allowed to offer coaching to students simultaneously following both the national and foreign curriculums. In case of a breach, the owner of the coaching centre would be punished with a three-year jail sentence or a fine of Tk 10 lakh.

The draft bans commercial marketing of notebooks or guidebooks and prohibits the publication or broadcast of contents of textbooks and relevant questions and their solutions.

For printing, binding and marketing of notebooks, a person will get three years in jail or Tk 5 lakh as a fine, or both.

But it allows publishing of supplementary books aimed at enhancing the students’ understanding of the textbooks after taking permission from the National Curriculum and Textbook Board.

The government in 1980 banned the publishing and marketing of notebooks but the order was not executed as publishers of such notebooks claimed that they had printed supplementary books, not notebooks or guidebooks.

Action would be taken against a teacher or a headteacher or even a governing body member for insisting students that they must read supplementary books as such an act will be considered misconduct, the draft act stipulates.

It further prohibits giving corporal punishment or bullying at any institutions, saying it will be treated as criminal offense.