Almost half of the government primary schools in Dinajpur district are running without the head teachers, causing grave concern among academicians and researchers who fear that the situation is harming both the academic environment and overall management of these institutions.
The absence of head teachers in these schools is causing learning losses and transfer of students to other educational institutions, including madrassahs, they have said. It has led to the deterioration of the quality of primary education and stalling of different plans, they observe.
Out of 1,869 primary schools, 938 schools have vacant of head teachers posts. This situation has arisen due to the suspension of promotions and direct recruitment for a long time. As a result, both the administrative discipline and the quality of education in these schools are being severely disrupted.
According to the District Primary Education Office, all 13 upazilas of Dinajpur have vacant posts of head teachers. The number of vacancies in some of these upazilas is alarming. For example, 115 out of 199 schools in Chirirbandar, 118 out of 230 in Birganj, and 105 out of 206 in Parbatipur do not have head teachers. Even 54 out of 186 schools in Dinajpur Sadar upazila are also victims of this crisis.
According to sources, there is a specific policy for the appointment and promotion of head teachers. Under this, 65% are filled through promotion and 35% through direct recruitment. But since 2009, due to a court order, promotions have been stopped due to a case. Besides, the new recruitment process has also been suspended for a long time. As a result, many head teachers have retired, while the promotion of assistant teachers has also been stalled. In this situation, teachers and parents have expressed concerns about the quality of education along with the administrative complications.
Bangladesh Primary Teachers Association Dinajpur District Unit Convening Committee Member Secretary Md Matiar Rahman said that there is frustration among the assistant teachers for not getting promotion despite serving for 20-25 years. Their frustration has increased with the publication of a new recruitment notice. They demand that the new recruitment notice be immediately canceled and 100% promotion be given on the basis of seniority.
In many schools, senior assistant teachers are performing the duties of acting head teachers. But since they are of the same rank, other teachers do not want to follow their instructions. This is disrupting administrative activities and teaching, said Md Golam Faruk, acting head teacher of Uttar Gobindapur Government Primary School in Sadar Upazila.
Pulhat Government Primary School head teacher Md Zakir Hossain said that due to the absence of a head teacher , teaching of important classes like the fifth grade scholarship exam is also being hampered. Students' education is being disrupted and the overall quality of education is being severely affected.
ATM Tofail Hossain, president of the Sadar Upazila Primary Teachers' Association, also said the same.
Liza Akhter, a parent, said that due to the absence of a head teacher and the low number of teachers, their school is facing problems in conducting classes. She demanded that the teacher shortage be addressed immediately.
When asked about this, Dinajpur District Assistant Primary Education Officer Md. Saifuzzaman said that it is not possible to give promotions across the country until the case is settled. However, he hopes that these vacancies can be filled quickly through promotions once the case is settled. Even so, he said that the District Primary Education Office is making all kinds of efforts to improve the quality of education.
All concerned believe that if this problem is not resolved quickly, the primary education system in Dinajpur will face a bigger crisis. Therefore, they believe that it is important to resolve the legal complications and quickly appoint and promote head teachers to vacant positions.
