Tangail primary schools face 1,459 Teacher vacancies

A total of 1,459 teacher posts are lying vacant in 1,623 government primary schools across Tangail district, affecting regular academic activities and raising concerns over the quality of education. Of the vacant posts, 888 are for head teachers and 571 are for assistant teachers.

According to the District Primary Education Office, all 1,623 government primary schools in the district have approved posts for head teachers. However, only 735 head teachers are currently working.

Tangail District Primary Education Officer Shahin Mia acknowledged that the shortage was causing problems in classroom teaching and other activities. He said most vacancies are in remote and disadvantaged areas.

Bashirul Islam, president of the Basail upazila unit of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers Association, said teachers in understaffed schools often have to conduct 35 to 40 classes a week. As a result, ensuring effective learning has become increasingly difficult, with students in remote areas suffering the most.

Gopalpur has the highest number of vacant head teacher posts, with 126, followed by Kalihati with 112, Ghatail with 110 and Nagarpur with 105. The remaining vacancies are in Bhuapur (75), Tangail Sadar (74), Madhupur (73), Delduar (63), Mirzapur (60), Dhanbari (36), Basail (30) and Sakhipur (24).

The district has 9,068 approved posts for assistant teachers, against which 8,497 teachers are currently employed. Assistant teacher vacancies include 85 in Ghatail, 81 in Gopalpur, 64 in Kalihati, 65 in Nagarpur, 54 in Bhuapur, 50 in Mirzapur, 46 in Delduar, 41 in Tangail Sadar, 29 in Sakhipur, 27 in Madhupur, 16 in Dhanbari and 13 in Basail.

Nasir Uddin, acting head teacher of Khajnagara Government Primary School in Ghatail, said the school has 112 students but only two teachers against five sanctioned posts. Teachers are struggling to conduct classes in two shifts, while official duties further increase their workload.

Former principal Shahiduzzaman Mia said adequate teacher recruitment and practical, modern training are essential to ensure quality primary education.

Authorities are trying to address the shortage through teacher redistribution, while the matter has been reported to higher authorities. The recruitment process to fill the vacant posts is ongoing.