Haors’ education faces chronic crisis
The haor rejoins of Bangladesh face a chronic crisis in primary and secondary education, largely driven by actute shortage of permanent Headmaster and Assistant teachers.
In 65 percent of schools, the posts of head teachers and about 22 percent of assistant teachers are vacant.
The remote and wetland and geography of these zones leaves the education physically isolated, understaffed, and struggle with high student dropout rates.
We know that although the haor plays a significant role in national food security, especially in the provision of agricultural and fishery resources, they are victims of terrible deprivation in the field of education and health facilities.
Most of the people in the haors are not only lower class, in some cases, education of their children is a luxury for many of them, In this situation, in the absence of the necessary teachers, it is natural for the concerned parents to be discouraged from sending their children to school.
District Primary Education Officer (DPEO) of Kishoreganj, Md. Harunar Rashid told The New Nation that, teaching of primary school students is being affected to some extent due to the teacher shortage.
The list is being sent to the ministry for promotion to the post of head teacher. Once the clearance comes from there, the department will start posting.
The vacant posts of assistant teachers will be reduced to a large extent through coordination of recruitment and transfer, DPEO Added.
Austagram Upazila Primary Education Officer(UPEO) Md. Atiqur Rahman said that the recruitment process for the post of head teacher was stalled for many years due to the case regarding the promotion of assistant teachers.
The verdict in that case was given last July. He hopes that the vacancy will be filled soon. Only two teachers were found at Dhanpur Government Primary School in Itna.
One was taking a class in the first grade and the other in the third grade. Rima Das, one of the 42 students of the third grade, came by boat. Students of this class said that teachers often come late.
They have to go home and study privately. Bhajan Das has a son and a daughter studying here. According to him, teachers do not come to school regularly.
Many are busy with their own businesses.
The most of the primary schools in the haor areas running without a headmaster is unfortunate.
There are a total of 230 students at the Kutub Masjidpara Government Primary School located in Sadar Union of Ashtagram Upazila of Kishoreganj. There are three assistant teachers in the school.
The remaining two posts are vacant. Assistant teacher Sarwar Alam has been handling the duties of the acting headmaster here for a few months. On Wednesday at 10:30 am, when I visited the school, I saw Sarwar Alam and another assistant teacher Debashree Majumdar taking attendance of the students.
Salma Akhter is in the fifth grade of the school. Salma said that she comes to class every day. But a teacher has to take 2-3 classes. Shankar Roy, the guardian of a student, said that due to the shortage of teachers, the education here is less.
Md. Masum Mia, the father of Sajidur Rahman, a fourth grade student, claims that their child’s education is not going well. He demanded that teachers be appointed to the vacant post as soon as possible.
About 500,000 people live in the 24 unions of these upazilas. There are 230 government primary schools for the education of their children.
Apart from these, about 30 private kindergartens have been established. 46,429 students are studying from pre-primary to fifth grade. But education in government primary schools is in a bad state due to the shortage of head teachers and assistant teachers.
Out of 230 government primary schools, 81 people are working as head teachers. 149 posts of head teachers have been vacant for a long time. 1,044 people are working against 1,151 assistant teacher posts. The number of vacant posts is 107.
149 assistant teachers are carrying the burden of ‘current responsibilities’ and ‘additional responsibilities’ for the vacant post of head teachers. As a result, 256 assistant teacher posts are basically vacant. Due to this, regular teaching and administrative activities in schools are being hampered.
The number of students in 83 primary schools in Ashtagram is 17,300. There are 25 head teachers working. 53 are vacant. Out of 410 assistant teacher posts, 19 are vacant. However, 53 assistant teachers are performing additional and current duties in the post of head teacher.