Teacher shortage hits Cumilla pry schools

Academic activities at nearly 300 government primary schools in Cumilla are being hampered due to the shortage of headteachers and teachers.

There are 2,107 such schools in the district that have posts of 12,708 teachers, according to the district education office.

Sources said 295 of these schools in 17 upazilas do not have regular headteachers while the posts of 1,208 assistant teachers are vacant.

Ten posts of headteachers are vacant in Adarsha Sadar upazila; seven each in Laksham and Chandina; 22 each in Debidwar, Daudkandi and Chouddagram; 27 in Muradnagar; 11 in Brahmanpara; six in Barura; 37 in Burichang; 21 in Homna; 40 in Nangalkot; 12 in Meghna; 20 in Monoharganj; 17 in Titas; nine in Sadar Dakkhin, and five in Lalmai.

Sixty-one posts of assistant teachers have remained vacant in Adarsha Sadar upazila. The number is 45 in Laksham; 40 in Debidwar; 124 in Muradnagar; 144 in Daudkandi; 114 in Chouddagram; 58 in Brahmanpara; 77 in Barura; 14 in Burichang; 70 in Chandina; 42 in Homna; 157 in Nangalkot; 24 in Meghna; 98 in Monoharganj; 89 in Titas; 11 in Sadar Dakkhin, and 40 in Lalmai.

Imtiaz Uddin, headteacher of Nangalkot Bannagar Government Primary School, said the shortage of teachers was seriously hampering educational activities. “Only two assistant teachers have to deal with 137 students,” he said.

Nizam Uddin Majumdar, general secretary of Nangalkot Upazila Government Primary School Teachers’ Association, said Bagra, Bannagar and AKM Hirmat Ali primary schools are suffering due of teacher crisis.

“These schools are continuing their educational activities with only two teachers,” he said.

Contacted, District Education Officer Abdul Mannan assured that steps are being taken to solve the problem. “We’ll send a list of senior teachers to the higher authorities for promoting them to the post of headteacher,” he said. “A recruitment test for assistant teachers was held and the viva voce examination is underway,” Mannan added.