All but one govt schools in Barisal division run without headmaster

Study badly hampered as 17 of them run without Asst headmaster, half of Asst teachers' posts also vacant

30 September 2009, 17:00 PM

Rafiqul Islam, Barisal

Academic and administrative activities of government high schools in Barisal division are being hampered due to acute shortage of teachers, especially those in the administrative posts. An astounding 19 of the 20 government high schools in Barisal division are running without any regular headmaster while 17 of them have no assistant headmasters, said sources at the office of Deputy Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Barisal. About half of 439 posts of assistant teachers are also lying vacant, much to the sufferings of the teachers and students. In the division, Barisal Zila School is the only government school that has a regular headmaster at present. However, the two posts of assistant headmasters in the school are lying vacant. Another government high school in the divisional headquarters, Barisal Girls' High School is running without a regular headmaster. Jhalakathi Government High School and Government Harachandra Girls High School in Jhalakathi district, Pirojpur Government High School and Pirojpur Government Girls High School, Bhandaria Bandar Government Girls High School, Government KG Union High School and SB Government Girls School in Pirojpur district, Barguna Government High School in Barguna district, Bhola Government Girls High School, Bhola Government High School, Daulatkhan Government Girls High School, Daulatkhan Government High School, Chandpur Government High School and Fazilatunnesa Government Girls High School in Bhola district, Patuakhali Government Girls High School have neither regular headmaster nor assistant headmaster. In absence of regular headmasters, assistant headmasters are conducting the work at Barguna Government Girls High School and Patuakhali Government Jubilee High School. "Many schools in Pirojpur, Mathbaria, Barisal or Bhola are running with four or five teachers," said Noni Gopal Joldas, deputy director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Barisal. "There are only five teachers in my school. But posting of a headmaster, an assistant headmaster and two other teachers are needed for smooth functioning of the institution," said the acting headmaster of Bhandaria Bandar Government Girls High School. Many teachers said irregularity and complications in recruitment and promotion, failure to formulate an 'acceptable gradation list' for the teachers and the authorities' indifference to the needs of the schools are responsible for the prevailing teacher crisis. Despite having competence, many teachers do not 'qualify' for the position of headmaster, thanks to irregularities in promotion, said a teacher wishing anonymity. Several teachers criticised the Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education for failure to reach consensus on framing a teachers' gradation list. Asked about the vacant posts of a large number of teachers including headmasters and assistant headmasters in the region, DD Noni Gopal Joldash said he has written to the Ministry of Education several times in this regard, but to no effect.