Primary education in the remote hilly upazila of Ruma in Bandarban is on the verge of collapse due to a severe staffing crisis, with key administrative posts lying vacant for an extended period and a critical shortage of teachers in schools.
The Ruma Upazila Primary Education Office confirmed that its three most important administrative positions — the Upazila Education Officer and two Assistant Upazila Education Officer posts — are all vacant.
The office of the Upazila Education Officer is currently being managed by an official holding the role as an additional charge, while the absence of assistant officers and even an office assistant has brought administrative activities to a near standstill.
This administrative paralysis has had a devastating impact at the school level. Of the 68 government primary schools in the upazila, 44 are operating without a head teacher. Assistant teachers have been forced to take on acting head teacher roles, leaving them overburdened with administrative duties on top of their regular teaching responsibilities.
Compounding the problem, there are also 44 vacant assistant teacher positions across the upazila, severely hampering regular classroom instruction.
U. Naindiya Thera, executive director of the Ruma Upazila Ashram Para Agrabangsha Orphanage, expressed deep anxiety over the deteriorating quality of education.
“I have been extremely worried about the standard of education from 2016 and for the coming years until 2026. How can the quality of education improve in these hills when the primary education office itself is empty? On top of that, there is a crisis of head teachers in schools. This is why the quality of education in the hills is constantly being questioned,” he said.
Chittaranjan Chakma, head teacher of Chitharath Chakma Government Primary School, said the absence of a permanent Upazila Education Officer has left schools without proper guidance and created numerous administrative hurdles. He also noted a lack of school inspections.
Ashish Chiran, the official overseeing the upazila office as an additional duty, acknowledged the crisis. “The teacher shortage has been a long-standing problem in a remote area like Ruma. The vacancies for the education officer and assistant officer posts are creating significant administrative complexities. The shortage of head and assistant teachers is also putting immense pressure on academic activities. We have informed the higher authorities and requested that necessary steps be taken to fill these posts urgently,” he said.
Local community leaders and concerned citizens fear that unless the government takes immediate action to appoint teachers and officials to the vacant posts, the pre-primary and primary level students in this remote hilly region are at risk of being deprived of quality education.
