Shortage of head-teachers disrupts academic activities at Dumuria

DUMURIA, KHULNA, Aug 27: As many as 78 of the 214 government primary schools in Dumuria Upazila of Khulna are currently operating without regular head-teachers, disrupting both administrative activities and classroom teaching.

Of the 78 schools, senior assistant teachers are informally serving as acting head-teachers at 62, while teachers at the remaining 16 have been assigned additional charge with approval from the upazila education office.

The shortage means that teachers assigned to act as head-teachers have to spend much of their time handling official paperwork, administrative duties and meetings, leaving them with less time to teach their own classes.

Arifa Begum, a parent of a student at Sharafpur Government Primary School, said, "When there is no head-teacher, other teachers cannot properly complete all classes. The teacher serving as acting head-teacher remains busy with office work and meetings. As a result, children cannot complete their lessons properly and on time."

"We demand the appointment of permanent head-teachers as soon as possible," she added.

According to the Dumuria Upazila Education Office, more than 119 posts of head-teachers and assistant teachers combined are vacant at the 214 government primary schools in the upazila.

An education officer said the vacancy of head-teachers in more than one-third of the schools was a major challenge for the local education administration.

"The head-teacher is the administrative and academic driving force of a school. In their absence, assistant teachers assigned to acting or additional charge have to spend most of their time handling official work, meetings and administrative files," the officer said.

"As a result, the teachers concerned cannot spend enough time in classrooms, which affects students' normal learning process," the officer added.

Regarding parents' complaints that classes were not being held properly because teachers were busy with administrative work, the officer said their concerns were justified.

"We are taking the issue seriously. To address the crisis, we have assigned acting and additional charge to senior assistant teachers so that institutional activities do not come to a halt," the officer said.

"Teachers have also been instructed to adjust class schedules so that no classroom remains without a teacher," the officer added.

The education officer said more than 119 posts of headteachers and assistant teachers were vacant across the upazila and that a detailed report on the vacancies had already been sent to the higher authorities.

Headteachers are appointed mainly through two processes �" promotion of assistant teachers and direct recruitment of new teachers, the official said.

"The relevant ministry and the Directorate of Primary Education are working on the matter. Once the legal and administrative procedures for promotions and new recruitment are completed, permanent headteachers will be posted," the officer said.

"We hope permanent teachers will be appointed to the vacant posts soon through the higher authorities and normal activities in the education sector will resume fully," the official added.

Meanwhile, the shortage of regular headteachers has also raised concerns over school supervision and discipline. Teachers assigned to additional duties often have to leave one classroom unattended while dealing with administrative responsibilities.

The upazila education office said it had already sent a report to the higher authorities seeking steps to fill the vacant posts.