73 head-teacher, principal posts vacant at Fakirhat

FAKIRHAT, BAGERHAT, Oct 17:  As many as 73 posts of head-teachers, principals, assistant head-teachers and vice-principals are lying vacant at 128 educational institutions in Fakirhat Upazila of Bagerhat, disrupting both administrative activities and academic operations.

With no appointments to these key posts for years, most of the institutions are being run by acting heads, creating administrative complications and affecting classroom teaching.

According to the Upazila Primary Education office, Fakirhat has 78 government primary schools, of which 42 have long been without head-teachers. Assistant teachers have been given the additional responsibility of acting headteachers at these schools.

At the same time, 42 posts of assistant teachers are also vacant at the primary schools.

At the secondary and higher secondary levels, 31 leadership posts are vacant at 50 institutions, including 16 posts of principals and headteachers and 15 posts of vice-principals or assistant head-teachers.

This means leadership-level vacancies account for around 57 percent of the total 128 educational institutions in the upazila.
An investigation found that some institutions have had vacant head posts since 2015. 

The principal's post at Kazi Azhar Ali College, Fakirhat, has remained vacant since 2018, with no permanent principal appointed yet. The recruitment process for the recently vacant vice-principal post is also currently suspended.

A similar situation exists at primary schools.

Shobharani Roy, Upazila Primary Education Officer, said assistant teachers serving as acting headteachers have to handle administrative responsibilities while continuing to teach classes.

“This is creating additional pressure on their teaching duties,” she said.

Upazila Secondary Education Officer Mohammad Golam Mostofa and Academic Supervisor Sheikh Asaduzzaman said the prolonged vacancies in key posts were creating administrative complications in running the institutions.

“Many institutions are being run by acting heads,” they said.

An acting head-teacher of a local educational institution, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was often difficult for acting heads to take disciplinary action against colleagues because their own appointments were temporary.

“Many teachers regularly arrive late or come in the morning, sign the attendance register and leave,” he said. “Acting heads are also unable to effectively stop teachers from engaging in coaching businesses.”

He said acting heads had to work again as assistant teachers with the same colleagues after their temporary assignments ended, making it difficult to maintain administrative discipline.

“Such problems do not arise when an institution has a permanent head,” he said.

Mohammad Sadekul Islam, acting district education officer, said appointments to head-teacher and principal posts were not under the authority of upazila or district education officials.

“Appointments are made centrally. The problem will be resolved once the higher authorities make the appointments,” he said, adding that it was not possible to say when the recruitment process would be completed.