Jhenidah – A total of 51 out of 407 posts of headmasters are lying vacant in government primary schools in six upazila of Jhenidah district. As a result academic and administrative activities in the 51 schools are being hampered. According to the Jhenidah District Education Office (DEO), assistant headmasters in the 51 primary schools are performing duties as headmasters.
Sources at the district education office said of the schools without headmasters in six upazilas, 6 are in sadar, 8 in Kaliganj, 15 in Moheshpur, 15 in Shailkupa upazila, 6 in Harinakundu and one in Kotchandpur upazila. Acting headmaster of Sreerampur government primary school under Kotchandpur upazila Khairul Islam said I am holding the post for last two and half year. He said he joined the school as an assistant teacher.Acting headmistress of Bangkira government primary school under sadar upazila, Aklima Khatun said I am working here as an acting headmistress for last four and half years. I am an assistant teacher. Here in my school only three assistant teachers are serving while the two posts of teachers are vacant for a long time. I have to remain busy with official work and another two have to control and give lessons to 280 students. This is quite difficult for them. Assistant headmasters, assistant teachers and even the assistant education officer are performing duties of a headmaster in these schools.
One acting headmaster said to this correspondent on condition of anonymity that he has to go to the upazila education office for five days for monthly and other meetings. Besides, he has to attend various government programmes which are held outside the school or various organisations. He added, sometimes in some schools we see inexperienced persons holding charge. Despite the fact that competent people were available to be appointed to the post of headmaster, irregularities in the appointment process, means that the appointed ones did not qualify for the post, said a teacher. Many teachers said, irregularities in the recruitment and promotion process for headmaster and failure to formulate an acceptable gradation are responsible for the posts lying vacant. Some teachers blamed the dual-administration of Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education for the situation.
Dilip Kumar Vowmik, Jhenidah district education officer, said that he had written to education ministry and the directorate several times in this regard, but they did not pay heed to the matter. But we remain hopeful. We have got 22 headmasters not in a distant past and other posts of headmasters will be filled in few months when the department will promote acting headmasters to posts of headmasters. – Shahneawz Khan Sumon
