Secondary schools: Vacant posts hurting children, taxing teachers

Persistent shortages of teachers have been disrupting classroom learning at secondary schools across the country, forcing many institutions to overburden teachers of key subjects including mathematics, English and ICT, and reduce the frequency of practical classes.

This is contributing to weaker learning outcomes and educational inequality, as deficiencies in classroom teaching push more and more students towards private coaching, according to experts.

At least 2,842 teaching posts were vacant in government secondary schools, while 77,227 posts were vacant in non-government secondary education institutions listed under the government’s Monthly Pay Order (MPO) programme, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament on April 23.

MPO-listed schools are privately managed institutions where the government covers the salaries and allowances of teachers and other staff appointed against approved posts. Though these schools are run by managing committees, key areas such as teacher recruitment, fee structures, and academic activities are regulated by the government.

Nearly 90 lakh students study at the secondary level in 20,631 secondary schools and secondary sections of colleges across the country, show government data.

Of these schools, 3,861 remain without any ICT teachers; 2,744 without mathematics teachers and 2,625 without English teachers, according to documents from the Education Management Information System.

Educationists and officials said the shortages stem from recruitment delays, problems in teacher deployment and difficulties in retaining teachers.

The lack of teachers, especially trained ones, has been a “common and persistent issue” for key subjects, particularly English, mathematics, science and ICT, said Manzoor Ahmed, professor emeritus at BRAC University.

“Proper teaching in these subjects is critical to improving learning outcomes, preventing dropout and raising pass rates, but a coherent plan for addressing the situation is lacking,” said Prof Manzoor, who led a 10-member Improvement of Secondary Education Committee formed during the interim government’s tenure in October 2025.

The committee submitted its draft report to the then education adviser Prof CR Abrar on February 10 with 120 recommendations, including a long-term proposal to overhaul the mechanism for recruitment and deployment of secondary school teachers.

It proposed establishing a National Teaching Service Corps, modelled broadly on a professional civil service, under which graduates would be recruited into the teaching service with competitive salaries, allowances, and professional status.

They would have to serve for at least five years in government-assigned institutions, with particular emphasis on addressing teacher shortages in rural areas.

The committee also recommended barring teacher transfers, arguing that frequent transfers disrupt continuity between teachers and students.

Prof Manzoor said that upon assuming office, the new government did not “take forward the recommendations comprehensively”. Instead, it pursued a series of “fragmented, separate and partial” initiatives.

SHORTAGES HIT CLASSROOMS

During visits to secondary schools in several districts, many teachers complained of heavy workloads, while students said gaps in classroom learning were pushing them towards coaching centres and lessons on YouTube.

At Shariatpur Government Girls’ High School, half of the 53 sanctioned teaching posts remained vacant, leaving 27 teachers to serve around 1,200 students.

This means one teacher was available for every 44 students whereas the National Education Policy 2010 set a target of one teacher for every 30 secondary school students.

The school has five English teachers against eight posts, four mathematics teachers against six and three Bangla teachers against eight. It has no sanctioned ICT teaching posts, forcing teachers from other disciplines to conduct ICT classes.

Many teachers who would usually take 15 to 17 classes a week were taking 25 to 27 classes.

Moreover, science practical classes were not being held regularly. “As these classes have become irregular, we have no choice but to rely on YouTube videos to understand many topics,” said Nishat Tabassum, a Class-X science student at the school.

The situation is similar at Palong Tulasar Gurudas Government High School in the district, where 32 teachers are working against 53 sanctioned posts for 1,050 students.

Teacher shortages also persist in many schools in southern districts of Noakhali, Cox’s Bazar and Rangamati.

At least 251 of the 452 sanctioned teaching posts remain vacant at 16 government high schools in Noakhali, while nine schools in Cox’s Bazar have 109 vacancies against 226 sanctioned posts.

In Rangamati, 657 of 1,700 teaching posts were vacant across 117 secondary schools, said sources at the district’s Secondary Education Office.

CONCERNS OVER LEARNING EQUITY

A national evaluation of student learning has exposed deep gaps in educational outcomes, raising concerns about the quality of classroom instruction at secondary schools.

The National Assessment of Secondary Students 2023 found that the average score among 26,601 Class VIII students assessed in science was just 32 percent.

Of the students surveyed, 48 percent were in the two lowest achievement bands and 22 percent in the top two.

Performance in Bangla, English and mathematics also fell in Classes VIII and X compared with 2019, with the steepest declines in Bangla and mathematics. The assessment did not examine teacher shortages as a cause.

Prof Manzoor said poor classroom teaching pushes students towards private coaching and tutoring. This puts low-income families at a particular disadvantage, as access to better teachers and smaller coaching groups increasingly depends on families’ ability to pay.

“This situation turns school education into a commodity. Children’s right to education is violated and the state’s obligation is not fulfilled when a child gets only as much education as the family can pay for.”

He called for coordinated short- and long-term measures, backed by funding and political commitment, to address the problem.

RECRUITMENT YET TO CATCH UP

Speaking at the Jatiya Sangsad on April 8, Milon said the Public Service Commission (PSC) was asked to recruit 2,330 teachers for government secondary schools.

He further said 728 BCS candidates were provisionally picked as non-cadre assistant teachers and steps were underway to create 782 ICT teaching posts.

While teacher recruitment in government secondary schools is carried out through PSC, MPO-listed institutions follow a separate recruitment process overseen by the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) set up under a 2005 law.

NTRCA, which operates under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), recommends candidates for entry-level vacancies. It was recently given the responsibility for recommending headteachers and assistant headteachers for MPO-listed institutions.

In March, NTRCA moved to recruit 2,881 headteachers and 3,296 assistant headteachers at MPO-listed institutions. Vivas for successful candidates were due to begin on October 1 but were deferred to October 15.

Despite repeated attempts, this correspondent could not contact NTRCA Chairperson Alif Rudaba and Secretary Rony Rahman on their mobile phones and via WhatsApp.

When contacted, DSHE Director General Prof Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel said the directorate had repeatedly pressed the ministry and the PSC to speed up recruitment of teachers in secondary schools.

He said several hundred non-cadre candidates for teaching posts were still awaiting appointment or posting because police verification had not been completed.

Referring to ICT courses, he said efforts were underway to create ICT teaching posts, as the subject is compulsory.

He pointed out that filling the vacant posts will ease the shortage but will not solve the problem entirely. “We may need another two or three rounds of recruitment.”

Noting the hurdles in retaining teachers in key subjects including English and mathematics, he said, “Teaching is not attractive enough at present in terms of salary and other facilities.”

“Teaching should be made more attractive, keeping in mind the socio-economic situation,” he added.

[Our correspondents in Shariatpur, Noakhali, Cox’s Bazar and Rangamati contributed to this report]