Teacher shortages strain government primary schools

Government primary schools across Bangladesh are struggling to keep lessons on track as headteacher posts remain vacant in more than half of the institutions while thousands of assistant-teacher positions also remain unfilled, putting extra pressure on teachers and disrupting classes.

Teachers are being forced to take additional classes, cover multiple subjects and shoulder administrative duties, a strain affecting classroom instruction and the quality of education.

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon recently confirmed that 36,235 headteacher posts remain vacant in the country’s 65,567 government primary schools.

The government says a long-standing legal dispute over headteacher appointments has now been resolved and recruitment is set to begin.

It also says the assistant-teacher shortage is nearly resolved, with more than 14,000 newly recruited teachers expected to join after training.

At West Nangla Government Primary School in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur, five teaching posts are sanctioned, but the school has been operating with just one teacher since January 15.

Headteacher Abdul Momin now runs the entire school alone, teaching 70 students while also handling administrative work.

“The shortage of teachers has made many guardians reluctant to admit their children to this school,” he said.

The headteacher serves as the school’s academic and administrative leader, overseeing daily operations and supervising teachers, maintaining records, and communicating with local communities and government offices.

When the post remains vacant, an assistant teacher has to take on those responsibilities while continuing to teach, reducing the number of teachers available in classrooms, officials said.

At North Rasulpur Government Primary School in Cumilla Sadar upazila, the headteacher post has been vacant for nearly a decade.

Assistant teacher Mohammad Manjurul Alam has been performing the duties of headteacher while continuing to teach the school’s 225 students, handling administrative, financial and official responsibilities as well.

“Handling both duties simultaneously naturally reduces the time and attention I can devote to teaching, affecting the quality of education,” Manjurul said.

LEGAL COMPLICATIONS

Officials at the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) said many schools have remained without headteachers for years because of legal complications over recruitment, seniority and promotion.

Under the existing rules, 20 percent of headteacher posts are filled through direct recruitment and 80 percent through promotion from among assistant teachers.

A 2017 writ petition challenged a provision of the 2013 Recruitment Rules relating to seniority, stalling the process of filling many of the posts.

A major obstacle was removed on July 2, when the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court overturned a High Court verdict that had struck down part of the rules governing seniority and promotion.

Officials at the primary and mass education ministry said a formal requisition would soon be sent to the Public Service Commission for direct recruitment and promotion under special arrangements.

ASSISTANT-TEACHER SHORTAGE

In October last year, then DPE director general Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman said around 13,500 assistant-teacher posts were vacant across the country.

At Sonarua Government Primary School in Kapasia upazila of Gazipur, only four teachers are serving against six sanctioned posts.

Acting headteacher Ashraful Islam said around three classes are cancelled every day because there are simply not enough teachers.

“A teacher has to take two to three additional classes every day,” he said, adding that he sometimes has to teach Bangla, religion and English.

Parent Lipi Akter said, “My child has become inattentive and now needs private tuition. I will change the school.”

State Minister Bobby Hajjaj said the assistant-teacher shortage is now much smaller, with only around 2,000 more teachers needed.

The 14,000 newly recruited teachers are currently undergoing police verification and they will receive two months of training.

“They are basically two to two and a half months behind schedule in entering classrooms,” he said.

There are currently 3,87,000 teachers serving in government primary schools across the country.

DISPARITIES

DPE’s Annual Sector Performance Report 2024, released in January this year, found that 12,935 government primary schools were operating with four or fewer teachers.

Of those, 133 schools had only one teacher and 633 had only two teachers.

“At the lower end, extremely understaffed schools persist… operating with minimal human resources. Such conditions severely impact classroom instructional quality and multi-grade management,” the report said.

According to 2023 data cited in the report, the average number of teachers per government primary school across Bangladesh was 6.29.

Chattogram had the highest average number of teachers per school at 6.65, followed by Dhaka at 6.52 and Rajshahi at 6.46.

At the other end, Sylhet had an average of 5.59 teachers per school and Barishal 5.89.

“These discrepancies point to regional disparities that may affect the consistency and quality of education delivery,” the report said.

At No. 24 Purba Aliabad Government Primary School in Faridpur Sadar upazila, only three teachers are working against five sanctioned posts.

Class III student Sihab Molla said the shortage directly affected lessons.

“One teacher often teaches two classes at the same time and sometimes leaves one class before finishing the lesson,” he said.

LEARNING OUTCOMES AT RISK

Educationists say inadequate teaching, crowded classrooms, poor student-teacher interaction and inadequate infrastructure are already affecting the quality of primary education.

The staffing problem is particularly concerning because it comes against a backdrop of weak learning outcomes.

The National Student Assessment 2022 report of the DPE found that 61 percent of Class III students and 70 percent of Class V students lacked grade-appropriate proficiency in mathematics.

In Bangla, 51 percent of Class III students and 50 percent of Class V students lacked the required competency.

Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said the teacher shortage had persisted for years and worsened in some areas since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I do not understand why these problems are not being solved,” she said.

She said weaker students suffer the most because understaffed schools have little scope to provide remedial support.

Recruitment delays caused by legal complications, difficulties in finding qualified teachers and reluctance among some teachers to serve in remote areas have all contributed to the problem, she said.

The shortage also places additional pressure on existing teachers, she said, adding, “We have not prioritised teachers for many years.”