More than half of the government primary schools in Dinajpur district are currently operating without head teachers, severely disrupting both administrative functions and the quality of education. Out of 1,869 primary schools in the district, 938 are functioning without a head teacher. This long-standing crisis has resulted from the suspension of promotions and direct recruitment over several years.
According to the District Primary Education Office, all 13 upazilas of Dinajpur are affected by the shortage, with some areas facing an alarming number of vacancies. In Chirirbandar, 115 out of 199 schools lack head teachers; in Birganj, the number is 118 out of 230; and in Parbatipur, 105 out of 206. Even Dinajpur Sadar upazila, which is relatively urban, has 54 schools out of 186 without head teachers.
As per the existing policy, 65 percent of head teacher positions are filled through promotion and 35 percent through direct recruitment. However, a court order issued in 2009 over a pending legal case has halted the promotion process. At the same time, new recruitment drives have been delayed for years. Consequently, many head teachers have retired without replacement, while eligible assistant teachers have remained stuck without promotion.
This prolonged stagnation has created both administrative inefficiencies and frustration among teachers. The quality of classroom teaching has also deteriorated, raising concerns among educators and parents alike.
Md. Motiar Rahman, Member Secretary of the Convening Committee of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association, Dinajpur District Branch, said that many assistant teachers have served for 20 to 25 years without a single promotion. The government’s recent decision to issue new recruitment notices instead of granting promotions based on seniority has intensified their dissatisfaction. “We demand that the recruitment circular be withdrawn and that all head teacher vacancies be filled through seniority-based promotion,” he said.
In many schools, senior assistant teachers are serving as acting head teachers. However, since they hold the same rank as their colleagues, other teachers are often reluctant to follow their directives. “This lack of authority disrupts both administrative activities and classroom instruction,” said Md. Golam Faruk, Acting Head Teacher of Uttor Gobindapur Government Primary School in Sadar upazila.
Md. Zakir Hossain, Head Teacher of Pulhat Government Primary School, noted that the absence of head teachers has negatively affected crucial classes, such as those for the fifth-grade scholarship examination. “Students’ learning has been disrupted, and the overall standard of education has declined significantly,” he said.
ATM Tofayel Hossain, President of the Sadar Upazila Primary Teachers’ Association, echoed the same concern.
Parents are also worried. Liza Akter, a guardian, said that with too few teachers and no head teacher, her child’s school struggles to conduct classes properly. She urged the authorities to fill the vacant positions as soon as possible.
When contacted, Md. Saifuzzaman, Assistant District Primary Education Officer of Dinajpur, said that promotions across the country have been suspended until the court case is resolved. However, he expressed hope that once the legal issue is settled, the vacancies would be filled promptly through promotion. “Despite the challenges, our office is continuing efforts to improve the quality of education in every possible way,” he added.
Education stakeholders warn that if the issue is not addressed soon, Dinajpur’s primary education system could face a deeper crisis. They unanimously call for urgent legal and administrative action to resolve the dispute and to fill all vacant head teacher posts without further delay.
