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Teachers’ crisis hit government colleges


Published : 05 Dec 2019 08:54 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 02:01 AM

Academic activities at many government colleges across the country are seriously being hampered due to acute shortage of teachers, an unbecoming situation that stands on way to the people’s great expectation of seeing an educated nation. Besides, the government colleges are faced with absence of teacher's positions in compulsory subjects like English, Bangla and Mathematics, dissatisfaction with the creation of 12,000 vacant posts, the promotion and dignity.

The lack of posts due to meagre number of teachers, the teacher of one subject is teaching another subject. There are currently 632 government colleges across the country. BCS General Education Association Convener and Kabi Nazrul Government College Principal Professor I K Selimullah Khondakar said, the children of marginalized and poor people are the worst sufferers due to the shortage of teachers in the government colleges.

Because of the lesser educational cost, they enroll at the government colleges. Adequate teachers should be appointed at the government colleges to turn Bangladesh into a middle income country also help it achieve the SDGs by 2030, he added. Of the 632 government colleges across the country, there are 329 old colleges nationalized till 2016. The remaining 303 were nationalized after August 2016. There are about 15,000 teachers in old colleges.

A total of 2,957 posts are lying vacant, which is about 17 percent of the existing posts. Of these, there are 133 vacancies for professors, 282 for associate professors, 322 for assistant professors and 1860 for lecturers, according to data received from the Secondary and Higher Education Department (Moushi).

Zahurul Islam, President of the Government College Teachers' Association, said the solution to the problem of filling up vacant posts of teachers is hanging on in the ministry and Moushi. The concerned authorities are not acting as expected in this regard, an allegation denied by the director general of higher secondary education.

Dr SM Ghulam Farooq, said that the job of the college teachers must be operated in accordance with specific laws. According to the findings, in almost every college, at least 3 of the top 8 subjects do not have teacher posts. Some colleges have posts, but teachers are not available there. Again there is no teacher in the subjects like English, Bengali, ICT, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Upazila level colleges are being hard hit due to the teachers’ crisis while the condition of institutions in remote areas goes beyond description.

Professor I K Selimullah Khondakar, coordinator of seven colleges, said, “Due to the teachers’ crisis, the universities are being asked to abandon academic activities of honours courses. He described his organization as an example of the teachers’ crisis and said that there are 5 teachers in Bengali, 9 in English, 2 in Physics and 4 in Chemistry.

However, according to the rules of the National University, if any university has honours courses, each department should have at least 7 teachers. About vacant posts, Director General of Higher Secondary Education Dr SM Ghulam Farooq said, vacant posts of teachers in government colleges are required to be filled through BCS exam, a matter that involves time. However, such situation cannot be allowed to continue, and the matter was discussed at a ceremony in Rajshahi on Sunday last, he added.

He there has been a proposal to appoint part-time teachers as a temporary solution. The 41st BCS exam has a circular of appointing 905 teachers. There will be several other BCS exams for recruitment. When the new teachers will be absorbed in the job, the crisis will be somewhat resolved, he added. Currently, the proposal of creating 12,000 teachers’ posts is stuck with the Ministry of Public Administration.