Seventy-seven of the 139 government primary schools in Jashore’s Chougachha upazila have no headteacher. In addition, 83 of the 740 assistant teacher posts have remained vacant for a long time. Alongside the teacher shortage, various posts at the upazila primary education office are also vacant, hampering administrative oversight of the schools.
A visit to several government primary schools in the upazila on Tuesday, August 18, found that while teachers were present, student attendance was low at many schools. Teachers said that because there is no feeding program, many students go home after tiffin.
According to the upazila primary education office, government primary schools in Chougachha have a total of 25,993 students, from pre-primary through class five. Of these, 20,235 are enrolled in the stipend program. Over the past six months, 17,235 students have received stipends.
Upazila Primary Education Officer Mostafizur Rahman said his office also faces a staff shortage. Of five assistant education officer posts, only three are currently filled. Posts for upper-division assistant, office assistant and office helper are also vacant. He said it is difficult to regularly oversee 139 schools with this level of staffing.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report