Chougachha Government Shahadat Pilot Model Secondary School in Jashore serves nearly 1,000 students in its general and business-management sections, making it one of the upazila’s largest educational institutions. It has operated without a permanent head teacher for an extended period, and the acting head teacher’s serious illness has created further problems in teaching and administration.
Founded in 1929, the school was later brought under the monthly pay-order system and was nationalized in 2018. The head teacher’s post has remained vacant since Azizur Rahman retired on Nov. 28, 2024.
Assistant Head Teacher Shafiqul Islam was seriously injured in a road crash in 2018 and has not been able to return regularly. He is now on half-pay leave.
Senior teacher Saidul Islam Babu was appointed acting head teacher based on seniority on Jan. 4 this year, but he is also seriously ill. He hired a part-time teacher at his own expense to keep classes running and recently lost his eyesight. He now needs other teachers’ help with mobility and office work.
Teachers said three teaching posts, including the head teacher’s, had been vacant for a long time. After nationalization, the school cannot recruit teachers through the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority, while the government has not assigned new teachers. The posts of office assistant and cleaner are also vacant, disrupting administrative work.
During a visit, only slightly more than 150 students attended the morning assembly at the school of nearly 1,000. Gaps in regular discipline and supervision were also apparent.
Journalist Asaduzzaman and lecturer Azizur Rahman, guardians of a seventh-grade student, said discipline had largely broken down. Although classes began at the scheduled time, they said many students left whenever they wished and spent the rest of the day in uniform at recreation centers, hotels and restaurants. They alleged that administrative weakness was also preventing regular classes.
They called for the rapid appointment of a head teacher to restore discipline.
Press Club Chougachha President Principal Abu Zafar, Joint General Secretary Babul Akhtar and former school president Dr Zillur Rahman said the prolonged absence of a head teacher had left the school without effective administrative leadership. With the assistant head teacher also ill, classes, academic supervision and administrative work could not proceed normally, they said, with students suffering the greatest harm.
They said thousands of graduates from the historic and respected government school had gone on to hold important positions across the country. Leaving such an institution without a head teacher for so long was deeply regrettable, they said, and education authorities should appoint a qualified person as a matter of urgency.
If a permanent appointment would take time, they said, a senior assistant teacher from another government school could be transferred to serve as acting head. The interim measure could restore discipline, administration and teaching, they said, urging immediate intervention by the authorities.
“I received only the chair, not any administrative handover,” Saidul Islam said. “I was not even given the key to the office cabinet. In my physical condition, it is impossible to run a school of nearly 1,000 students.”
He said senior authorities had been informed and asked to transfer a senior teacher from another government school to serve as acting head.
Reached by phone, Shafiqul Islam said: “I became ill while the head teacher was still in office and have not returned to the school since. I have nothing belonging to the school. Responsibility for taking over the office rests with the current head teacher.”
Upazila Secondary Education Officer S.M. Bazlur Rashid said the school’s office and classes were somewhat disorganized and the appointment of a head teacher was urgent. He could not say when one would be appointed.
Upazila Executive Officer Farzana Islam said the school needed a head teacher quickly and that higher education officials had been informed.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report