Over half of the government primary schools in Narail district are currently operating without permanent head teachers, forcing assistant teachers to shoulder additional administrative responsibilities and affecting classroom teaching.
According to the District Primary Education Office, 280 of the district’s 495 government primary schools – nearly 57 percent – are being run by acting headmasters.
DSB Government Primary School in Sheikhhati union of Sadar upazila is such a school. Established in 1954 and nationalised in 1974, the school currently has 132 students but has remained without a permanent head teacher for the past two years.
Assistant teacher Mahmuda Parvin, who is serving as the acting head teacher, said the dual responsibilities often interfere with classroom activities.
“As I am performing the duties of a head teacher, I frequently have to remain occupied with official work. As a result, classroom teaching is disrupted,” she said.
Another assistant teacher at the same school, Sonia Khanam, said administrative and official duties often require acting head teachers to stay outside the school premises.
“Teacher numbers are already limited. Managing both administrative responsibilities and regular teaching activities has become increasingly difficult,” she added.
The shortage is not limited to head teachers. Assistant teacher positions also remain vacant in many schools across the district, forcing them to conduct academic activities with insufficient staff.
Kripa Sikder, who has been serving as acting head teacher at Tularampur Government Primary School in Narail Sadar since 2018, expressed frustration over the situation.
“Although I am performing the responsibilities of a head teacher, I continue to receive the salary of an assistant teacher. We are also deprived of the second-class status and other benefits designated for head teachers,” she said.
Kripa Sikder noted that prolonged additional responsibilities without corresponding benefits have led to growing dissatisfaction among teachers.
Teachers said acting head teachers must simultaneously manage classroom instruction and a wide range of administrative tasks, including maintaining records, submitting government reports online, coordinating meetings and overseeing office management.
They said these responsibilities often leave insufficient time for teaching, particularly in schools already facing teacher shortages.
Guardians also voiced concern, saying the head teacher serves as the academic and administrative leader of a school. Prolonged vacancies in such positions weaken overall school management and place additional pressure on teachers, ultimately affecting the quality of education.
District Primary Education Officer Md Jahangir Alam acknowledged the challenges caused by teacher shortages.
“We are trying to address the situation through acting head teachers. The issue of vacant posts has been communicated to the Directorate of Primary Education,” he said.
Jahangir Alam attributed the prolonged vacancies largely to legal complications and expressed hope that the issue will be resolved soon.