Govt college education
4,000 posts of teachers vacant
HARUN UR RASHID
At least 4,000 posts of college teachers are lying vacant in over 300 government educational institutions across the country for a long time. This shortfall in the number of teachers has become a matter of concern, since it has emerged as the biggest challenge to the governments efforts to improve the quality of education at higher levels.
Sources in the education ministry and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) said the government is taking the matter seriously. The sources said there are 329 government colleges including Alia madrashas, teachers training colleges and commercial institutes acorss the country. These educational institutions have 16,554 posts for the teachers of various grades. Of them, 507 posts are those of professors, 2,021 of associate professors, 4,284 of assistant professors and 8,026 of lecturers.
At least 4,000 posts are currently remaining vacant in the government educational institutions including colleges, Alia madrashas, teachers training colleges and commercial institutes. Of the vacant posts, about 1,000 are of professors, about
855 of assistant professors and about 2,000 posts of lecturers. The crisis of teachers is said to be particularly acute in 215 government colleges. The shortage of teachers is felt more in the district towns instead of Dhaka, the sources said.
It is alleged that most teachers like to stay in Dhaka or in places of their choice, thus creating the crisis.
The sources also said that the crisis of teachers is more acute in 300 nationalised colleges, which were earlier in private hands.
The sources further said that the government has already taken initiatives to create some 12,588 new posts of teachers to end the crisis. Of them, 1,385 posts would be of professors, 4,351 of associate professors, 3,365 of assistant professors and 3,496 of lecturers.
The sources said field-level data collection has been completed by the director of the Dhaka regional office, Prof Mohammad Yusuf, and a report in this regard already sent to the DSHE. The recruitment process would begin soon after the approval of the public administration and finance ministries, they added.
The crisis of teachers is a longstanding problem in government colleges. Its hampering the teaching-learning process. But this crisis cannot be resolved overnight, DSHE director (College) Prof. Mohammad Shamsul Huda told The Independent.
Were placing the demands to the Public Service Commission every year. The teachers will be recruited through the BCS examination, he said.
DSHE director general Prof. Wahiduzzaman said: Weve taken a serious note of the matter to mitigate the crisis of teachers in government colleges. Efforts to create new posts are underway.
Every year, teachers are recruited through the BCS examination. At least, 8,000 teachers have been recruited through the 34th and 35th BCS examinations. About 2,500 more teachers will be recruited through the 36th BCS exam, he added.
When asked why the crisis of teachers is more acute in the district towns rather than in the capital, Prof. Wahiduzzaman said: Despite taking various initiatives, the shortfall of teachers is prevailing at the district level and remote areas.
According to the recruitment law, a teacher can submit an application for transfer after two years. Most of the teachers apply for transfer to Dhaka through various channels. The shortfall of teachers is hampering educational activities, he added. He urged teachers not to seek transfer from remote areas.
