Headmistress runs govt primary school on her own

Teachers denied salaries for years, facilities missing

Syedpur Government Primary School, housed in a tin shed at a remote village in Azampur union of Maheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah district, lacks even the basic minimum facilities and infrastructure. There is no furniture here.
Its headmistress Saida Khatun has been running the school for the past nine years on her own. And the teachers have not been paid their salaries yet.
Parents and guardians of 152 students of the school apprehend that the lone regular teacher might stop classes anytime. A number of minors have already left the school because of the shortage of teachers and the absence of a congenial academic environment, said some of the guardians and students.
Locals said they established the school in 2007 with the cooperation of a number of female teachers and young members of their community. Saida Khatun joined the school as headmistress, while three others—Papia Khatun, Nazma Khatun and Sharmin Nahar—joined as assistant teachers. Initially, the teachers attended the school almost regularly. The number of learners totalled around 200.
It became a government school in 2014. But no salary has been allocated to the teachers yet. Teachers gradually lost confidence and stopped attending school.
A girl student of Class III said, “Head ‘apa’ (head teacher) runs the school on her own, while three others do not attend classes regularly. This has affected academic activities of the school for many years.”
Some guardians who took part in establishing the school echoed the opinion. They said they were anxious about the future of the children.
On a visit to Syedpur Government Primary School, this correspondent saw Saida Khatun conducting a class. The tin-shed schoolhouse is divided into three classrooms with bamboo sticks.
The headmistress said, “Though the school was taken up by the government, no salary was allocated to the teachers. This has disheartened the teachers.”
She added that she attends the school on a regular basis, while some of the teachers avail of leave when necessary.
Moheshpur upazila primary education officer Ataur Rahman admitted that there were problems galore in Syedpur Government Primary School, but said the allocation of the salaries for the teachers was being processed.
“The problems may be resolved within a short time,” the official expressed hope.

 

Headmistress runs govt primary school on her own

Teachers denied salaries for years, facilities missing

Syedpur Government Primary School, housed in a tin shed at a remote village in Azampur union of Maheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah district, lacks even the basic minimum facilities and infrastructure. There is no furniture here. Its headmistress Saida Khatun has been running the school for the past nine years on her own. And the teachers have not been paid their salaries yet. Parents and guardians of 152 students of the school apprehend that the lone regular teacher might stop classes anytime. A number of minors have already left the school because of the shortage of teachers and the absence of a congenial academic environment, said some of the guardians and students. Locals said they established the school in 2007 with the cooperation of a number of female teachers and young members of their community. Saida Khatun joined the school as headmistress, while three othersPapia Khatun, Nazma Khatun and Sharmin Naharjoined as assistant teachers. Initially, the teachers attended the school almost regularly. The number of learners totalled around 200. It became a government school in 2014. But no salary has been allocated to the teachers yet. Teachers gradually lost confidence and stopped attending school. A girl student of Class III said, Head apa (head teacher) runs the school on her own, while three others do not attend classes regularly. This has affected academic activities of the school for many years. Some guardians who took part in establishing the school echoed the opinion. They said they were anxious about the future of the children. On a visit to Syedpur Government Primary School, this correspondent saw Saida Khatun conducting a class. The tin-shed schoolhouse is divided into three classrooms with bamboo sticks. The headmistress said, Though the school was taken up by the government, no salary was allocated to the teachers. This has disheartened the teachers. She added that she attends the school on a regular basis, while some of the teachers avail of leave when necessary. Moheshpur upazila primary education officer Ataur Rahman admitted that there were problems galore in Syedpur Government Primary School, but said the allocation of the salaries for the teachers was being processed. The problems may be resolved within a short time, the official expressed hope.