Govt may let 21,500 to continue with jobs

INCOMPETENT PRY SCHOOLTEACHERS
Govt may let 21,500 to continue with jobs
The Awami League government is likely to allow 21,500 incompetent primary schoolteachers to continue with their jobs even after they have failed to meet the minimum required minimum qualifications by the June 30 deadline.
‘As the 21,522 non-government teachers have failed to meet the minimum qualification set by the government by the June 30 deadline, they are officially not on job now. But the government is likely to allow them to continue with their jobs by relaxing the required qualification,’ a high official said. ‘All such teachers have more than 17 years’ teaching experiences.’
‘At least three writ petitions were filed in 2007 with the High Court against the government directive on holding the competency test. In view of the situation, a proposal for the continuation of the jobs has been sent to the cabinet and the cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday will make the final decision,’ he said. ‘The competency test was not held because of the High Court order.’
The managing committees of registered non-government primary schools were the sole authorities to appoint such teachers before 1992. The teachers were later brought under a special pay structure of the government.
The council of advisers of the caretaker government on December 21, 2008 extended the deadline for such teachers to meet the minimum required qualifications for the last time.
The council at a meeting decided that all such teachers would need to take the competency test to be conducted by the primary and mass education ministry by June 30 and the teachers who would come out unsuccessful would lose their jobs. The interim government in July 2007 asked such teachers to meet the qualifications by November 2007.
The primary and mass education ministry in January 2004 asked the teachers to meet the qualifications by November 2006 or to lose their jobs.
Such teachers, as the deadline neared, threatened to hold street agitations, prompting the caretaker government led by Iajuddin Ahmed to postpone the implementation of the ministry order.
The minimum qualification for a male teacher is higher secondary certificate exams with at least one second division and a certificate-in-education course, or a bachelor’s degree. The qualification for a female teacher is a secondary school certificate in the second division.
Before 1992, about 44,000 teachers, having qualifications less than what is required, were recruited in registered primary schools.
Former adviser to interim government Rasheda K Chowdhury on Friday told New Age she hoped the government would not take any steps to compromise the quality of teachers.
Professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, also a member on the education policy formulation committee, said, ‘I am always in favour of increasing the salary and benefits of teachers, but I do not support compromise on the quality of teachers and education.’
In contrast, the Bangladesh Non-Government Primary Schoolteachers’ Association president, Mohammad Shamsul Alam, welcomed the government move for allowing such teachers with their jobs.
‘The people who are high up in the government, including more than one ministers and advisers to the primer minister, have assured us of allowing such a huge number of teachers with their jobs,’ he claimed.
There are 19,605 registered non-government primary schools with some 77,113 teachers who receive salaries from the government.

Courtesy of NewAgebd