Tardy recruitment system keeps 3,677 posts vacant in 253 colleges
A Bangla teacher takes English classes at a public college in Madaripur while a college in Satkhira has no one to teach physics, chemistry, geography and accounting, thanks to the government’s recruitment procedure.
Official records show around 3,677 posts of teachers are vacant in the country’s 253 public colleges, where some 5,09,137 students pursue education.
Of the vacant posts, 2,349 are of lecturers, 922 of assistant professors, 255 of associate professors and 151 are of professors, according to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) statistics.
Teacher shortage is particularly acute in upazilas. Most of the teachers appointed in rural areas manage a transfer to district towns after intense lobbying.
Teachers of other subjects or part-timers from private colleges are often called in to take classes.
In many colleges, HSC, degree (pass), honours and masters courses altogether have only one subject teacher.
However, the scenario is different in the capital and other metropolises where no posts of teachers are vacant but they appear to be inadequate for a growing number of students.
A SAGA OF NEGLIGENCE
“Can you imagine there is no teacher for physics and chemistry in my college for long?” Biswas Jogesh Chandra, principal of Tala Government College, Satkhira threw the question. There is no one at the college to teach geography and accounting either.
For now, some teachers from private colleges are taking the classes two days a week, said the principal. His collage has 550 HSC and 150 degree (pass) students.
“We wrote [about teacher shortage] to the directorate and the education ministry several times,” said Jogesh.
Government Sufia Women’s College, Madaripur has no teacher for English and a Bangla teacher takes English classes, said its principal Liakat Ali.
The college opened commerce department at HSC level two years ago but no post of subject teacher has been created yet.
“Is it possible to impart education with such shortage of teachers?” he posed a question.
DSHE officials say public teachers are appointed through Public Service Commission (PSC) that never recommends the number of teachers as per the education ministry demand.
DSHE College Section officials said some 400 teachers were appointed through the 28th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exams. Another 769 will be recruited through 29th BCS tests as per the PSC recommendation.
“We have recently sent our demand for 2,000 teachers to the education ministry,” said Dipak Kumar Nag, director (college and admin) of DSHE.
After placing the demand, it takes around two years to complete the recruitment and by this time more vacancies are created, said an official preferring anonymity. Many teachers switch jobs over the period.
He noted the education ministry never consider the fact while submitting the demand to the PSC.
DSHE Director General Prof Noman-ur-Rashid thinks that arranging special BCS for teachers is the only solution to the problem. “Otherwise, such a huge shortage can’t be met.”
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said teacher’s posts fall vacant every month but the recruitment takes a long time and the number of teachers who get appointed is also inadequate.
“It’s necessary to increase the posts as the number of students is increasing day by day,” he told The Daily Star. “We have been pressing the commission to hold a special BCS for teachers.”
He added the ministry has a plan to set up an institute that would deal with teachers’ recruitment and training.
Contacted, PSC Chairman Saadat Husain said the commission gives its recommendation as per the ministry demand; still many posts remain vacant as quotas are not fulfilled.
The government always intend to fill current vacancies and it takes one and a half to two years to complete the recruitment. By the time, many posts fall vacant and some promotions take place creating vacancies, he said.
About special BCS, he said the ministry made the demand for special BCS around two years ago and a number of people were appointed by the time. But no such demand was placed recently, he added.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
