District Correspondent, Pirojpur

With only five government-appointed teachers available for 550 students, Bhandaria Bandar Government Girls' High School in Pirojpur is struggling to maintain normal academic activities. Nine of its 14 sanctioned teaching posts remain vacant, including the post of headteacher. The school has no teachers for Bangla, English, social science, religious studies, fine arts and crafts, physical education, science, or information and communication technology (ICT).

The shortage has disrupted classroom teaching at the institution, while students and their guardians are facing additional financial pressure to cover the salaries of part-time teachers.

The school is the only government secondary school in the upazila and one of the notable educational institutions in the country's southern region. It has 550 students from Class Six to Class Ten. Due to the lack of sufficient teachers, normal academic activities are being disrupted. To address the crisis, the school has hired five additional part-time teachers to keep classes running. However, they reportedly lack formal training and institutional teaching experience.

According to school sources, only five government-appointed teachers are currently working against 14 sanctioned posts, leaving nine positions vacant. The school authorities are struggling to ensure regular lessons because teachers are unavailable for several subjects.

The salaries and allowances of the five part-time teachers are being financed through additional payments collected from students. As a result, students and their guardians must bear extra costs despite attending a government school. This additional financial burden may be particularly difficult for families from low- and middle-income backgrounds.

The absence of teachers in key secondary-level subjects, including Bangla, English, science and ICT, has raised concerns about the quality of education and the completion of the prescribed curriculum. Relevant stakeholders fear that a prolonged teacher shortage could also affect students' future academic progress.

Abu Naser, acting headteacher of the school, said the institution had been facing a teacher shortage for a long time. He said he had repeatedly sent written requests to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and other government offices seeking a resolution. However, no effective measures had been taken so far, forcing the school to continue its academic activities with a limited number of government-appointed teachers.

Mohammad Hasibul Hasan, the school's governing body president and upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), said several letters had been sent to the ministry and relevant government offices to address the longstanding crisis.

He said teacher recruitment falls under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE). The issue has also been brought to the attention of Ahmed Sohel Manzur, state minister for Housing and Public Works and a member of parliament.

“We hope the relevant authorities will take the necessary steps soon and resolve the teacher shortage at the school,” he said.