One Teacher Supports 70 Students at This School

Paschim Char Nangla Government Primary School in Balijuri Union of Madarganj upazila in Jamalpur has only one teacher for its 70 students. As a result, regular teaching activities at the institution are being disrupted, depriving students of proper education.

Children arrive at the school in the morning carrying books and notebooks. Their eyes are filled with a desire to learn and dreams of a better future. But a teacher shortage has become an obstacle in their path. Against six approved teaching posts, the school currently has only one teacher.

Established in 1979, the school has 17 students in pre-primary, 11 students each in grades one, two and three, and 10 students each in grades four and five. On average, 35 students attend the school every day.

A visit to the school found Head Teacher Abdul Momin teaching students from grades three, four and five simultaneously in a single classroom. Due to the teacher shortage, it is not possible to hold separate classes for each grade, leaving him struggling to manage the situation. Meanwhile, some students from other grades were spending time reading books, while others sat waiting for the teacher.

According to local residents, the school’s educational activities have been running with only one teacher for nearly a year. As a result, parents are enrolling their children in other schools or private educational institutions. This has also led to a decline in student enrollment at the school.

Students complained that one teacher has to take classes for all grades, forcing them to sit idle for long periods. This is affecting their studies.

Fifth-grader Sadikul Islam Sadi said, “When sir teaches another class, we read our books by ourselves. Even if we have difficulty understanding a subject, we cannot get the teacher’s help immediately. We need more teachers. That would create a better learning environment.”

According to parents, it is not possible to run a government primary school with only one teacher. When the head teacher has to go to the upazila headquarters for official work, there is no one to supervise the students. If he falls ill, the school has to remain closed. As a result, the education of young children is being disrupted. They said public confidence in the school would return if teachers were appointed quickly.

Head Teacher Abdul Momin said that two teachers at the school retired last year. Since then, he has been single-handedly managing classroom teaching, office work, preparation of government reports and the school’s overall responsibilities. It has not been possible for him to give all classes the time they need.

He said that a teacher named Nur Islam Ujjal was posted to the school on July 9.

Upazila Assistant Education Officer Mostafizur Rahman said many teachers are unwilling to accept postings at the school because of poor communication facilities. As a result, the institution has been suffering from a teacher shortage for a long time. He said the matter has been reported to the district and upazila primary education officers. A teacher named Nur Islam Ujjal was posted there on July 9 and is regularly attending the school.

District Primary Education Officer Mohammad Ali Ahsan said the process of appointing teachers to the institution is underway. A teacher was posted there a few days ago, and more teachers will be appointed very soon.