Ramgarh (Khagrachhari) Correspondent :
Teaching activities are being severely hampered due to teacher shortage in the traditional Ramgarh Government High School in Khagrachhari. The school has long had no teachers in mathematics, biology, agriculture, geography and fine arts, including headmasters and assistant headmasters. Instead of 28 teachers, there are only 9 teachers working now, including one in addition to physical education. In the first week of this month, the Public Service Commission (PSC) recruited 2,065 teachers in 316 government schools across the country, but no one was posted in Ramgarh. Parents and educationists think that this is the utter negligence of the concerned authorities towards this ancient school in the highlands which made outstanding contribution in the war of liberation. Established in 1952 during the Ramgarh subdivision period, the school was made government in 1968. The only government school in the upazila has been suffering from teacher crisis. There are 27 teaching posts including head teacher and assistant head teacher. At present, the posts of 19 teachers including head teachers and assistant head teachers are vacant. There are no teachers in mathematics, biology, agriculture, geography and fine arts. According to school sources, after the transfer of headmaster Sudhir Chandra Sarkar elsewhere in September 2018, no new headmaster posting has been given to the vacant post. The post of assistant headmaster has also been vacant for a long time. There were 2 postings out of 3 posts in Mathematics. In 2021, both were transferred elsewhere. As a result, there is no math teacher now. Besides, 3 out of 4 posts in Bengali, 3 out of 4 in English, 1 out of 2 in Social Sciences, 1 out of 2 in Science, 1 out of 2 in Business Education, 2 out of 2 in Biology, Geography, Agricultural Education and Fine Arts only. It has been empty for a long time. On the other hand, there are two postings for a post of physical education teacher. Classroom teaching is being severely disrupted due to teacher crisis. A lot of joratali class activities are being carried out. As a result, the standard of education and the results of JSC and SSC examinations have been deteriorating. Parents of about 700 students are extremely worried about the future of their children in this fragile state of the school. Acting Headmaster Md. Abdul Quader said, Regular letters are being sent to the higher authorities to fill the vacancies based on transfer teachers. ‘ Ramgarh Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khandaker Md. Ikhtiyar Uddin Arafat while acknowledging the fragile condition of the school said, “Steps will be taken to overcome the teacher crisis.”
Meanwhile, Khagrachhari Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Golam Md Baten visited the school last Tuesday (February 22). At that time the acting headmaster of the school appealed to him for the necessary teachers on an urgent basis. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Golam Mohammad Baten told New Nation correspondent, “Quick steps will be taken to address the shortage of teachers in this school, which is associated with the liberation war.”
