Principals blame teacher shortage
Shortage of teachers and classrooms and a lack of infrastructure are the major obstacles to ensure quality education at government colleges, said its principals at a conference in the capital yesterday.
A lack of training opportunities for teachers and a dearth of adequate reference books and apparatus at science laboratories are also affecting education at the state-run colleges, they said demanding that the government appoint more teachers.
The principals made the remarks at "Government College Principals' Conference 2017" organised by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) at Azimpur Government Girls' School and College.
Principals of 327 public colleges participated in the conference where some of them shared their problems in the presence of the education minister and high officials of the ministry and DSHE. The directorate organised similar conference last year.
"I don't have teachers for five subjects. Sixteen posts of lecturer have long been lying vacant. The classes are being taken by any available teachers," said Nazrul Islam, principal of Chapainawabganj Government Girls' College.
Principal of Jamalpur Government Ashek Mahmud College said, "We have only 70 teachers against 2,400 students in our college. We need 100 teachers and have also informed the authorities, but to no avail."
Principal of Khulna Girls' College said they have been struggling to hold classes of around 2,000 students due to a shortage of classrooms.
Sandwip Government College Principal said their students are facing extreme difficulties as there is no academic building.
Government Tolaram College Principal said female students feel less interested to get admitted to the institution as they do not have any hostel.
Responding to the teachers, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said there are many problems in the state-run colleges. But the government is working on it, he said.
"Appointing teachers and building infrastructure are ongoing process," he said.
He, however, blamed teachers' unwillingness to work outside Dhaka, which is one of the reasons behind teacher crisis in rural colleges.
"Everybody prefers Dhaka. If the teachers stay in Dhaka, what will happen to other colleges," Nahid said.
Mollah Jalaluddin, ndc, additional secretary of secondary and higher education division of the ministry, and Prof SM Wahiduzzaman, director general of DSHE, also spoke.
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