93 teacher posts vacant out of 125
Polytechnic Institute in Patuakhali is facing serious problems due to its shortage of teachers. While 93 of its 125 teacher posts have remained vacant for the last five years, 11 additional teachers have not been paid their salaries for the last three years.
Established in 1989 on 10 acres of land, this institute currently has 2,000 students studying in its four active departments -- civil, electrical, refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC), and computer science.
According to sources, 22 of its 25 teacher posts in the civil department, 22 of 26 posts in the electrical department, nine of 15 posts in RAC, and 10 of 14 posts in computer engineering department are currently vacant. The institution also needs two vice-principals urgently.
The institution has two on-campus dormitories (one male, one female), with the 102-seat male hall being closed for around a decade.
Following a case filed in regards to in-fighting, the dorm was temporarily closed as per court orders.
"I have to live in a mess which costs me a lot more than the dorm. Although the court ban has been lifted, the dorm needs renovation," said Shamim Mia, a 7th semester civil department student hailing from Kurigram.
Meanwhile, the female dorm, which can accommodate 45 students, is currently home to 146 students.
"We badly need another dorm for female students on campus. Our quality of life is deteriorating due to this overpopulation," said Jannatul Tanha, a final year student.
In 2014, 11 additional teachers were employed under Skills and Training Enhancement Project initiated by the Directorate of Technical Education. The project expired on June 30, 2019.
The teachers were paid by the revenue department till June, 2020.
"We have not received any salary for the last 35 months and have to live in extreme poverty. We were assured that we would be transferred to the revenue sector, but no progress has been made in this regard," said Sanjay Chandra Sarkar, one of the teachers.
Mostafizur Rahman Khan, the principal of the institution, said, "We have sent in repeated letters and documents to the authorities about the aforementioned problems. We were assured that the teachers will receive their pending salaries by next month."
"We had asked for funds to renovate the abandoned dorm. However, we have not been allotted a budget yet," he added.
The principal blamed the shortage of technical educators nationwide for the unfilled teaching positions at the institute.
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