Lone teacher struggles to manage govt primary school

Lessons to plan, papers to mark, administrative tasks that seem without end: any school teacher knows how much there is to do, outside classroom hours. But spare a thought for Anas Saren, the acting headmaster and lone teacher of Jalahar Government Primary School in Chapainawabganj sadar upazila. He teaches all seventy of the school's students, in different years, in all subjects. The school with a total of five designated employment posts, he runs single-handedly.

“It's not possible for one teacher to take all the classes in two shifts and complete all the other work of the institution,” he says. “The students are deprived of a good education due to the lack of teachers.”

Two assistant teachers used to teach the students but one has been on maternity leave since last November and the other left the school, established in 2013 under a project as one of 1,500 new primary schools in villages without schools, in January.

“I come to school every day and read textbooks on my own,” says Sumitra Tudu, a student of class four.

“Our teacher does not regularly attend all classes so we cannot study properly,” says Sanjoni Hemrom, also in class four.

Jalahar is a predominantly Santhal community thirteen kilometres from the district town. When the school first commenced academic activities in January 2014, there were 90 students. “The long-term teacher shortage might be the cause for students to discontinue their study,” says Anas, who was first deputed to the school from Kendul Government Primary School in August last year.

Several guardians agreed that their children are losing interest in going to school because classes are not held regularly. They urged the authorities to appoint enough teachers to facilitate the proper education of their children.

“It's not as though we can tutor our children at home either,” says one guardian Alam Tudu, who like many of the area's farm workers never had the opportunity to learn to read.

In the meantime Anas does as best he can. Though not trained in all subjects he teaches them, and the school's students are grateful for his efforts despite their frustration that their education is being stifled by the lack of teachers.

According to the upazila's primary education office, three other schools, Chor Johorpur, Narayanpur Rustom Monder Tola and Ghone Narayanpur government primary schools, face similar staffing problems. Upazila primary education officer Shamim Ahmed Khan says new teachers will be appointed to the schools within a short time.