Veteran educator retires after 36-year tenure at alma mater in Rajshahi

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After 36 years of dedicated service, Ireen Parvin, a head teacher who spent her entire career fostering excellence at the Arpara Government Primary School in Rajshahi’s Bagha upazila, officially retired on Monday. Parvin’s departure was marked by an outpouring of emotion from students and colleagues, highlighting a career that began in the very classrooms where she once excelled as a scholarship-winning student.

A four-time recipient of the district’s Best Teacher award, Parvin was honored during a formal ceremony attended by local education officials, peers, and community leaders. The event served as a testament to her legacy, which was defined not only by her professional longevity but by her transformative impact on the school. As she bid farewell, students gathered to embrace her, while fellow educators expressed the difficulty of parting with a mentor who had become a cornerstone of the local academic community.

The ceremony, presided over by Assistant Education Officer Mamunur Rashid, featured tributes from various educational leaders, including Bagha Upazila Primary Education Officer Mir Mamunur Rahman. In a gesture of profound respect, Rahman pledged to personally expedite Parvin’s pension documentation within an hour, sparing the veteran educator the bureaucratic burden typically associated with the retirement process.

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Colleagues lauded Parvin’s unique leadership style, noting her success in securing resources for the school, such as the construction of an auditorium—an uncommon facility for primary schools in the region. She was remembered for her inclusive approach to administration, often bringing homemade meals and gifts to monthly meetings, and for her commitment to transparency, welcoming inspectors into her school with a confidence rarely seen among her peers.

Reflecting on her tenure, Parvin attributed much of her success to the strong rapport she maintained with her assistant teachers, noting that their unspoken understanding allowed the school to function with remarkable cohesion. With the exception of a single three-day leave during her entire career, Parvin remained a constant presence, treating the school with the same care and attention as her own household. She credited her commitment to education to the influence of her mother, Rokeya Begum, who was the first woman in their village to pass the secondary school certificate examination and a lifelong advocate for local learning.