Chronic Staffing Shortage Cripples Jessore Government Model School and College
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The Jashore Education Board Government Model School and College is facing a severe academic crisis as a chronic teacher shortage forces instructors to teach subjects outside their areas of expertise. The institution, which serves 1,411 students from the third through the 12th grades, is currently operating with only 26 teachers despite a sanctioned strength of 60, leaving the quality of education in significant jeopardy.
The shortage stems from the school’s nationalization in 2018. During the transition, 31 teachers were dismissed following a vetting process, and no new appointments have been made since. Consequently, the school is forced to rely on makeshift arrangements that leave critical gaps in the curriculum. For instance, the social sciences instructor is teaching English, the statistics teacher is handling science classes, and a philosophy teacher is covering the Bengali curriculum.
According to institutional records, the staffing situation is dire across all levels. In the secondary section, there are no dedicated teachers for English, Bengali, or science. While government staffing standards dictate that each core subject should be supported by at least two teachers, the institution currently employs only one mathematics teacher for 850 students from third to 10th grade. The college section faces similar strain; despite a requirement of 20 teachers across five science subjects, only four are currently employed. The business studies department is similarly gutted, with only two teachers present for four subjects, leaving two disciplines entirely without instruction.
The school’s principal, Professor Sheikh Md. Abdul Hannan, stated that coordinating 20 classes daily under these conditions has become nearly impossible. He noted that the administration has submitted formal appeals to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and local government representatives, calling for the immediate creation of new teaching posts and fresh recruitment to restore academic standards.
Parents have expressed deep frustration, noting that the school’s academic reputation is rapidly declining. Many families choose the institution due to its past prestige and the competitive nature of its student body, yet they fear that the lack of subject-matter experts is undermining the quality of learning. Students have similarly echoed these concerns, noting that the current reliance on out-of-field instructors creates significant barriers to understanding complex course material.
Jashore District Education Officer Mahfuzur Hossain acknowledged the crisis, attributing the vacancy to the failure to create new positions when the school was converted to a government institution. He indicated that once the college principal submits a formal request through the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, the government will initiate the process to create new posts and resolve the staffing deficit. For now, however, the institution continues to struggle, as teachers and parents alike demand urgent intervention to prevent a further erosion of the school’s educational environment.
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