Historic Adina Fazlul Haque Government College Faces Academic Collapse Amid Severe Staff Shortages
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Ninety years after its founding, the historic Adina Fazlul Haque Government College in Chapainawabganj—once a premier institution for higher education in northern Bangladesh—is facing a severe existential crisis. Established in 1938 with the support of Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq, the college now struggles with a debilitating shortage of faculty and administrative staff that threatens to jeopardize the academic futures of its 5,000 students.
The scale of the staffing crisis is profound, with 21 of the college’s 42 faculty positions currently vacant. The shortages are particularly acute in the science and humanities departments, where subjects such as chemistry, philosophy, and information and communication technology (ICT) operate with no permanent instructors. The situation reached a critical point recently when the transfer of three chemistry teachers left the department entirely devoid of staff, effectively halting instruction for both higher secondary and degree-level students.
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College Principal Syed Md. Mozaharul Islam expressed frustration over the administrative handling of the staff, noting that the recent transfers occurred despite the institution’s already desperate need for personnel. The deficit has forced the college to rely on precarious arrangements; for instance, the philosophy department is currently being kept afloat by a retired former principal who commutes 80 kilometers from Rajshahi to provide instruction on a volunteer basis. While these stopgap measures show the dedication of faculty, students emphasize that they are insufficient to sustain a rigorous academic curriculum.
Beyond the classroom, the college is crippled by a lack of support staff. Critical administrative roles, including those of the chief assistant and accountant, remain empty, forcing junior staff to assume responsibilities far beyond their designations. The institution’s infrastructure, spanning several multi-story buildings and roughly 30 restrooms, is maintained by only a single permanent cleaner, necessitating the hiring of daily wage earners through local initiatives to keep the campus functional. Furthermore, the college library operates without a professional librarian, managed instead by a single office attendant.
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The decline of the institution is a point of significant concern for the local community, which views the college as a cultural and intellectual pillar of the region. As the alma mater of numerous distinguished scholars, justices, and academics, the college’s current state is being mourned by alumni and residents alike. Stakeholders warn that unless the government initiates immediate recruitment to fill these chronic vacancies, the legacy of one of the region’s oldest educational institutions will continue to erode, leaving thousands of students without the quality education they were promised.
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