Teacher vacancies strain secondary education in Bangladesh

Teacher shortages are disrupting secondary school lessons across Bangladesh, increasing workloads and pushing students toward private coaching, according to reporting by The Daily Star.

Education minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament April 23 that 2,842 teaching posts were vacant in government secondary schools and 77,227 in nongovernment secondary institutions receiving government salary support.

Nearly 9 million students attend secondary education nationwide. Government records show thousands of schools lack teachers for mathematics, English, or information and communication technology.

At Shariatpur Government Girls’ High School, 27 teachers serve about 1,200 students against 53 approved posts. Some teachers take 25 to 27 classes weekly instead of 15 to 17, while science practical lessons are irregular.

Officials cited recruitment delays and difficulties retaining teachers. Interviews for headteacher and assistant headteacher candidates were postponed from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15.