NTRCA 4.85

The role of School Managing Committees (SMCs) in the teacher's recruitment process in non-government schools sparked questions in the society. It is alleged that chairmen and members of many SMCs found it convenient to compromise quality with meager financial gains against appointment of teachers in non-government educational institutions. Teachers getting jobs in this way are reluctant to participate in in-service teacher education programs. Majority of the incompetent teachers are connected with any member of SMCs and believed to have got their jobs either in exchange of money or through other irregular means. A large majority of teachers in the non-government secondary schools do not have the officially required level of academic attainment and professional qualifications and this obviously contributes to the fall of quality in secondary education. It is widely believed that except a few urban institutions the performance of non-government secondary schools is worse than those of public secondary schools. The wide allegations of irregularities against the SMCs prompted the Government to bring forth a substantial change in the authority of the SMCs at least by limiting their scope of choices.

The Government of Bangladesh decided to register would-be teachers selected through an open competitive examination for their eventual placement in all the junior high schools, secondary schools, colleges, madrasahs, technical schools and business study institutions spread over the country realizing that recruitment of competent teachers is one of the important steps to enhance quality of education. As the Government have been providing full salary and allowances of the teachers of these educational institutions it is logical the Government should play some role in their selection process.

The Managing Committee of a school is responsible for supervising the teachers’ appointment procedure. The process includes placing an advertisement in the press, holding an examination for the candidates and a viva voce and evaluating demonstration class run by those who perform best in the written examination. Are the teachers’ appointment procedures stipulated in government rules always adhered to?

The Govt. takes little interest in establishing a Non-Govt. education institute to facilitate even elementary education for children. A new school is to pay its teachers from contributions of local philanthropists until they are included in MPO which takes more than 3 years of continued struggle. At the initial stage, request for setting up a junior high school is to be submitted to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education. After the DSHE has accorded recognition of a junior high school it has to run successfully for 3 years before receipt of govt. subvention for teacher salaries. Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education exercise authority to approve opening of grade IX and X to the junior high schools. The new teachers for grades IX and X will not receive salary subventions before the school has recorded a minimum average percentage score over the last 3 years at SSC examination.