Panchagarh Chinikal High school teachers have not been paid for four months. The teachers of the school were paid from the income of Panchagarh Sugar Mill. But at present, the teachers are not getting salaries like the employees of the sugar mill as there is no fund for the sugar mill. Meanwhile, studies are being disrupted due to teacher crises.
According to Panchagarh Chinikal High School, Panchagarh Sugar Mill was set up in 1985-69 on 198.46 acres of land in the Dhakkamara area of the district. Then in 1975, Panchagarh Chinikal High School was established under Sugar Mill. The school is taught from first-class to tenth class. However, Panchagarh Chinikal School has not yet received MPO registration (Monthly Payment Order).
Meanwhile, after a long run of losses, on December 1, 2020, the government suspended the threshing activities of six sugar mills in the country, including the Panchagarh sugar mill. However
Although the threshing activities of the sugar mill were stopped, the teachers were getting salaries and allowances. Due to a lack of funds, the school teachers along with other officials and employees of the sugar mill are in arrears for four months.
Jahangir Alam, an assistant teacher in English at the school, said: However, the authorities of the sugar mill have assured us in various ways. ‘
According to school sources, a total of 309 students are currently studying in the school. There are 73 students in the primary school branch and 236 students in the secondary school branch. 64 students from the school took part in the 2019 SSC examination. Of these, 59 passed. 65 people took part in the SSC examination of 2020, and 61 passed. In the last SSC examination of 2021, 46 students took part and 44 passed.
The teachers said that due to the financial crisis, the school could not hire teachers and now there are eight teachers instead of 18. The school has not hired any teachers since 2010. At one time the school had 18 teachers. But now there are eight teachers retiring. Even since 2009, the school has been running with an acting headteacher. Meanwhile, the school authorities have appointed three part-time teachers locally to cope with the pressure. It is learned that two of them are retired teachers.
Acting headmaster Dilara Alo said that the teacher crisis is increasing day by day as the recruitment process has been stopped for a long time. Besides, the teachers got frustrated as the threshing of the sugar mill was stopped. They have applied through the authorities for MPO registration of the school. MPO registration is essential to preserve the traditional school.
Khurshid Jahan Mafruha, chairman of the school management committee and managing director (MD) of Panchagarh Sugar Mills, said they had contacted the industry ministry and assured the teachers that the school would not be closed. Meanwhile, they are not able to hire teachers due to financial crises. And due to non-MPO registration, the private teachers are not able to take teachers from the Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA). This has created a teacher crisis. However, this time the school has applied for MPO registration. Hopefully, after the MPO registration, all the problems including the teacher crisis of the school will be solved.
Deputy Commissioner Md. Zahurul Islam said that Panchagarh Chinikal High School is a traditional educational institution in Panchagarh. They are continuing their efforts to overcome the crisis of the organization.
