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.