Ukhiya teachers raise seniority concerns as headteacher promotions begin

Teachers in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, have raised concerns over the seniority list being prepared for promotions to government primary school headteacher posts, warning that discrepancies in past appointments and service records could deprive eligible teachers.

The concerns come as the Directorate of Primary Education moves to fill more than 32,000 vacant headteacher posts across the country following the resolution of longstanding legal complications.

Under existing rules, 80 percent of headteacher posts are filled through promotion from among assistant teachers, while the remaining 20 percent are filled through direct recruitment.

Ukhiya has 78 government primary schools, 17 of which currently have no headteacher. Of 487 sanctioned assistant teacher posts in the upazila, 429 are filled and 58 remain vacant.

Several teachers alleged that seniority had not always been properly followed in previous appointments, the absorption of teachers from development projects into the revenue sector and the assignment of assistant teachers to “current charge” as headteachers.

They said teachers recruited under an ADB development project in 2001 and 2003 were subsequently absorbed into the revenue sector, but questions had persisted over their seniority and other service records.

The teachers have called for recruitment dates, dates of absorption into the revenue sector and continuity of service to be thoroughly verified before the new gradation list is finalised.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, several teachers said inconsistencies in determining seniority had cost them opportunities in the past. They called for publication of a draft list so teachers could scrutinise it and lodge objections.

Questions have also been raised over the decision to give 30 assistant teachers “current charge” as headteachers in 2018 and 2019. Twenty-six of them remain in service. Some teachers have demanded scrutiny of whether seniority and relevant rules were properly followed in those assignments.

Ukhiya Upazila Primary Education Officer Mohammad Ashraful Alam Siraji said a notice on the gradation process had already been issued and the list would be prepared in accordance with government rules.

“No irregularity or fraud will be allowed,” he said.

The Directorate of Primary Education said teachers would have 30 working days to challenge the gradation list after it is prepared. Once objections are resolved, the list will be sent through the ministry to the Bangladesh Public Service Commission for approval before promotions proceed.

Teachers said a transparent seniority list and swift promotions could help ease Ukhiya’s longstanding headteacher shortage and improve both school administration and teaching.