Barguna’s Failing Government Primary Schools Drive Parents Away

Jahangir Kabir Mridha

One school has two students and five teachers. Another has several teachers for five students. In some schools, classrooms sit empty after noon. In others, teachers sign the attendance book, but they are not at work. Teaching many classes in one room, absent teachers and poor quality have raised doubts about government primary education in Barguna.

Schools have buildings, and the government has approved teacher posts. But many schools cannot keep students or give quality lessons. So a large share of parents now choose kindergartens and madrasas instead of government schools.

A visit to different government primary schools in the district showed this worrying picture. At Madhya Pathakata Government Primary School in Barguna Sadar upazila, the building is fine and the classrooms are neat. But the school has only two students. Three of five teachers were present, and nobody found the head teacher or the acting head teacher. At nearby Charpara Government Primary School, five students were present. Two female teachers were there, but the head teacher was absent.

Many people say this gap between students and teachers is not only a staffing issue. They also question how well the schools work, how good the teaching is and how the state uses public money. But teachers say other reasons also cause the fall in students. These include poor roads, new schools nearby and a change in parents’ choices.

The picture is more worrying at Purba Hosnabad Government Primary School in Betagi. Only two of four teachers were present. The acting head teacher was sleeping on a bench in an empty classroom. Yet the attendance book carried the signatures of all four teachers. One teacher taught five students from Class 3 to Class 5 in one room. People naturally ask how well these students can learn the lessons for their own class.

At about 2:30 PM, North Deshantarkathi Government Primary School had no students. Only one teacher was there. The picture was almost the same at nearby Chanmia Government Primary School. Parents want authorities to check whether empty classrooms during key hours happen regularly. They also demand strong action.

Teachers gave different reasons for the fall in students. Some blamed poor roads, some blamed the growth of madrasas, and some blamed parents’ interest in kindergartens. They say private schools stress English from the pre primary level. Parents also hold a poor view of government school quality. Some see government schools as places only for poor families, and this view shapes their choices.

Parents speak more directly. They say irregular teacher attendance, weak teaching, teachers leaving early and poor supervision have cut their trust in government primary schools. Many pay extra to send their children to kindergartens in the hope of better lessons. Some parents travel several kilometres to reach a school. They say the district can stop losing students if government schools give quality lessons.

District primary education data show that Barguna has 1,045 primary schools, both government and private. Of these, 799 are government schools. These schools have about 81,900 students. The government has approved 5,047 teacher posts.

Assistant teacher Ms. Kamrun Nahar of Madhya Pathakata Government Primary School said poor roads stop many students from coming to school regularly. She said new schools also split the students. Assistant teacher Ms. Parvin of Charpara school said teachers must stay at school all day even when students are few. She also said the school faces a shortage of teachers.

Aware local people say that admission drives and new buildings are no longer enough to keep students. They say every school must ensure teacher attendance and give regular lessons for each class. They also want authorities to fill empty posts, check how well students learn and improve supervision. If the attendance book does not match real attendance, they say authorities must investigate and fix the blame. They also want schools to publish student attendance, dropout rates and learning results.

They say government primary schools are the main hope of education for poor children. If student absence, weak teaching and weak accountability become normal there, a whole generation will lose its base in education. So the crisis in Barguna is not only about fewer students. It is a crisis of education quality, official supervision and public trust. The question now is how fast the education administration will act to change this reality.