Show-cause notices to all teachers of 367 government primary schools in Pabna; education department takes tough stance over failure to achieve learning outcomes

Pabna District Primary Education Officer Md. Ashraful Kabir confirmed the matter on Thursday (July 30) morning. He said the concerned teachers have been given three to five working days to respond to the notices.

According to the District Primary Education Office, among the schools that received show-cause notices, there are 74 in Santhia, 59 in Atgharia, 54 in Pabna Sadar, 50 in Bera, 48 in Chatmohar, 41 in Sujanagar, 23 in Ishwardi, 11 in Bhangura, and 7 in Faridpur upazila.

The notice stated that under a 180-day action plan, targets were set to ensure Bengali reading for third-grade students, the four basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) for fourth-grade students, and fluent English reading for fifth-grade students by June 30. However, the concerned schools failed to achieve those targets.

It further stated that preliminary evidence of failure to take effective measures despite multiple instructions and supervision has been found. Therefore, teachers have been asked to provide a written explanation within the stipulated time as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against them for negligence of duty. They have also been warned that if they fail to give a satisfactory reply, disciplinary action will be taken.

It is learned that education officers inspected 1,136 government primary schools in the district in June. During the inspection, deficiencies in basic learning skills of students were found in 367 schools, leading to show-cause notices to all teachers of those schools.

A source in the Primary Education Department said that in the next phase, students' practical skills will also be assessed. If satisfactory results are not achieved there as well, stricter administrative measures may be taken against the concerned teachers.

Among the schools under the show-cause notices are not only those in remote and char (riverine) areas but also several renowned government primary schools in upazila towns. Among them, Fateh Mohammadpur Government Primary School in Ishwardi municipality, which has 16 teachers for 623 students, also came under the notice as the success rate of students in mathematics is below 50 percent.

However, some teachers have expressed anger over the incident. They claim that teacher shortages, irregular attendance of students, lack of awareness among parents, and the realities of char areas have become major obstacles to achieving desired learning outcomes.

Md. Moniruzzaman Shipon, head teacher of Char Natibpur Government Primary School in Bera upazila, said there are only three teachers for over three hundred students. In such a situation, it is difficult to conduct regular teaching and properly assess the students. Additionally, many parents in char areas engage their children in agricultural work instead of sending them to school.

Md. Maqbul Hossain, head teacher of Notun Mirpur Government Primary School in the same upazila, said the assessment was conducted before the stipulated deadline, so the real picture was not reflected. Effective measures are needed to bring students to school regularly.

Meanwhile, several teachers have alleged that although the deadline for achieving learning outcomes is October 31, the show-cause notices were issued three months early. In many cases, the matter was made public even before the notices were received.

District Primary Education Officer Md. Ashraful Kabir said the government is giving high importance to improving the quality of primary education. Several coordination meetings have been held to make the FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) program successful. After receiving the written explanations from teachers, they will be reviewed and necessary decisions will be taken.

He further said that if the desired learning outcomes of students are not ensured, stricter administrative measures may be taken against the concerned teachers in the future.