Bangladesh to recruit retired teachers to tackle shortage in private schools, colleges

Local administrations will hire fit retirees using school funds as 60,000 posts remain vacant

The education authorities have moved to address the shortage of teachers in private secondary and higher secondary institutions by engaging retired but physically fit educators to support classroom teaching.

The Secondary and Higher Education Division issued a directive on Sunday, instructing deputy commissioners (DCs) and Upazila administrators (UNOs) to form "retired teacher pools" at the sub-district level.

These teachers will be hired temporarily to ensure that classroom activities are not disrupted.

The ministry noted that the recruitment of teachers through the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) is often delayed, leading to a vacuum in educational institutions.

Under the new guidelines, school management committees or governing bodies will appoint teachers from these pools upon the advice of the local UNO.

The remuneration for these retired teachers must be paid from the institutions' own internal funds.

The move comes after Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament on Apr 8 that 60,295 teaching positions remain vacant in MPO-listed schools and colleges.

Official data shows there are 34,129 private educational institutions in Bangladesh, employing nearly 600,000 teachers.

However, recent recruitment drives have failed to close the gap.

On Jan 28, the NTRCA recommended only 11,713 candidates for 67,208 vacant posts, leaving over 55,000 positions empty across schools, madrasas, and technical institutions.

The director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has been tasked with ensuring that schools allocate the necessary honorary fees to these temporary recruits from their essential fund categories.