Shyamali Rani Sarkar's aspiration to become a teacher has faced a harsh reality of bureaucratic disarray. Her journey began in 2019 when she applied to take the 16th Teacher Registration Examination. After undergoing preliminary, written, and viva voce, she finally got registered as an assistant teacher of Bengali in 2021. Yet, her dream is on the verge of being shattered, all because of the lack of coordination between the Madrasa Education Department and the Non-government Teacher Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA).
Shyamali's predicament arises from the non-coordination between the two entities. Although she received a final recommendation for her appointment as an assistant teacher of Bengali, she is unable to perform her duties as anticipated. Despite having official documentation supporting her new role, the reality paints a different picture.
In December 2022, Shyamali responded to the fourth public notice and was selected as an assistant teacher of Bengali in Nurun Ala Nur Islamia Dakhil Madrasa in Mathbaria of Pirojpur, 150kam off her home in Satkhira. Despite joining there, she is barred from attending classes or signing the attendance register.
Recounting her ordeal, Shyamali revealed that the madrasa issued her appointment letter on October 10, and she commenced her teaching duties on October 12. However, the situation took a turn during the Puja holiday. When she returned to the institution on October 29, the madrasa's head forbade her from entering.
Dainikshiksha.com contacted the madrasa superintendent ABM Ruhul Amin and he explained that they had already appointed a sociology teacher for the Bengali subject and, therefore, Shyamali could not be incorporated into the Monthly Pay Order (MPO). According to the school's staffing pattern (organogram), two Bengali teachers are not permissible, and the superintendent does not want any harm to befall Shyamali.
Through the MPO programme, the government pays the salaries and allowances of teachers and staff in private education institutions. An institution can come under the MPO coverage on the application when its staff is qualified enough to get the benefit from the government. The staff under the MPO scheme receive salaries in accordance with the government pay scale.
The superintendent said his institution is giving a written clarification to Shyamali as to why it cannot allow her to join there knowing that issuance of such clarification can halt MPO payment for three months. He said he also approached NTRCA officials, who recommended Shyamali to another institution if the superintendent provides written clarification of her exclusion. However, Shyamali remains skeptical of this possibility.
Asked about why the madrassa informed the authorities of vacant posts despite being enrolled under MPO coordinating other teachers, the superintendent said in 2022 he had applied for amending the posts and designation of teachers to the Madrasa Education Department and there was no development. At one stage, he informed the NTRC of vacant posts and it picked a teacher but at the same time the department had adjusted the post of sociology teacher with the post of Bengali teacher and that sociology teacher has been enrolled in the MPO as a Bengali teacher, he said.
The superintendent proposed a solution whereby either the new teacher or the previously appointed teacher could be adjusted to a different subject with an MPO vacancy. The institution currently has an opening for an Assistant Teacher in English.
The delay in resolving this matter has raised questions about the recruitment process and coordination between the relevant authorities. Shyamali is not the only teacher affected by such issues. Many individuals are unable to commence their roles due to inadequate coordination between recruiting institutions. These aspiring teachers seek relief from their predicaments, hoping for better coordination in the future.
Officials from the relevant offices of the directorate explained that in 2019, they introduced a separate software known as MEMIS into the MPO system for madrasa teachers. Prior to this, the EMIS software managed by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education included data from schools, colleges, as well as madrasa teachers and staff. During the transition of data from EMIS to MEMIS, it was evident that many madrasa teachers and staff had incorrect designations. To address this issue, in March 2022, applications for designation corrections were carefully reviewed and rectified. This scrutiny and correction process for designations in over 8,000 MPO-affiliated madrasas understandably required time.
Nevertheless, the superintendent took the initiative to resubmit this corrected information to the NTRCA for designation revisions.
An officer from the NTRCA, responsible for validating teacher recruitment vacancies and selecting candidates, clarified that if they had received comprehensive information about this particular case before the final recommendation, they might not have chosen a candidate for that position. Regrettably, such details were not initially provided. In situations where a candidate is unable to assume their role for a valid reason, NTRCA typically recommends the candidate to other organisations with available vacancies, he said.
However, it is essential for the head of the institution to notify NTRCA through a written certificate, explaining the logical reason for the candidate's inability to join. Following this, NTRCA will review the candidate's application and certification. If approved by superiors, they will then strive to recommend the candidate for a position in another organization. It's worth noting that a vacancy in the candidate's subject is a prerequisite for this process to proceed successfully, he added.
The government established NTRCA in 2005 to recruit quality teachers and issue pre-qualification certificates. Candidates were required to hold this registration certificate to apply for teaching positions. However, in 2015, the government granted NTRCA the sole responsibility of selecting candidates for entry-level teaching positions to ensure the recruitment of quality teachers.
Since then, there have been numerous complaints of institutions preventing candidates selected by NTRCA from joining their positions. In the past three years, hundreds of school administrators have been penalised once allegations were substantiated.
