The teachers of railway schools are government employees. They have been getting paid through IBAS for many years. But in recent times teachers and staff have not been getting salary for three months. Even the festival of Eid did not get allowance.
Education facilities in 10 higher secondary schools under the control of Bangladesh Railway are decreasing day by day due to indifference of the authorities. There are not enough teachers in those institutions. And the workers in those institutions are not getting salary for 3 months even though they are government employees. Basically teachers are not getting salary due to lack of allocation in the New Year budget. Even the new manpower structure of the Railways has shifted the schools to the grant sector. But the railway has been running the school since 1918. In that year Railway Government Girls High School was established at Pakshi in Ishwardi Upazila of Pabna. In 1924 Railway Government Chandraprabha Vidyapeeth was established in Pakshi. Then eight more railway schools were established by 1973. They are Railway Government High School in Akhaura in Brahmanbaria, Railway Government High School in Mymensingh, Pahartali Railway Government High School in Chittagong, Saltgola Railway Government High School, Shahjahanpur Railway Government High School in Dhaka, Railway Government Nazimuddin High School in Pabna, Lalmonirhat Railway Government Children Park High School and Syedpur Railway Government High School, Nilphamari. This information is known from sources related to Bangladesh Railway.
According to the concerned sources, the Ministry of Education looks after the education program of Railway Schools like the general ones. But the school runs on railway money. Railways appoint teachers and employees. And they get the same salary as the teachers and employees of ten government schools. But that money is given by the railways. Since its inception, the teachers and staff of Railway Vidyalayas have been the manpower of the establishment wing under the Director General. But he has been changed in the new manpower structure of Railways effective from September last year. Transferred to Schools and Manpower Grants Wing. As a result, the salary of the officials and employees of educational institutions has become uncertain even as government employees. However, the new manpower structure is being debated within the railways itself.
According to sources, the teachers of railway schools are government employees. They have been getting paid through IBAS for many years. But in recent times teachers and staff have not been getting salary for three months. Even the festival of Eid did not get allowance. Once upon a time the railway schools had class I to class X. But the Railways is gradually winding down the educational programme. At present, in Lalmonirhat school, the fourth and fifth classes have been closed in 2019. There are 275 students from sixth to tenth standard in that institution. In 2021, 68 students of the school took the SSC exam, but this time it has stood at 38 students. And the manpower structure of the school is supposed to have 19 teachers but there are only 7 teachers. The condition of Syedpur Railway High School is even worse. There, the education program from first to fifth class is closed. And there are 475 students from sixth to tenth class. There are 5 teachers. In 2021, 89 out of 92 students passed the SSC from the institution. This time there are only 71 candidates. And in Brahmanbaria and Mymensingh railway schools students are admitted from the second class. Dhaka and Saltgola railway schools have classes from first to tenth. However, in the manpower structure, there are supposed to be 28 teachers, but there are half. There are 112 teachers and only 41 employees in 10 schools across the country.
Sources also said that although there are labs and multimedia classrooms in other government schools of the country, there is nothing in the railway schools as the railways cannot pay. As a result, the quality and environment of education is deteriorating day by day. Students are decreasing. Even though 80 thousand crore taka have been spent on the development of railways in 5 years, no attention has been paid to schools. Despite the project of thousands of crores of taka, the students are not even getting a bench to sit on. Allegedly, the Railways is more interested in procuring projects than investing in education. And due to lack of attention, schools are sinking like railways.
Meanwhile, in this context, Railway Director (Finance) Sohail Ahmed said that the establishment wing of the railway has created the manpower structure. The teachers and staff of the schools get their salaries automatically from the Integrated Budget and Accounts System Plus Plus (IBAS) in the Ministry of Finance as government employees. Salaries have been frozen as the new workforce structure has shifted teachers to the grant sector. Even if their salaries are paid from the grant sector, there will be complications with pensions in the future.
EF
