Teacher Shortage at Nazrul University: Hindrance to Quality Education and Administrative Activities

The teacher shortage at the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University has become increasingly severe. According to international standards, there should be one teacher for every 20 students, but no department in the university meets this ratio. As a result, teaching is disrupted, students are deprived of quality education, and concerns about session delays are growing.

According to the Registrar's office, a total of 10,809 students are currently enrolled at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Based on international standards, the university should have 540 teachers for these students. In reality, only 220 teachers are currently employed, many of whom are on study leave.

Out of the university’s 25 departments, most are facing a significant teacher shortage. For example, the Department of Management has only 2 teachers, the Departments of History, Statistics, and Population Science have 3 teachers each, and the Departments of Sociology, Anthropology, and Marketing have 4 teachers each handling regular academic activities. Despite having 250–300 students per department, it has become extremely difficult to manage teaching and research activities with such a limited number of teachers.

Mohammad Tariqul Islam Jony, Head of the Department of Management, said, “Initially, the department had four teachers, but now only two remain. Managing the BBA and MBA curricula has become extremely challenging. Students cannot receive timely guidance due to the teacher shortage.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Jahangir Alam stated, “The staff shortage issue has been reported to the University Grants Commission (UGC), and several letters have been sent. Once we receive permission, we will announce recruitment notices.”

Mohammad Jaminur Rahman, Director of the Public University Management Division at UGC, added, “A meeting regarding staffing will be held soon, and a decision on this matter will be made during that meeting.”