Shariatpur: Some 249 government primary schools in the district have been functioning without headmasters for years, greatly hampering the academic and administrative activities.

The teachers of those schools are overburdened as they have to take additional classes and charges.

The schools were running with the acting headmasters for long.

Sources at District Primary Education Office, said there are 668 government primary schools in six upazilas of the district. Of those, 49 schools in Bhedorganj, 31 in Gosairhat, 41 in Naria, 48 in Sadar, 27 in Damudya and 53 in Jajira upazilas are functioning without headmasters.

The government is filling up 35 percent posts of headmasters for the primary schools directly but the rest 65 percent posts remained lying vacant due to different complexities.

Emdadul Haq, president of District Primary Teachers’ Association, said the posts of headmasters of 249 primary schools remained lying vacant for long, hampering the normal educational activities.

He also stressed on filling up the vacant posts immediately for the sake of education.

‘We have informed the matter to the higher authorities concerned and they have assured us of filing up the vacant posts soon,’ said Abul Kalam Azad, District Primary Education Officer.