Panchagarh: One hundred and sixty nine primary schools in the district are running without any headmaster, affecting both academic and administrative activities of the schools for two to five years.

Sources at Panchagarh district Primary Education office said, there are total 657 government primary schools in the district among which 488 have their headmaster while the rest 169 primary schools are running keeping the post vacant.

In the Sadar upazila, among 157 schools, 25 have no headmaster while the same scenario prevails in other upazilas---Atowari, Tetulia, Debiganj and Boda.

The assistant teachers who now perform as acting head teacher alongside their regular academic works have been feeling extra pressure.

Acting head teacher of Kamatpara Government Primary School in Tetulia, Aklima Khatun, said she has been working as a acting head of the school since 2016 when she joined there.

"Managing both routine class schedule and administrative jobs is really difficult to handle at a time, there must be headmaster in all the old primary schools," she said.

Md jahangir Kabir, who has been working as a assistant teacher of Gitalgachh Government Primary School since 2010 said, the school is running with an acting head teacher for six years.

General Secretary of Primary Teachers' Association Md Monirul Haque said the problem will be solved if the divisional promotion is given to improve education quality.

District primary education officer Ohindra Kumar Mondol said, he has sent a requisition to the authorities to fill up the vacant posts of headmasters. Hopefully the government will very soon provide head teachers to the schools to continue quality education activities.