A total of 24 employees, including 19 teachers, enlisted for the monthly pay order in Brahmanbaria High School have not been getting the government salary for three months because of a crisis centring the legality of the post of the headmaster.
Consequently, the school’s staff are financially strained and suffering along with the family members.
It was learned that the period of employment of the school’s Headmaster Abul Kasem had ended in December, 2011, but the school’s managing committee has extended the time frame of his job for another five years.
In this regard, Comilla Secondary and Higher Secondary Board declared the post held by the headmaster was illegal because he had reached the retirement age of 60 and they sent several letters to the school authorities to send the him into retirement.
In response to the letter, Abul Kasem sent a letter to the board quoting the job extension by the school committee and he claimed the legality of the post.
In this situation, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ashraful Alam directed the bank authorities not to discharge the salary in favour of papers signed by the headmaster whose signature is mandatory to draw the payment.
However, later the school authorities filed a case against the UNO with a local court in this connection.
In this regard, the school’s Mathematics teacher Nazrul Islam said they have been financially suffering because they have not been able to draw their salary for three months although they have nothing to do with the deadlock.
The School Management Committee President Md Shafikul Alam said a case was launched against the UNO to prevent any blockade in paying salaries and the solution would come legally although the salary’s part, which supposed to give by the school authorities, was being paid regularly.
Abul Kasem said: “The UNO in a visit declared holding the post by me is illegal and he has directed the bank authorities not to receive the papers signed by me, which is out of my knowledge.”
Brahmanbaria Education Officer Kazi Salim Ullah said sixty years exceeded by any teacher can not hold the post and the headmaster did not follow the rules as per which he could be reinstated in the post.
The officer also stated that only the removal of the headmaster from the post would drive end the crisis.
UNO Ashraful Alam said: “I am the president of the district secondary teachers samity and I have sent several eradication letters to the headmaster who is not paying any heed to it. In this situation, I have directed the bank to stop the distribution of salaries so that the public money does not go to waste.”
