157 of 253 posts vacant at Jashore Education Board for 20 years

The Jashore Education Board has been operating with 157 of its 253 sanctioned posts vacant for around two decades, severely hampering administrative work and causing delays in public services.

Only 96 employees are currently handling the board's operations, with many taking responsibility for multiple branches, according to board officials.

The shortage is particularly difficult for people travelling from distant districts to obtain certificates or have errors corrected.

Tripti Mirza, a resident of Fakirhat in Bagerhat, applied in July to have her father's name corrected on her certificate. She returned to the board today (16 September) with her four-year-old daughter after making repeated visits over the past two months, but said the correction was still incomplete.

"I came from Bagerhat at around 9:30am and submitted my documents. It is already afternoon, and I am still moving around the board with my young child. My work has not been done today either," she said.

Amzad Hossain, who travelled from Kushtia to collect his daughter's certificate, said he had been waiting since morning after being told that staff shortages could delay the process.

Sudhanshu Kumar from Bhola said he spent an entire day obtaining an English translation of a Bangla certificate, only to discover a spelling error and have to apply for a correction.

Monira Begum from Khulna said she had to make repeated visits over six months before a correction to her son's name was completed.

Employees said the shortage has also significantly increased their workload.

An employee of the registration branch said work covering 10 districts ideally requires 10 staff members, but he is currently handling it alone.

Similarly, an employee at the certificate branch said he has been working alone since a colleague retired.

School Inspector Enamul Kabir said employees often have to work until late at night to cope with the workload, but this has not been enough to ease the difficulties faced by service seekers.

"Recruitment of manpower on an urgent basis is necessary," he said.

Established in 1962, the Jashore Education Board initially handled academic activities across the Khulna and Barishal divisions. It currently oversees schools and colleges in the 10 districts of Khulna division.

Board Secretary Professor Abdul Matin said the authority has taken steps to address the manpower shortage.

The Education Ministry formally approved recruitment for 78 posts in December 2025. Following scrutiny, the board has submitted a proposal to the ministry seeking approval to recruit 45 people initially, he said.

"Once we receive the green signal, the recruitment process will be completed in a fully transparent and impartial manner," Matin said, adding that the service crisis would be resolved once the new staff are recruited.