A junior teacher ranked 18th on the seniority list has been running a Chattogram girls’ school for more than a year, bypassing 17 senior colleagues and triggering allegations of favouritism, financial irregularities and political influence.
The appointment of Kazi Sultana Yasmin as acting headteacher of Aunkur Society Girls’ High School in the city’s Nasirabad has sparked resentment among senior teachers, who allege that several lakh taka changed hands to secure her position.
School records show that Yasmin was appointed following a managing committee decision on 15 June 2025.
A notice signed by then chairman Mohammad Shahidul Islam Chowdhury authorised her to assume responsibility the following day.
However, Yasmin ranks 18th on the school’s seniority list and had no previous experience as assistant headteacher.
The complainants argue that the appointment violated regulations requiring seniority to be considered when assigning temporary leadership responsibilities.
Under the Ministry of Education’s “Non-government Educational Institutions (Schools and Colleges) Manpower Structure and MPO Policy-2025”, the assistant headteacher should ordinarily assume responsibility when the headteacher’s position becomes vacant.
If no assistant headteacher is available, the most senior eligible assistant teacher should be considered, based on higher pay grades and relative seniority.
The teachers also cited an earlier ministry memorandum requiring compliance with seniority rules.
However, former chairman Shahidul Islam Chowdhury defended the appointment, offering an unusual explanation: Yasmin was selected because she had performed better than two other teachers in an examination that all three failed.
The examination was held in July 2024 to recruit an assistant headteacher during the tenure of former Chattogram City Corporation mayor and school chairman AJM Nasir Uddin.
Yasmin scored 22 out of 100, while Shaheen Akhtar received 21 and Ferdous Parveen five. None passed.
Shahidul said a male candidate had passed the examination but was not appointed by the previous chairman because the institution was a girls’ school.
He explained that former acting headteacher Kabita Chowdhury could no longer continue after turning 60, in accordance with education board instructions.
As no suitable senior assistant teacher was available, the committee temporarily appointed Yasmin based on her comparatively higher examination score, he said.
Kabita, a former assistant headteacher, had earlier assumed responsibility following teachers’ protests against former headteacher Saroj Kumar over alleged irregularities.
The controversy extends beyond Yasmin’s appointment.
Senior teachers accuse the school’s ad hoc committee of exceeding its authority by making major administrative and financial decisions instead of limiting its activities to routine management and payment of salaries.
They alleged that senior teachers received show-cause notices without proper procedures and that decisions involving pay scales and internal grades were taken irregularly.
They also accused the committee of conducting financial activities in collaboration with accountant Imran Hossain, claiming that detailed transaction records were kept between him and the acting headteacher.
Contacted by telephone, Imran ended the call after the reporter identified himself.
Questions have also emerged over the recruitment of five assistant teachers last year without written examinations.
The complainants alleged that several appointees had family connections with committee members, the former chairman and the acting headteacher.
Shahidul acknowledged that five teachers were temporarily recruited through viva voce conducted by a committee involving another school’s headteacher.
He said written examinations could not be arranged and that the recruits received relatively low salaries, held no permanent appointments and could be dismissed at any time.
A new ad hoc committee took charge on 12 September, with Chattogram-10 lawmaker Sayeed Al Noman as chairman. He did not respond to WhatsApp calls or messages seeking comment.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Afroza Akter has filed a writ petition on behalf of senior teacher Rowshan Akter challenging alleged irregularities, including Yasmin’s appointment.
Senior teachers are demanding an independent investigation into financial transactions and recruitment decisions, alongside the appointment of a qualified permanent headteacher.
They also question why Yasmin has continued in an acting capacity for more than a year, citing what they say is a six-month limit.
Contacted for comment, Yasmin asked the reporter to visit the school but declined to address the allegations immediately.
Established in 1964, the school has 58 teachers and more than 5,000 students, from playgroup to Class X.
