Jasimuddin Iti, Haripur (Thakurgaon)

Teaching is not just a profession, but is considered the name of the overall guardianship and moral foundation of society. When serious allegations like female torture, rape cases and accepting anti-social activities through immoral phone conversations are made against the very head teacher who will spread light in the classroom, impart lessons of principles and ideals, it deals a huge blow to the entire social system.

The recent incident of Asaduzzaman Dulal, the head teacher of Bhaturia Adarsh Government Primary School in Haripur Upazila of Thakurgaon, exposes the terrible form of administrative laxity and moral crisis nurtured within our education system.

According to the information released, a rape case has been filed against the accused teacher in court and the police are conducting a drive to arrest him. What is more alarming is that in an audio clip circulated on social media, he himself has admitted to his immoral behavior and unethical activities. Such behavior by a headmaster of a government primary school, under whom countless children learn their basic life lessons, is not an ordinary crime; it is a grave blow to the future of the young students and the image of the entire teaching community.

The Government Service Rules clearly state that if a government employee is found guilty of a criminal offence or if a case is filed against him, it is mandatory to take departmental disciplinary action. But in many cases, it is seen that the delay in taking these administrative measures is due to the lengthy legal process or the interference of local influential circles, which later makes the criminals more reckless.

It is not enough to take conventional legal action against the accused teacher. Our clear appeal to the responsible authorities of the Department of Primary and Mass Education is that in order to protect the dignity of the sacred profession of teaching and to make the educational environment free from stigma, the said teacher should be immediately dismissed from service and a strict departmental case should be filed against him.

At the same time, it is important to ensure exemplary punishment subject to an impartial investigation of the incident through the court, so that in the future no one else dares to commit such heinous crimes using the sacred premises of education.