Classes of around 200 students of Elbintila Government Primary School in Juri upazia under the district are suffering due to shortage of teachers for long.

Nilanjona Roy, headmaster of the school, said her father Harinarayon Kurmi joined as headmaster there in January 2013 while she joined as an assistant teacher in April the same year.

"We used to manage all the classes, despite huge workload. After my father died in January last year, I got promoted as headmaster and started managing classes as well as official works all alone. For obvious reasons, it is not possible for me to manage all the classes," she said.

Several students including Ruma Kurmi of Class III and Swapon, Mohon and Sobuj of Class IV said they often pass time gossiping and playing as all the classes are not held.

"We are worried about the future of our kids as they are not getting proper schooling due to shortage of teachers," said Moni Baori, mother of Shanta Baori, a student of the school.

Several other guardians expressed the same.

"Besides managing classes, the headmaster remains busy in office work and upazila level meetings. Now two volunteers arranged by local guardians are trying to take the stopgap classes but they are too inexperienced for the task," said Md Foyaz Ali, chairman of 7 No Phultola Union Parishad.

"We wrote to the higher authorities about the problem more than once but to no effect yet," he said.

Md Sirajul Islam, district primary education officer of Moulvibazar, said he is not informed about the matter.