Sunday | 12 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Sunday | 12 January 2025 | Epaper

Primary education suffers setback in Shariatpur

Published : Tuesday, 24 October, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 353
Abul Bashar
SHARIATPUR, Oct 23: Primary education in the district is suffering setback.
Shortage of teachers, deplorable condition of school buildings, poverty of students, and poor infrastructure are the main reasons behind the setback.
About 100 buildings of primary schools in six upazilas are in deplorable condition and may collapse anytime.
The students and teachers of these dilapidated buildings are compelled to go to their classes and perform duties on the outside tin-shed rooms or under the open sky.
When contacted Md. Abul Kalam Azad, District Primary Education Officer, said, "We have informed the higher concerned authorities about the condition of the school buildings for several times, but any development is yet to be seen".
When visiting the 21 No Pom Government Primary school in  Bhedarganj upazila of the district, this correspondent found that about 200 children are continuing  their studies in a tin-shed house due to the deplorable condition of their school building.
Abdul Mannan Hawlader, head teacher of the school, said, the school building has been declared abandoned or rejected four years ago, but any development is yet to be noticed.
Besides, the condition of most of the school buildings of the char areas is deplorable. High prices of paper and other educational appliances are also laundering education of a large number of children, some guardians said.
A large number of schools have been damaged in recent flood and storms, but no repairing is yet to be noticed.
Classes of many schools of the char areas are being held under the open sky. Most of the schools have no tube-wells causing water crisis, and the students suffer badly.
Besides, the ratio of teachers and students has not been maintained in the government primary schools. Some schools in the town and upazila headquarters have surplus teachers while in rural areas, the schools need requisite number of teachers.
The locals complained that primary education is facing setback in the district due to shortage of teachers and poverty of the students. It is learnt from the source of District Primary Education Office, there are 668 government primary schools in six upazilas of the district with an enrolment of 1.82 lakh students. There are no primary schools in 22 villages in six upazilas of the district.
About 10,000 school-going children of 22 villages of the district are deprived of primary education, concerned sources said.
A total of 257 posts of head teacher and 368 posts of assistant teacher have remained vacant for long time in these schools,  Abul Kalam, District Primary Education Officer confirmed.   
 Meanwhile, the number of dropouts from the primary schools is increasing in the district due to poverty of the guardians. According to a competent source, a large number of children belonging to the age group of 8 and 12 years are engaged in odd jobs for earning their livelihood instead of attending school as their poverty-stricken parents are unable to support them.
Babul Majhi, a farmer of Chhaygaon under Bhedorganj upazila told this correspondent that he has four children, but he cannot meet their education expenses. For this reason, they do not go to school. The poor farmers find little incentive in educating their children; so they are engaging their children in income-generating works like cattle grazing and rickshaw pulling.
The children sell their labour for poor wages, and they are subject to ill-treatment and harassment by their masters.
They are to endure oppression for the sake of survival, some parents alleged.
Besides, the children of river devoured areas cannot go to schools properly as they have to migrate to another places for living.  
According to field sources, the marginal and landless farmers of char areas have four to six children. Due to financial hardship, they cannot feed their children properly. In this circumstance, the question of educating their children does not arise.
Shariatpur District Primary Education Officer (DPEO), Abul Kalam Azad said, "We are trying to protect children from dropout, and we are very much careful about this. The government has taken some initiatives to encourage the children to go to school. Meanwhile, about 15 dilapidated or decayed buildings are started to repair."





LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Inaugurating family planning and service week
Devotees offering munajat
Regional Ijtema ends in Bogra
Hemp recovered from pickup-van in Habiganj
32 jailed in Habiganj murder case
Four killed in road mishaps in 4 dists
Poor children collect paddy from rat holes with risk
AL candidates sweep Comilla UP polls
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close