SYLHET, June 02: A total of 158 primary school buildings in Sunamganj district are in pitiable condition due to absence of repair.
Children, mostly from poor and marginal families have been attending these schools, located mostly in the low- lying region known as haor areas since there is no alternate arrangement, sources informed.
A number of locals said the situation goes worst during the rainy season, as rain water enters the class rooms even. Plaster on the walls of many school buildings has been damaged while cracks have also developed, but even then the school authorities have to run those institutions.
They got no remedy despite repeated appeals to the officials at the Primary Education Department, locals added.
A list of these buildings had already been sent to the higher authority with appeal for immediate repair and reconstruction, they further said.
Of the total, 26 schools are in Shulla upazila, 20 in Doarabazar, 14 in Chhatak, 22 in Tahirpur, 12 in Jogonnathpur, seven in Dakshin Sunamganj, one in Sunamganj Sadar, 28 in Dharmapasha, 16 in Derai and 12 in Jamalganj.
These are all vulnerable and considered risky for use.
The school management committee kept the classes suspended after severe cracks developed on the beams of the Fotehpur Noagaon Government Primary School building in Shulla recently.
A teacher sustained wounds at the Noapara Gorvernment Primary School and a peon at the Bheradahar Primary School in Shulla upazila was injured as pluster from the roof fell on them recently. The matter had already been taken to the notice of higher authority, sources said.
Most of the buildings were constructed in 1990-1992 or before, sources informed.
Habibpur union council member in Shulla upazila Subrata Sarker said the Niamatpur Government Primary School needs to be reconstructed immediately and locals think there should be alternate arrangement as the building had been in a pitiable and risky state for long.
An official at the LGED said however, most of these structures, built in the early 1990s, were not of that good quality and almost all of those had become unusable by now.
District Primary Education officer Md. Zillur Rahman said a list of the risky school buildings was prepared on the basis of field visit recently in line with instructions from the ministry.
Accordingly, a list of 159 school buildings of the district has been made out of total 1,469. It was sent to the higher authority.
Besides, the schools having worst buildings are suggested for suspending classes, he added.
On the other hand, proposals had been sent seeking emergency requirement funds for repairing the most critical structures. Erecting temporary sheds for some schools are also suggested to keep the academic activities going in some institutions, he added.
UNB from Jashore adds: The buildings of 147 primary schools in the district have been declared vulnerable, leaving their students at risk of accident anytime.
On April 8, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry asked the district primary education officers to identify very risky buildings of government primary schools across the country and inform them.
The government move came after a Class-III student was killed and three more were injured as the ceiling of a government primary school collapsed on them in Taltali upazila of Barguna on April 06.
As per the ministry's instruction, the District Primary Education (DPE) office took the initiative to identify the risky school buildings here.
It found 147 out of total 2,285 buildings as vulnerable, said Sheikh Ohidul Alam, district primary education officer.
However, students continue to attend classes in those shabby buildings amid the risk of accident as there is no alternative.
According to the DPE office, there are 41 risky primary school buildings in Sharsha upazila while 18 in Sadar, three in Abhaynagar, four in Keshabpur, 12 in Chaugachha, 25 in Jhikargachha, 15 in Bagherpara and 29 in Manirampur upazila.
Shafiqul Islam, head teacher of Madanpur Primary School in Manirampur upazila, said they have been running their academic activities in the dilapidated building for the last four to five years amid risk as they could not arrange any alternative.
He said they lodged complaints with the upazila primary education officer on several occasions but there has been no response. "If the school building is not renovated immediately, there might be an accident anytime," he said.
Farhad Hossain, headmaster of Nalia Govt Primary School in Sadar upazila, said his school, built in 1921, is now in a very dilapidated condition.
He said they informed the authorities concerned of it several times, but there has been no remedy.
The district primary education officer said the list of risky school buildings in the district has been sent to the ministry. "The school buildings will be renovated in the 2019-20 fiscal year," he further said.
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