Bicyclist girl students eradicating gender disparity

Hundreds of school and college going bicyclist girls have set up a glaring example in rural areas eradicating gender disparity to establish equal women rights in Panchagarh district. The confident girls, mostly from the low-income group rural farmers’ families, go to their institutions and come back homes riding on
bicycles daily creating a social renaissance on their journeys to the future.
Widely known as bicycle girls in their localities, they firmly believe the nation cannot achieve its desired development without mainstreaming the womenfolk with all sorts of socioeconomic uplift and political activities equally with the men at all levels. They have successfully overcome social barriers, odds, curses and superstitions to give a descent look to the surrounding nature while riding bicycles in groups on the rural ‘katcha-pucca’ roads in the northern most district of Bangladesh. For example, anybody can witness an unparalleled scene when the bicycle girls cross Mirpara point, one-kilometre off Boda Upazila town, on the 20-km long Boda-Panchpeer Road in Panchagarh, in the
mornings and afternoons. Attired in white and deep green school dresses with hanging bags on shoulders, the girl students of Boda Pilot Girls’ High School & College with unending smiling faces, cross the point riding bicycles twice a day from 8 to 12 kilometre distances. Most of them are hailing from Kumarpara, Senpara, Dangapara, Baniapara, Sakoa Shikarpur, Hindu Sarderpara, Mir Para, Sarkerpara, Natunhat Kaliaganj, Noya Dighee, Shamser Nagar, Pramanik Para and other adjoining villages in Boda Upazila. School students Monwara, Dipali Rani and Sumita of village Sakoa Shikarpur and Shirin, Samina and Dilruba of village Kumarpara under Boda Upazila are hailing from farmers' families. They narrated about financial hardships prevailing in their families and said they would not be able to go to school if their parents not purchased bicycles for them with their hard-earned money. "We want to be properly educated to build our careers before engaging ourselves in building a developed Bangladesh," said class ten students
of the institution Suchona, Nuriza and Shilpi Begum. "Now, we do not face disturbance from the eve-teasers for riding bicycles in groups to our educational institution and coming back and our parents remain tension-free for our securities on both the ways,"
they said. They said their education might end without their bicycles, as it was not possible for their farmer fathers to count Taka 60 to Tk100 rickshaw fare daily. "Besides, riding on bicycles has become a regular daily exercise making us healthier and keeping our mindset fresh," said students Runa Sen, Piyanka, Nupur, Santana, Jasmine, Priyanka, Sabina, Rozina and Rasheda of different villages.
Guardians Sirajul Islam of village Noya Dighee and Dhanesh Chandra Barman of village Natunhat Kaliaganj under Boda upazila said they have purchased bicycles for their daughters for continuation of their education at better educational institutions.

"It is very difficult to provide bus or rickshaw fare for my daughter for going to school and coming back daily. We also remain tension-free as the girls always travel by bicycles in groups," said farmer Azgar Ali of village Kashimganj under Tentulia upazila.

Headmaster of Boda Pilot Girls High School & College Rabiul Alam said some 700 out of about 1,200 female students of his institution ride on bicycles on their both ways and several bicycle garages were set up in the campus.

More than 3,200 girl students of Boda Pilot Girls' High School & College, Boda Mohila College, Pramanikpara High School and Sarderpara Girls' High School now go to their institutions riding on bicycles in Boda Upazila town alone, he added, according to a news agency.
- biplab