Highest drop-out in primary education in Haor areas

SUNAMGANJ, Feb 15 (BSS): Haor areas in Sunamganj district are witnessing highest drop-out rate at primary level education compared to that rate in other parts of the country.
Education activists, officials and local people blamed the poor commutation, poverty and insufficient school infrastructure for that.
Executive Director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) Rasheda K Choudhury said difficult communication and poor school infrastructure lead to that drop-out rate in the haor areas.
She, also a former advisor to the caretaker government, said the communication system in the haor areas turns worse every year during the rainy season as strong waves in the haors hamper normal movement making boat journey highly risky for the children.
Many children drown every year during the rainy season while going to school, she said adding parents prefer not to send their wards to school in view of high risk involved in their journey.
"We suggested the government to introduce water bus services for safe movement of students, which will reduce drop-out rate at the schools," Rasheda added.
The government should give special emphasis on five vulnerable areas - haor, char, hilly, remote plain land and slum-to promote child education.
Acting education officer of Salla upazila in Sunamganj district Md Abdul Awal Mia said lack of awareness among the people in the upazila is largely responsible for school drop out.
The parents, who are mostly illiterate and poor, prefer not to send their children to school as they are to work for livelihood activities of the family.
There are 103 government primary schools in Salla upazila, he said and termed it adequate.
Dhijendra Chakrabarty, a field level official of BRAC education programme(BEP), said BRAC is running 123 primary schools in the upazila to promote education in haor areas.
Many parents send their children to school but later they are forced to stop attending schools due to poverty, he added.  Most of the people are farmers and fishermen by profession in Salla upazila, Dhijendra said adding they engage their children in livelihood related work.