Children will be children

Farmer Shahidul Islam, from Dolua Dogasi village of Sadar upazila, was harvesting ripe Aman paddy in the field with labourers on Monday and  his 9-year-old nephew Badal, a fourth grader, was also working with them.

Badal said he volunteered to work in the field, as he had been bored staying home all day for months, when the school remained closed due to Covid-19.

Over two hundred students at his school, Dolua Dogasi Government Primary School, are going through the same situation for more than eight months.

While hanging around near the field, six or seven of the schoolchildren took notice of Badal working in the field and they also decided to try the same for a little fun.

They all joined hands in binding bales of paddy and carrying those on their heads to the house of the farmer.

"I know them well and tried to stop them. But seeing the little faces excited with enthusiasm, I gave in," Shahidul, the farmer, said with a smile.

Third grader Sakib, fourth grader Nahid and fifth grader Momin said the work in the field gave them a chance to beat the doldrums of staying home for so long.

"The school days in fact were full of fun. We just didn't learn there. But we played, shared our tiffin and talked with each other. We also enjoyed our teachers' affection," said Mahin of grade four.

"We haven't been able to do the things we loved and that is really frustrating," he also said.

Ripon of fifth grade said, "Now we don't have the pressure to prepare our lessons for the next day. Even many of my classmates are getting engaged in different activities to earn some money."

Zahidul Islam, a guardian, said due to the absence of regular practice, many underprivileged young children might forget how to read or write.

Abdul Gani Master, former president of the school's managing committee, feared that the number of dropouts from schools might increase under the circumstances.

The school's head teacher, Ashraful Islam, said as per the guideline of the primary education directorate, they have been monitoring academic activities of students and creating awareness among guardians by paying visits to their homes. 

"It's undeniable that our students' studies are being affected due to the corona situation. But we can't put their lives in harm's way by keeping the schools open," said district primary education officer Nobezuddin Sarker.

The usual academic activities might start soon after the situation is improved, he added.