Education takes a back seat in char areas

Milon Islam is a student of class three from a family that lives on agriculture, in Char Gokunda on the Teesta river in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. He has shelved his textbooks for nine months as his school has been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He has been working along with his father in crop fields on the char all this time.

In Shakhahati, a remote char on the Brahmaputra river in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram, fifth grader Jobed Ali did not open his textbooks in the last nine months. He also has been busy working with his father in the char ever since his school closed due to the virus.

Maminul Islam, a fourth grader in Char Gonordhan on the Teesta river in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat, said he already forgot where he kept his textbooks.

Farmer Shamser Ali, from Char Kodalkati in Kurigram's Rajibpur upazila, said their children study only when the schools are open.

After the closing of schools due to the pandemic, students in chars fell behind their studies, as they cannot afford private tutors, he added.

Upendra Nath Das, head teacher of Char Mantala Government Primary School in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram, said educational activities of students in the chars are being affected greatly after the schools closed down. "It will not be easy to compensate for their losses."

According to offices of primary and secondary education directorates in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, there are about 20,000 students in 95 primary and 17 high schools in more than 300 chars on the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dudhkumar and Dharla rivers in the two districts.

District Primary Education Officer in Lalmonirhat Golam Nabi said parents in the mainland are somehow continuing studies of their children. Whereas, parents in the chars cannot afford house tutors or lack awareness on the importance of continuing studies of their children at home.  

Once the schools reopen, they would take a decision on how to make up for the losses of students in chars, he also said.