<i>Study under open sky as storm blows away school</i>
Shortage of classroom compels students of Panchahar Jalal Uddin Registered Primay School in Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh district to attend class under a tree on the school premises.Photo: STAR
Students of Panchahar Jalal Uddin Registered Primary School at remote Panchahar village in Tangaboo union under Gafargaon upazila attend their classes under the trees as the schoolhouse, blown away by a storm seven years ago, is yet to be re-constructed. The school established in 1973 got registration in 1991. The schoolhouse was damaged several times and later re-constructed with the help from local people. Lastly a storm destroyed it in 2003 and the teachers continued school activities under the shade of trees and at the local community centre. With their own initiative, the schoolteachers aided by local people constructed a tin-shed house comprising two rooms last year. Now the school with 143 students in five classes can run two classes at a time in a congested situation while others have to take their lessons regularly sitting under trees on the school premises. The school also suffers from want of necessary furniture. As there are only 10 benches in two classrooms, most of the students have to sit on the floor covering it with papers and sacks. "We need a building with sufficient rooms and furniture immediately for smooth continuation of the activities of the only school in this remote village. The students of class three have to take lessons under the tree and their classes remain suspended during foul weather," said school headmaster Md Zakir Hossain Khan. "After the school building was damaged seven years ago, we knocked every possible doors for financial support to re-build it but the response has been scanty," he said. All the candidates from the school passed in the last Primary Terminal Examination, teachers said. There is no primary school within two kilometres of the school, locals said. Local union parishad Chairman Abdul Quddus said he knew nothing about the pitiable condition of the school. Gafargaon Upazila Primary Education Officer Binoy Chandra Sharma could not be contacted after repeated attempts.
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