There are three teachers. Eleven students’ names are still recorded in the register. But for nearly two years, not a single student has come to school. There are no classes, no exams, no noise of children. The teachers still show up regularly. The national flag is still raised. But the bell never rings. This is the state of Bawlatola Government Primary School in the Hatikumrul union of Sirajganj’s Ullapara upazila.
The school was established in Bawlatola village in 1981 and later operated as a registered primary school. In 2014, it was nationalised along with other registered primary schools across the country. Locals say the school’s student numbers were always small even from its early days. Over time, due to teachers’ neglect of duty and a lack of proper oversight from the education department, the school became completely empty of students. Parents in the area now send their children to various nearby schools and madrasas instead.
A visit to the school last Tuesday found all three teachers present, including head teacher Sushil Kumar. The other two teachers are assistant teachers Al Mamun and Muni Akter. With no students coming and going, weeds have overtaken the school playground, with the field now covered in tall grass. Grime has built up on the building’s walls from prolonged disuse, and rust has formed on the veranda’s grilles. The school building itself has grown shabby.
Head teacher Sushil Kumar said the school register lists a total of 11 students from grades one to three. But none of them has come to school for nearly two years, he said, so no classes or exams are held. He said he lives in Betkandi village, in the upazila’s Panchokroshi union, and travels roughly 25 kilometres to reach the school every day, even though there are no students. The area around the school also has a relatively small population, with around 75 families living there.
Sushil Kumar said he and his colleagues joined the school on a new posting in June 2024. After joining, they went door to door asking parents to send their children to the school, but no parent agreed to enrol their children there. Children in the area attend Salanga KG School, Mostafa KG School, Salanga Bepasarakari Adarsha School and local madrasas instead. He said: “Despite many efforts, we could not bring students to the school. Even though there are no classes, we still come to school, handle office work, and receive our regular salary.” He added that, because of their failure to bring in students, the upazila education office has filed a departmental case against all three teachers, which has put them in a difficult position.
Ullapara upazila primary education officer Md Mustafizur Rahman said he joined the upazila a few months ago. There are 278 government primary schools in the upazila. Although there are 11 assistant upazila primary education officer posts meant to oversee these schools, for nearly a year only one officer had been handling the role, making it impossible to properly monitor so many schools. He said that when he visited Bawlatola Government Primary School last July, he found it completely empty of students — there was not a single student present that day. A departmental case was filed against the three teachers over their failure to bring in students. Efforts are currently under way, in consultation with local community figures, to bring students to the school.
Local parents Monira and Anowara Khatun said the school once had some students, but as education quality declined, parents’ interest in the school gradually waned, and they eventually enrolled their children elsewhere. Local union parishad member Md Rashedul Islam said the school has had very few students since its founding, and that the teachers also lacked sincerity in their duties, while local residents are not particularly aware of the importance of education. He said efforts are under way, in discussion with elected representatives and local community figures, to bring back students from the surrounding area to save the school.