KAUNIA — Parents, students and residents of Char Dhushmara village in Kaunia upazila held a human-chain protest on Tuesday demanding that the local government primary school remain at its original site.
The protest, held outside the school at midday, also raised allegations of corruption and irregularities against the school’s teachers.
Residents said classroom teaching at the Char Dhushmara Government Primary School has been suspended for nearly a year. The school is locked, students are absent and there has been no school management committee for three years, they said. Although they had complained in writing and verbally to the upazila education officer, no action had been taken, they said.
Residents said there are now reports that the school is to be relocated. The school was nationalized in 1960 and is known as Kaunia Police Station School No. 40. About 200 families live near the campus and 105 students are still enrolled, yet the school has been padlocked for a year, they said. If it is moved, young children would have to cross a river to study in another village, which would be nearly impossible.
According to residents, on Feb. 19 school teachers Md. Asaduzzaman Tota and Md. Mukul Islam, in collusion with outside groups, sought to relocate the school. When prominent local residents objected, the teachers produced what they called a relocation order from the government and told residents that resistance was futile.
Nazrul Islam, who filed a complaint, said at the protest that if the school ever needs to be relocated, residents are ready to donate land within the village. He demanded an on-site inquiry and proper management to keep the school running at its current location.
Upazila Primary Education Officer Anjuman Ara Begum said her office had received a complaint about keeping the school at its original site and that action would be taken after an inquiry.
A memorandum was submitted to Upazila Nirbahi Officer Papia Sultana. Sultana said she was not fully aware that the school was closed and would investigate on site and inform the district primary education officer.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report