Classes under open sky

Feni-Purejaoua_ED

The fires had gutted the students’ new books and all furniture in the Gozaria Adarsha Academy School and Sultana Memorial Girls’ High School.

Gozaria Adarsha Academy School Principal Humayun Kabir said they were forced to hold the classes outside the burnt building with the students perched on some old and broken benches and tables.

Floating dust and traffic noise made it difficult to hold classes in the open as the school was located right next to a busy thoroughfare, he said.
The school authorities have already asked the Upazila Primary Education Office for new tables, benches and other essentials. But the stuff had not arrived till Tuesday.

Sultana Memorial Girls’ High School Headmaster Monir Ahmed said they were holding regular classes at a nearby community clinic and madrasa after the school with all its furniture was burnt down.

He said they decided to make new benches and blackboards with the school’s own funds as government help was expected to take a while in coming.

District Primary Education Officer Md Abdul Aziz said they had sent their damage assessment report to the Education Ministry but were yet to get any funds sanction to restore the building.

He said the repair work would be completed fast once the government money arrived.

Miscreants opposing the Jan 5 polls had set fire to 10 schools, which were to be been used as polling centres in Dagonbhuiyan and Sonagazi Upazilas on Jan 2 and Jan 3. Eight of those schools suffered lesser damage and resumed classes recently in their own buildings.

However, four cases, two each at Dagonbhuiyana and Sonagazi police stations, were filed in connection with the burning of the schools.

Over 200 unidentified people have been accused in these cases. Police, meanwhile, have managed to arrest five suspects from Sonagazi and four from Dagonbhuiyan.

Source: Bd news24