Abdur Razzak, Manikganj

Where the little boy lives 4 years of his educational life. Endeared schools is a symbol of Absolute compassion. Pasture of many favourite friendships and tie. The teachers love mixed with anger and ascendency. The little angle touches constantly the school’s ground from the morning to noon or afternoon. Children shouted, “Mother, that’s our school”, by seeing the school from distance.

 The fierce Padma has located just 10 feet away from his primary school building. The waves are falling apart one by one. The school ground swept away a little bit in the river by waves. Rakib, studying in fourth grade, stood still by seeing this situation of his school. The scared eyes look at once in the favourite school of his classroom, and again towards the aggressive foamy waves of Padma river.

Like Rakib, more than one hundred and a half students failed to understand their mind themselves. Because this school will not face the colour of the alphabet in near future.

If you do not take any effective steps to prevent erosion, the school will be destroyed in the river. The study of more than one hundred students of the school was uncertain. The field of the beloved school has disappeared. The river will swallow school buildings at any time. At this situation, small children and teachers cannot sit with the bare hand. Former and current students, locals habitants and teachers have been breakdown the erosion by making barriers with blocking and sacking sand for protecting their the school. If they can save their school, by any means.

Kushtia Government Primary School located on the bank of Padma river in Shibalaya Upazila of Manikganj. Nearly 100 years old school has two buildings in the bank of catastrophic Padma. In this hazardous situations school still, continues its lessons. The small children and teachers of the school are blocking the erosion by the dam with bamboo sand sacks.  The community people said that the Padma river was about three kilometres away from the school, but within a few years, the school was facing the river erosion. School buildings have been facing threats this year due to there is no effective steps were taken by the authorities to prevent river erosion.

Shamimur Rahman, teacher of the school said that “currently school has 7 teachers and about 150 students. In past, the number of students is very high, but day by day number of students is decreasing due to river erosion. The school ground is almost gone into river entirely and the building itself also goes away. There is no assistance from the school administration. with the help of Arua Union Parishad chairman’s financial assistance of 10 thousand taka, a little dam is being built to prevent the erosion. Work is being done by the current students with bamboo and sand sacks. Some former students also come forward to protect their school.”

A former student of this school Akkasabur Rahman said, “In our area, children of 5 villages of Manandhkhola, Kushtia, Auliya, Jastidia and South Saljana are studying in this school. The hundred-year-old school is going to disappear in the river today in front of our eyes. But we cannot do anything. So I try to make my utmost effort  just get the peace of mind.”

If the administration had made arrangements to prevent river erosion, then the school could be saved, which has hundred years of heritage. Hatem Ali school managing committee member said, “We have tried a few times to protect the school but the administration does not responses to provide any help. At once we had studied in this school, my sons had studied, now my grandchildren are studying in this school.

Akhtaruzzaman Khan Masum, chairman of Arua Union Parishad of Shibalay Upazilla, said that “Planned and long-lasting dam construction and sand padding are not built to protect the school, then the Kushtia Government Primary School will become disappear in the river. Children from the village of Kaiti, Manandhola, Kushtia, Auliya, Jagtadia and South Saljan will be deprived of education.”

Mainul Islam Shibalaya Upazila Primary Education Officer said, “Kushtia Government Primary School is in the face of a complete breakdown. To protect the school, it has been written several times to build a dam to the-the Water Development Board. No government allocations are not found to protect the school till yet.

This is the only government primary school in our five villages. If the school breaks down, small village girls of five villages will be deprived of education. It is possible to protect the school from getting government sponsorship and support. And community people urge the government to take necessary actions to protect the school.

 Translated by Bahauddin Bahar