Education in tatters at coast

Class-III student Khalid Hasan helps his father as much as he can to build a tiny shack on an embankment, taking time out from trying to get relief materials and catching fish.
His mid-term exams were supposed to be held soon but his school is barely standing and he has lost all his books to Aila.
“Nothing remains. All my books and stationeries have been washed away in the tidal surge,” he said.
Son of Ansar Ali of Dumuria under Gabura union in Shyamnagar upazila, the nine-year-old studies at Dumuria Government Primary School, now closed.
Khalid does not know whether his studies came to a halt for this year or forever. “I don’t know,” he said with a grim face when this correspondent asked him whether he would continue his studies.
His father Ansar said, “We are struggling to survive. We neither have any house nor any food. We are still alive because we got some relief; how could we think about our children’s studies?”
Taslima Akter, a class-X student of Burigoalini High School, is in almost the same boat. Daughter of poor parents of Shora-9 in Gabura union, she reached class-X with her keen interest in studies.
She managed to salvage a few of her books but those are no longer readable. Her test examinations are coming up. She needs a set of books immediately since she would sit for SSC exams next year.
“My parents do not have the ability to buy those again. Tell me who would buy a set of books for me,” she said.
Every day Taslima crosses the mighty Kholpetua to go to school. Her future in studies looks bleak. “My test exams are approaching and I don’t know what lies ahead.” Like Khalid and Taslima, studies of thousands of students of Shyamnagar and Assasuni upazila of Satkhira have been seriously disrupted as Aila ravaged educational institutions and students’ books and stationeries were washed away. Hundreds of Aila survivors took shelter in schools.
According to the district education office, academic activities of 548 educational institutions have been seriously disrupted because of cyclone Aila.
At least 114 secondary schools were destroyed while 282 were damaged in the Aila-hit areas of Satkhira. As many as 152 primary schools were either destroyed or damaged.
Almost all the educational institutions are being used as shelters and those will take one to one-and-a-half months to resume educational activities.
The literacy rate in the poverty-stricken upazilas is quite low and this cyclone would increase the number of dropouts, local education officers say.
Talking to The Daily Star, Panchanan Bala, primary education officer of Satkhira, said they have asked for 99,000 books for 12 unions of Shyamnagar and Assasuni upazilas from the Directorate of Primary Education.
“We hope to get them soon,” he said.
He said they have also sent a letter to higher authorities informing them about the damage to educational institutions.
Azahar Ali, education officer of Satkhira, said they sent to the education ministry a list of 38 secondary schools that need help urgently.
“After cyclone Sidr, the government allocated money for books for the affected and I hope this time too the government will allocate money to buy books.”
Anwar Hossain, a resident of Shubhadrakathi under Pratapnagar union in Assasuni, said the Kobodak devoured the lone primary school–Shubhadrakathi Government Primary School–long ago and classes were being held in his house.
“My house was washed away in the tidal surge,” he said.
Shamim, Asadul and Al Amin, students of the primary schools, said all their books have become unreadable.
Class-IX student Sumaiya of Shora-9 Primary School in Gabura union said she wants to continue her studies but perhaps fate will not allow her since she has to do the work of the entire household being the eldest of her siblings.
“My mother is seriously ill and I need to do the household work of my five-member family,” she said, adding, “No books, no pen, nothing to write on; how would I go on with my studies?”
Dabirunnesa, mother of three of the same village, said her daughter Nasima Akhter studies in class-VI at Burigoalini High School and did well in the first term exams. Like others, her books were destroyed too in the storm.
“If you have come to take our name for giving books please include the name of my daughter,” she pleaded.
The situation is almost the same in Padmapukur, Atulia, Bhetkhali, Koikhali, Munshiganj unions of Shyamnagar upazila and in Pratapnagar, Anulia and Khajra unions of Assasuni upazila.
Many students still hope to get books and their educational institutions repaired.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the government has already assessed the damage to the primary schools and will provide books to students who have lost them.
“We shall repair the schools, which have been damaged,” he said.
About students of high schools, Nahid said the government is still collecting information on the extent of the damage and will take measures soon so that students can take the exams.

Courtesy of The Daily Star