Floods hit education hard

1,266 schools in 10 districts have been badly affected

Floods in different parts of the country have affected the student community badly, with schools being shut and examinations cancelled or postponed.

At least 1,266 schools—both primary and secondary—in 10 northern and north-eastern districts have been badly hit by floods due to incessant rainfall and the sudden onrush of river water.

Of the affected institutions, at least 1,033 primary and 233 secondary schools of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Sylhet, and Maulvibazar districts have suffered the worst, reports of the Directorate of Secondary

and Higher Education (DSHE) and

the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) say.

At least 200 primary schools have been affected in Sirajganj, 209 in Sylhet, 161 in Jamalpur, 152 in Maulvibazar, 130 in Gaibandha, 95 in Kurigram, 73 in

Bogra, 11 Lalmonirhat, four in Rangpur, and two in Nilphamari.

Of the secondary schools, 58 have been affected in Maulvibazar, 57 in Jamalpur, 53 in Kurigram, 32 in Sylhet, 19 in Gaibandha, 10 in Bogra, three in Lalmonirhat, and one in Rangpur.

District education officers (DEOs) said many of the school campuses are still under water. Some school buildings are being used as shelters and many others have been damaged, worsening the situation.

They also said though the water has started receding from some of the campuses, those school buildings are still unfit for classes.

Even where schools are still open, attendance is low. Parents are not sending their children to school, fearing they might drown in the floodwaters. In some places, roads have been damaged, or the children have moved to other shelters with their families, as their houses have been submerged.

Many students have even lost their books in the flood, making their situation even worse, the DEOs said.

They added that the half-yearly exams in the secondary board would be conducted later, and extra classes would be held during the holidays.

Many of the DEOs have already started sending their demands to the DPE and DSHE for the repair of the damaged schools.

The district primary education officer of Gaibandha, Aminul Islam Mondol, told The Independent that at least 130 primary schools in four upazilas—Saghata, Sadar, Fulchhari, and Sundarganj—have been affected so far.

“We have suspended classes as water has entered school campuses. Since water is everywhere, little children might just fall into a pool and drown. The missed lessons will be made up for by taking extra classes later,” he added.

He said they have still not been able to assess the damage to schools, as the flood situation is worsening by the day.

The DEO of Sylhet, Nurul Islam, said: “At least 109 secondary schools have been affected, but 100 schools are still under water. We are assessing the damage.”

“We will take additional classes on Fridays to cover the loss,” he added.

DPE assistant director Nurul Amin Chowdhury told The Independent that they have started receiving the list of damaged schools.

“We have started getting the lists of the damaged schools from different districts. We will assess these and repair work would begin,”

he added.

DSHE director (secondary) Md Elias Hossain, too, told The Independent that they have started getting the lists of the damaged secondary schools.

“Classes have been hampered due to flooding on the campuses. We will assess the damage of the schools and action would be taken accordingly,” he said.

He added that they would provide books to students if these have been damaged by the floods. Some of the DEOs admitted that though the buildings can be repaired, the lessons missed cannot be made up for even with extra classes.

Floods hit education hard

1,266 schools in 10 districts have been badly affected

Floods in different parts of the country have affected the student community badly, with schools being shut and examinations cancelled or postponed. At least 1,266 schoolsboth primary and secondaryin 10 northern and north-eastern districts have been badly hit by floods due to incessant rainfall and the sudden onrush of river water. Of the affected institutions, at least 1,033 primary and 233 secondary schools of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Sylhet, and Maulvibazar districts have suffered the worst, reports of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) and the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) say. At least 200 primary schools have been affected in Sirajganj, 209 in Sylhet, 161 in Jamalpur, 152 in Maulvibazar, 130 in Gaibandha, 95 in Kurigram, 73 in Bogra, 11 Lalmonirhat, four in Rangpur, and two in Nilphamari. Of the secondary schools, 58 have been affected in Maulvibazar, 57 in Jamalpur, 53 in Kurigram, 32 in Sylhet, 19 in Gaibandha, 10 in Bogra, three in Lalmonirhat, and one in Rangpur. District education officers (DEOs) said many of the school campuses are still under water. Some school buildings are being used as shelters and many others have been damaged, worsening the situation. They also said though the water has started receding from some of the campuses, those school buildings are still unfit for classes. Even where schools are still open, attendance is low. Parents are not sending their children to school, fearing they might drown in the floodwaters. In some places, roads have been damaged, or the children have moved to other shelters with their families, as their houses have been submerged. Many students have even lost their books in the flood, making their situation even worse, the DEOs said. They added that the half-yearly exams in the secondary board would be conducted later, and extra classes would be held during the holidays. Many of the DEOs have already started sending their demands to the DPE and DSHE for the repair of the damaged schools. The district primary education officer of Gaibandha, Aminul Islam Mondol, told The Independent that at least 130 primary schools in four upazilasSaghata, Sadar, Fulchhari, and Sundarganjhave been affected so far. We have suspended classes as water has entered school campuses. Since water is everywhere, little children might just fall into a pool and drown. The missed lessons will be made up for by taking extra classes later, he added. He said they have still not been able to assess the damage to schools, as the flood situation is worsening by the day. The DEO of Sylhet, Nurul Islam, said: At least 109 secondary schools have been affected, but 100 schools are still under water. We are assessing the damage. We will take additional classes on Fridays to cover the loss, he added. DPE assistant director Nurul Amin Chowdhury told The Independent that they have started receiving the list of damaged schools. We have started getting the lists of the damaged schools from different districts. We will assess these and repair work would begin, he added. DSHE director (secondary) Md Elias Hossain, too, told The Independent that they have started getting the lists of the damaged secondary schools. Classes have been hampered due to flooding on the campuses. We will assess the damage of the schools and action would be taken accordingly, he said. He added that they would provide books to students if these have been damaged by the floods. Some of the DEOs admitted that though the buildings can be repaired, the lessons missed cannot be made up for even with extra classes.