Rain adds to Bhabadah woes: 200 educational institutions shut
Bidhan Mallik, headmaster of Rajapur Government Primary School in Jashore's Abhaynagar Upazila, is worried about yet another disruption in the academic activities of his students.
He points to the second floor of the school building. Once used for classrooms, it has now turned into makeshift homes for 10 families whose homes have been inundated in the recent floods.
Bidhan's school is in the Bhabadah region, often called the "Sorrow of Jashore". Here, the water is a symbol of suffering, hunger and disease.
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The "why" is evident.
"There is no environment for carrying out academic activities now. The flood has held back students from coming to school for almost two weeks," he says.
The water has already inundated a number of classrooms as well on the ground floor.
Bidhan's school is not alone.
More than 200 educational institutions have been inundated in the Bhabadah due to continuous rain over the past two weeks.
Most have suspended academic activities, with many of them for more than 20 days.
In others, only a few students attend.
As a result of the low pressure, rains during 13-16 September resulted in this waterlogging in Bhabadah region.
Speaking to The Business Standard, Jashore District Education Officer Mahfuzul Hossain said 51 secondary and higher secondary educational institutions of Keshabpur, Manirampur and Abhaynagar upazilas are marooned in water.
"Academic activities are suspended now, but will resume once the water recedes," he said.
Jashore District Primary Education Officer Md Ashraful Alam said 93 primary education institutions in the region were inundated.
Teachers had been requested to continue classes through alternative means.
Asaduzzaman, principal of Keshabpur Government Degree College, said due to flooding, classes were being held in another building.
Anisur Rahman, assistant primary education officer of Keshabpur upazila, said teachers of some schools had arranged to take classes in any high place near the school or on the roof of other people's houses.
But even alternative arrangements haven't been of much help to students.
Arun Kumar, a student of Soradanga Primary School in Abhaynagar, said, "Both our house and school are marooned in water. To go from home to school, you have to wade through chest-high water. How will I go to school then?"
Ranjit Bawali, convener of Bhabadah Water Extraction Struggle Committee, said apart from mainstream institutions, many madrasas and kindergartens were also completely closed.
The Bhabadah region has experienced severe flooding this year with some 10 lakh people affected.
