Billal Hossen Robin from Narayanganj :
Adamji Ummul Quora High School is the only non-Bengali educational institution in Adamji Bihari Colony, Siddhirganj. The school currently has more than a thousand students. Children of about 2,000 families of Bihari Colony are the students of this school. Teachers and staff were paid by a grant from an organization namely the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). The students also get various facilities including educational materials from the organization. But for the last 32 months, the teachers and employees have not been getting any salary or allowance from the organisation.
The organisation has informed that they will not be able to pay the salary-allowance including the previous due of 32 months. The teachers, staff and the students are now fearing the closing of the school.
There prevails a deep uncertainty about the future of the school. But thinking about the students, the teachers and staff are continuing the educational activities even in the midst of financial hurdles. But how long it goes? So they have sought the immediate intervention of the concerned authorities. Otherwise, maybe one day the school will be closed and the educational life of these young learners living in this locality will come to a halt.
It is learned that the journey of Adamji Ummul Kbora Junior High School started on October 26, 1997. At that time education was imparted upto 5th class. Gradually it became a high school up to 10th grade. At present the number of students in the school is 997. The school was funded by IIRO from the beginning.
They assisted the school teachers, staff salaries, school bags for the students, winter clothes, Iftar items in Ramadan, distribution of meat on Eid-ul-Adha and help the orphaned students.
The children of poor and helpless families also go to school due to the overall support of the organization. This increases the number of students in the school day by day. Everything was going well. The results of the school are also satisfactory.
Fourteen teachers, including the headmaster, and a peon and a doorman, were serving there with paychecks. But in the 11 months from January to November 2014, the salaries of 18 teachers and employees of the organization have become dues. Leaving these arrears, the salary continues from December 2014 to December 2017. But from January 2019 to September 2020, 21 months’ salary has become arrears again.
Teachers and staff are now in dire financial straits. Even then, the teachers keep the teaching going thinking about students’ future. Meanwhile, the worldwide deadly Corona pandemic began. During this time of calamity, when the teachers were living without any salary or any kind of assistance, they were informed in a letter from the organization on 15 September 2020 that it would not be able to pay the salary and allowance including the arrears of 32 months.
Hakim Zainul Abedin, the headmaster of the school, said, “Officially, we get new books every year.” IIRO has been providing assistance to the teachers and staff of the school at various times including salaries and allowances, educational materials for the students, Eid-ul-Adha and the month of Ramadan.
About 18 of our teachers and staff were paid from the organisation. However, in order to develop the quality of education, 9 more part-time teachers have been added. Their salaries are paid from the meager tuition fees of the students. But we have arrears of 32 months’ salary. We are in inhumane condition. Although everyone got help in the corona epidemic, we did not get it. I received a letter to stop the reverse salary-allowance forever.
He added that since the agency was in Saudi Arabia, the matter was reported to the Saudi embassy in person on September 26, but they did not listen. So let us bid farewell to the organisation with our demands, arrears of salary and one-time money.
