S.A Shofiee, Sylhet :
Although the academic school year has already started, throughout January – most schools in Sylhet city have been seeing reduced student attendance as many parents are keeping their children at home fearing possible blockade-related violence on the streets.
Talking to teachers from different schools in the Sylhet, the correspondent learned that the schools were seeing fewer students in class since the blockade began; as a result, academic progress was being stalled from the very beginning of the academic year. They admitted that reports of violence on the streets was prompting parents to keep their children at home.
Their fears are not unfounded. Many children including infants have so far fallen victims in blockade-related arson attacks, while two SSC candidates in Feni also received serious injuries earlier this month when pickets hurled crude bombs at them.
Abdul Khalik, Headmaster of Kazi Jalal Uddin High School, said student attendance has been lower than usual on regular blockade days but no one comes to class when a hartal is announced.
The rate of attendance is staying around 70% which was lower than usual, he said, adding that the students who managed to come to school did so in a panicked state.
If the situation continued then it would become tough to complete the syllabus in time, the teacher cautioned.
Afia Begum, who was waiting to pick up his daughter from Agrogami girls School, told he was worried about his daughter as the indefinite blockade and hartals are not letting her study since the new school year began. She said fearing possible any sudden violence on the streets, he was bringing his daughter to school and also picking her up on most days at the end of her classes.
Israel Ahmed headmaster of Nosiba Khatun High School in Dakshin Surma said it was the parents’ duty to send their children to school. As long as the parents would send their child to school, the teachers would take all classes, he added.
Visiting several government primary schools over the past few days during the blockade, the Sylhet Tribune found that the number of students were very low, even though the schools stayed open.
Nusrat Jahan, a student of Agrogami Government girls high School, said classes were not being held regularly as most students were absent. While school students face the existing crisis of fear and uncertainty, this year’s SSC candidates are readying themselves for challenging days ahead as one of the biggest exams of their lives begin on February 2. The BNP-led 20-party alliance, however, reportedly has no plan to relax their grip on their anti-government programmes during the exams if there is no sign of solution to the prevailing political crisis.
Although the academic school year has already started, throughout January – most schools in Sylhet city have been seeing reduced student attendance as many parents are keeping their children at home fearing possible blockade-related violence on the streets.
Talking to teachers from different schools in the Sylhet, the correspondent learned that the schools were seeing fewer students in class since the blockade began; as a result, academic progress was being stalled from the very beginning of the academic year. They admitted that reports of violence on the streets was prompting parents to keep their children at home.
Their fears are not unfounded. Many children including infants have so far fallen victims in blockade-related arson attacks, while two SSC candidates in Feni also received serious injuries earlier this month when pickets hurled crude bombs at them.
Abdul Khalik, Headmaster of Kazi Jalal Uddin High School, said student attendance has been lower than usual on regular blockade days but no one comes to class when a hartal is announced.
The rate of attendance is staying around 70% which was lower than usual, he said, adding that the students who managed to come to school did so in a panicked state.
If the situation continued then it would become tough to complete the syllabus in time, the teacher cautioned.
Afia Begum, who was waiting to pick up his daughter from Agrogami girls School, told he was worried about his daughter as the indefinite blockade and hartals are not letting her study since the new school year began. She said fearing possible any sudden violence on the streets, he was bringing his daughter to school and also picking her up on most days at the end of her classes.
Israel Ahmed headmaster of Nosiba Khatun High School in Dakshin Surma said it was the parents’ duty to send their children to school. As long as the parents would send their child to school, the teachers would take all classes, he added.
Visiting several government primary schools over the past few days during the blockade, the Sylhet Tribune found that the number of students were very low, even though the schools stayed open.
Nusrat Jahan, a student of Agrogami Government girls high School, said classes were not being held regularly as most students were absent. While school students face the existing crisis of fear and uncertainty, this year’s SSC candidates are readying themselves for challenging days ahead as one of the biggest exams of their lives begin on February 2. The BNP-led 20-party alliance, however, reportedly has no plan to relax their grip on their anti-government programmes during the exams if there is no sign of solution to the prevailing political crisis.
