Primary education in Shariatpur district is suffering a setback due to poverty and the shortage of schools in all six upazilas.
About 50,000 children lack access to education, as there is no primary school in 225 villages across the district, according to SEBA, an NGO working in Bhedarganj upazila.
The children, belonging to the age group of 8-12 years, do odd jobs for earning their livelihood instead of going to school.
According to sources in the district primary education office, there are 667 government, 87 community and 40 non-government primary schools in six upazilas of the district. Besides, there are 61 kindergarten (KG) schools. The total student enrolment is 198 thousand.
However, many of the students drop out of schools, as their poor parents are unable to bear their educational expenses.
The number of dropouts from primary schools is increasing in the district due to the poverty of their parents, sources said.
Azizur Rahman Miah, a farmer of Char Sensus village under Bhedarganj upazila, said he did not afford to send his six children to school due to his abject poverty.
Babul Majhi, a farmer of Chhaygaon in the upazila, said he also met the same fate as he was unable to bear the educational expenses of his four children.
The poor farmers have no interest in educating their children. They are rather engaging their children in income generating work, like cattle grazing and rickshaw pulling. Some are even doing odd jobs in restaurants and factories.
The children sell their labour for poor wages and often fall victim to ill-treatment or harassment at the hands of their masters, sources said.
On the other hand, most of the existing school buildings in char areas are in a deplorable condition.
A large number of schools, damaged by flooding and storms over the last few years, have not yet been repaired, the local people said. So classes in many char schools are held under the open sky. Most of the schools also have no tubewell, leaving the students to suffer from a drinking water crisis.
Ajaher Ali Molla, Headmaster of Pomlakarta Government Primary School in Pomlakarta village under Bhedarganj upazila, said his school, which was damaged by a storm few years ago, could not yet be repaired.
However, according to sources, some schools in the district and upazila headquarters are running with surplus teachers while those in rural areas lack the requisite number of teachers.
Sydur Rahman, headmaster of 19 No Baherchar Govt Primary School, said: “Shortage of teachers is one of problem in Chanrapur union.”
Sirajul Haque Sujan, headmaster of Rambhamrapur Govt Primary School, said: “Lack of accommodation and teacher shortage hampers education in the upazila.”
When contacted, Md Mizanur Rahman, Primary Education Officer in Shariatpur, said, “Some children do odd jobs for earning their livelihood because of poverty.” “As a result, the number of dropouts from the primary schools is increasing in the district,” he added.