The fifth-grade students in char areas of the district have long been deprived of the secondary school as the number of high schools there is very poor than the demand.
Consequently, female students from the 269 char areas, landmass emerged from riverbed, have been compelled to victim of early marriage by guardians while the male learners enter into risky jobs like the seniors.
Moreover, the people living there are engrossed in various sort of superstitions due to being deprived from education in this stage.
It was learnt that there are a total of 16 rivers in the district creating such higher number of char lands and its residents are about 3lakh.
Although there are 360 secondary schools across the district, only five high schools are available in the char lands while the figure is very thin to meet the large number of pupils. Some 20,000 students study in more than 100 primary schools in the char areas and the five high schools ensure enrolment for only 1,000 pupils.
Besides, the students who try to study in these schools have to face many difficulties because of poor communication system in the river surrounding areas.
A report prepared by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) reads that the early marriage rate in Kurigram is 78% solely while the whole country’s figure is only 66%. Ulipur Mohidev Jubo Somaj Kollyan Samity worker Shefali Rani Sarkar said the early marriage rate was on increase day by day for want of secondary education facility in the char lands.
A local farmer named Azizar from Jatrapur area in Sadar upazila said there is no high school in his locality and that was why despite having acute eagerness, they were unable to ensure secondary education for their children.
Umme Salma, assistant teacher of Parbatipur Government Primary School in Sadar upazila, said the figure of female students is highest among the dropout pupils.
They have been deprived of education owning to the problem resulting a rise in early marriage appeared, she continued.
When contacted, Kurigram Education Officer Vabo Shankar Borma said: “The long-running crisis can be lessened a little bit if non-government initiative comes forward for establishing some secondary schools in the char lands. Especially affluent locals can play a pivotal role in the problem.”
