Academic activities in 20 districts are being hampered as a total of 1,205 schools – 965 primary and 240 high schools – were affected by the recent flood and river bank erosion. Some of the school buildings were demolished because of river bank erosion, officials said.
In most cases, authorities concerned were forced to shut down academic activities because of the flood. On the other hand, a good number of schools in the flood hit areas are being used as flood shelters, suspending academic activities.
Director General Fahima Khatun at the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education said they had informed the ministry about the situation.
“We are continuously taking updates regarding the current situation of those schools. We have also instructed them to arrange classes and examinations in alternative areas, so that academic activities are not hampered,” she told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Contacted, Nurul Amin Chowdhury, an assistant director of the Directorate of Primary Education, also echoed the same voice.
Meanwhile, school teachers said such gap in academic activities during this time of the academic year might hamper students' preparation for the upcoming Primary School Certificate (PSC) and Junior School Certificate (JSC) examinations scheduled in November.
Abul Bashar, a primary school teacher in Kurigram, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that his school had been closed for two weeks. “We are worried whether they would be able to complete the syllabus for PSC examination,” he said.
