There is no Shaheed Minar in 175 educational institutions in Dashmina of Patuakhali.
Each year, teachers and students of all these educational institutions have to construct a temporary structure to pay respect to the language movement martyrs and celebrate the International Mother Language Day.
Due to the absence of a permanent structure, local students are also being deprived of knowing the elaborate history of the language movement.
Moreover, many institutions located in distant areas do not even observe the day at all.
Parents and local people allege that the management committees in many cases are to be blamed for the overall situation alongside shortage of funds.
According to primary and secondary education office sources, there are 145 government primary schools, 26 secondary, 19 madrasas and 4 colleges in the upazila.
Among them, 6 government primary schools, 13 secondary and lower secondary schools have their own permanent Shaheed Minar.
On the other hand, 139 primary, 13 secondary schools, 19 madrasas and 4 colleges do not have a permanent Shaheed Minar.
Armina Jahan, Hafiza Begum and Tanha, are all students of 5th grade at Auliapur Government Primary School. They complained saying there is no Shaheed Minar on their school premises.
Raisul Islam and Yasin Arafat, both 4th graders, told this reporter that they use banana trees to build a temporary structure to pay tribute to the language martyrs.
Abdur Rahman, president of Dashmina upazila branch of Bangladesh Teachers' Association, said except for six, there is no Shaheed Minar in any primary educational institution in the upazila.
He stressed the construction of a Shaheed Minar for every educational institution so that the students are taught the right history of the language movement.
Upazila Primary Education Officer Al Mamun (acting) admitted the situation and said the students are having difficulty showing respect to the language martyrs every year..
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (Acting) Md Mohiuddin Al Helal in this regard said that the issue will be communicated to the higher authorities and instructions will be given to the heads of the educational institutions soon in this regard.
