Kids of Bhatapara Primary School in a village in Lalmonirhat had to queue up on the two sides of the road under the scorching sun for six hours Sunday to welcome the state minister for primary education Motahar Hossain with the vain expectation that the visit would help change the status of the non government institution founded 12 years back.
For the 130 kids no punishment could be harsher than sweating on the Durakuti –Durgapur Road leading to the school for the minister who came late and left almost in no time without even caring to listen to the problems of the school for which the committee have been begging his presence.
The summer heat was as pitiless as it always is in Durgapur union under Aditmari upazila in the remote northern the corner of Bangladesh.
The kids had no choice but to keep standing from 10 AM to 4 PM without any break though the minister was late in arriving after attending several functions on the way.
And the minister left the school immediately without caring to listen to the problems of the non government school for which its managing committee took all the pains to invite him.
The experience equally disheartened the teachers, the school committee, the students as well as the guardians.
Forced to keep waiting by the teachers and the school managing committee under the sun no kid could take their midday meal at school or take their bath before leaving home.
As a number of the kids fell sick the guardians became angry with the decision of the teachers and the school managing committee to compel the young learners to wait under the sun.
Khairun Akhter, a student of Class V told New Age, all the students had to queue up on the road as the teachers and the school committee president 'asked us.'
Her classmate, Shefali Akhter said, 'We could not have our midday meal or bath today as we spent all these hours on the road.'
Mintu Islam, a student of Class III said, 'I became sick standing under the sum.'
Nur Haque, a guardian said that the students had to stand under the sun for six hours in stead of half an hour as the teachers and the school committee had said.
'We feel really angry about the whole thing,' he said.
Mozibor Rahman, another guardian said that the teachers and the school committee forced the kids to stand under the sun ignoring the guardians' protest against the decision.
The school managing committee president Kazi Mohammad Slayman Alom said that the minister had been invited to facilitate nationalisation of the school established in 1999 with seven teachers providing voluntary service.
Sirajul Islam, the headmaster, said that the teachers and the committee had no choice as the minister visited the non-government school on their request.
Durgapur UP AL secretary Aminul Islam said the minister paid the unscheduled visit to the school due to repeated requests from the teachers and the committee.
He said that he informed the committee that the minister would visit the school after attending the scheduled programmes in Durgapur union on his way back to the district town.
He said that he never asked the school committee to keep the kids waiting under the sun to welcome the minister.
The minister even didn't spend five minutes in the school arriving there late.
Source: New Age
