85 Years of Deprivation: Lochana Primary School Holds Classes Under Open Sky

Syed Shamim Shirazi, Sirajganj

Students at Lochana Government Primary School in Shahjadpur, Sirajganj, are attending classes under the open sky amid scorching heat and humid weather due to a severe shortage of classrooms.

Established in 1941 in Lochanapara of Jalalpur Union No. 13 in Shahjadpur upazila, the school has not had a building constructed in 85 years. Its office and classes are currently being run from a single room. The school also has no boundary wall.

Teachers said a budget was allocated in 2024 to construct a two-storey concrete building. Following instructions from the then upazila education officer, the old tin structure was auctioned off. However, the contractor did not carry out the construction work, citing the lack of suitable communication facilities for transporting construction materials.

With the classroom shortage worsening, student attendance has been declining. Although the quality of education at the school is good, the lack of a proper building and learning environment is causing the number of students to decline every year. Some students are enrolling in schools farther away despite the distance, while others are reportedly giving up their studies.

Students Saim and Ritu said they have to study under the open sky and that the school has to close when it starts raining.

Mukti Khatun of Lochanapara said her son Fuad Hossain studies in Class I and attends classes in the teachers’ office. Class III students also attend classes in the same room, making it difficult for students to concentrate. She said she cannot take her young son to a school far away, so she continues to send him to this school despite the difficulties.

Another resident, Urmi Khatun, said one of her sons is in Class V and the other in Class II. She said the quality of education at the school is good and students receive scholarships every year. However, there is no proper learning environment as classes are held in a makeshift shed without walls. Students get wet during rain and cannot tolerate the extreme heat and sunlight. They often fall ill as a result. She is considering transferring her sons to another school.

Acting Head Teacher Abdul Latif said the quality of education at the school is good and its students receive scholarships every year. However, due to the shortage of classrooms, teachers are forced to conduct classes under the open sky, exposing students to rain and extreme heat. He said they had repeatedly approached the relevant authorities to ease the students’ suffering but had received no result. As a result, student enrollment at the school has been declining every year.

Shahjadpur Upazila Education Officer Murad Hossain said he had visited the school and witnessed the difficulties. He said a proposal for constructing a building at Lochana Primary School had already been submitted and expressed hope that the work would begin soon.