Parents have expressed anger as a government primary school in Sadarpur upazila of Faridpur has remained closed continuously for five days. According to local sources, Sater Rashi Government Primary School, located in Sater Rashi village of Sadar Union, has been closed for the past five days.
On Thursday (15 January) at around 12 noon, a visit to the school showed that all classroom doors were locked. The school premises were completely silent and empty of students. As classes have been suspended for several days, academic activities appear to have come to a standstill.
Local guardians alleged that the school has been kept closed for the last five days without any prior notice. This has disrupted children’s education and is having a negative impact on them.
Regarding the issue, the school’s head teacher, Muhammad Shahidur Rahman, said that the school was temporarily closed due to an urs (religious festival) being held at the nearby Bishwa Jaker Manzil. He claimed that the decision was taken considering excessive crowds and security concerns related to the urs.
However, he could not provide any clear information on whether prior approval had been obtained from the education department to keep the school closed.
In this regard, Upazila Assistant Education Officer Hafizur Rahman said that the school has 148 students and that no permission was given to close the school. After learning about the matter, he summoned the head teacher and asked for a written explanation as to why the school had remained closed.
Meanwhile, concerned citizens believe that keeping a government educational institution closed for an extended period under the pretext of religious or social events is against regulations. They say such actions seriously disrupt students’ education and have urged the authorities to investigate the matter and take necessary action against those responsible.
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