Having no Shaheed Minar in more than 300 educational institutions in Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali district, students, teachers of many of those educational institutions and people of the surrounding locality pay their tributes to the Language Martyrs by placing flowers at the foot of the dummy Shaheed Minar made of Banana trees and the wooden structures wrapped in colour papers.
In absence of the Shahid Minar, students as well as the teachers of those educational institutions are being deprived of learning about the values, sanctity and significance of the historical 21st February or the Shaheed Dibosh. This correspondent has recently visited various schools, colleges and madrashas of the upazilas and noticed that most of those institutions have no Shaheed Minar.
Even 27 years after the establishment, no Shaheed Minar has been constructed at Faruk Talukder Women's College. No Shaheed Minars have been constructed on the premises of Bauphal Government Degree College and Keshobpur Degree College even during the last five years.
The educational institutions including Kalaiya Kamil Madrasah, Dhandi Kamil Madrasah, Bauphal Fazil Madrasah, Kesobour N.S. Secondary School, Chandradip ASM Feroz Secondary School, Ali Akbar Gov't Primary School, Daskhin Soula Gov't Pry. School, Bharipasa Munshi Hasan Ali Gov't Pry. School, Char Algi Gov't Pry School, and Boro Dalima Gov't Pry School are also running without any Shaheed Minar.
According to the source of Upazila Education Department Officials, there are 11 colleges, 59 secondary schools, 67 madrasahs and 239 government primary schools in the upazila. Of those, Shaheed Minars are seen only at 15 primary schools, 50 secondary schools and seven colleges and no Shaheed Minar has been constructed so far at 67 madrasas and 305 other educational institutions. Moreover, there is no Shaheed Minar at more than 100 non-government schools.
Students and teachers of Kotpar Government Primary School make Shaheed Minar every year by erecting Banana trees and wrapping those in colour papers. They place floral wreaths at the foot of those trees as though those are the Shaheed Minars.
Muhiud Billah Abid, a student of class V of the school said, “We don't have any Shaheed Minar in our school. As a result, every year we made Shaheed Minar with Banana trees. We work hard to make this Shaheed Minar. We need a permanent Shaheed Minar in our School.”
Mijanur Rahman, Assistant Teacher of Ali Akbar Gov't. Primary School said applications have been submitted to various government departments to construct a Shaheed Minar on the school premises. But, no fund has yet been allocated in this connection. As a result, they offer tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement at the foot of a wooden structure made at the school compound. Atikul Islam, Upazila Primary Education Officer informed that requisitions have been sent to the Department of Education for the construction of Shaheed Minars. Initiatives for the construction of Shaheed Minars have been taken at the educational institutions locally. Five Shaheed Minars have been made during the current year. The process will continue.'
Upazila Secondary Education Officer Nazmul Haque said, “There are Shaheed Minars in most of the schools of the upazila. Requisitions have been sent to the concerned department for the construction of the rest of the Shaheed Minars.”
There is a not a single Shaheed Minar at 67 Madrashas of the upazila.
Abdur Rob. Superintendent of Daspara Nesaria Dakhil Madrasah informed, no floral tribute is paid for the language martyrs because of the absence of Shaheed Minar on the Madrasha premises. But, he said, milad and prayer are offered, and discussions are held in observance of the great Shaheed Day.
Tofazzal Hossain, President of Madrasha General Teachers' Association informed, the government did not take any initiative to construct Shaheed Minar in any madrasah after the Liberation. It is necessary to construct Shaheed Minars in the Madrashas like those of the schools and the colleges so that the Madrasah students could learn about the Language Martyred Day.'
Moshfiqur Rahman, Executive Engineer of Education Engineering Department of Patuakhali in this connection said, a project is under process to construct Shahid Minars in all educational institutions of the country and the Shaheed Minars in all institutions of Bauphal upazila will be constructed under the project.
