The old and worn-out building of 83 No Pashchim Anilbuniya Kishore Government Primary School in Kathalia Upazila of Jhalakathi has become dangerously dilapidated.
The plaster on the roof and walls of the building is falling off. Besides, whenever it rains a little, water leaks from the roof into the classrooms.
There are cracks in various walls and pillars of the building. Often students of the school get involved in minor accidents caused by the falling pieces of plasters while attending classes inside the building.
In this situation, the teachers and students of the school are continuing their class work in fear of the collapse of the entire roof or the building.
The roof, pillars and dela of the building were repaired in a few steps but to no avail.
It is learned that the school was established in 1971 at Anilbunia village in Sadar union of Kathalia upazila of Jhalakathi.
Later, in 1995, a four-room building was constructed. Four of these rooms are used as head teachers and other teachers' rooms and classrooms.
As the school became dangerous, the plaster of the roof and walls of the building fell off and when it rained a little, the roof leaked and water fell on the classrooms.
If cracks were found in various walls and pillars of the building and plaster collapsed, it was repaired in a few steps but to no avail.
At present, the students are being taught in that risky building.
The teachers and students are always in panic.
Lamia Akhter, a Class-five student at the school said, “They had to take classes in a room in the old building. You have to panic all the time, when the roof over your head collapses.”
Water also seeps into the classroom when it is raining so classes cannot be held which causes a great obstruction of teaching and studying activities, she added.
Another student Samia Akhter said, “Our school is very old. It has cracked and broken from many places. When it rains from outside, water enters the class.”
Assistant teacher of the school Md Ruhul Amin Khan said the school building was built in 1995 and has become extremely risky now. The walls and pillars have been repaired several times since they collapsed time to time.
During the rainy season, water falls from the roofs of all the rooms. The children have to sit outside the room and take classes. Also there are not enough benches, whatever is there is broken. According to some repairs, students have to be allowed to sit, he added.
The headmaster of the school, Mahmuda Akhter said, “The old building of the school had been renovated several times. Last year also I repaired cracks and broken parts of different places of the school with small repair money.”
Due to water falling from the roof, they have made arrangements for new casting on the roof. In addition, the plaster of the pillars in front of the building fell off baring the rods. The building was declared risky in 2016, she said.
She then said, “However, the authorities have tested the soil for the new building but no new building has been constructed so far due to Corona. We want a new building for school students to be built as soon as possible.”
Upazila Education Officer Md Reazul Islam (in-charge) said that the school has been tested for construction of a new building as it is very risky. Corona pandemic has caused problems in the construction of the new school building which will be done soon.
