DSHE asks teachers to help Boro harvesters

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has asked all teachers of secondary schools to lend farmers a hand in an attempt to speed up the harvest of Boro paddy as flash flood can occur in several districts at any time.

The DSHE on Tuesday night issued a directive in this regard so that farmers, especially those from the haor region who are expecting a bumper production of Boro, can take their produce home amid a countrywide shutdown imposed to fend off the spread of coronavirus.

Prof Syed Md Golam, director general of the directorate, said they issued the directive in line with the prime minister's instruction where she urged all to help farmers harvest their crops.

"We also kept in mind the possibilities of flash floods and heavy rain which would wreak havoc on the crops," he said, adding that farmers need to have the harvest completed before a disaster strikes.

Head of institutions, along with other teachers and trained students, for example, the members of scout, would assist the farmers by maintaining social distancing guidelines.

The directives also asked the school authorities to let the farmers of nearby areas use the school compounds to stockpile their produce as many farmers in haor areas reside far away from the fields.

Moreover, farmers and their helpers may use the school buildings for temporary accommodation, the directive added.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Boro has been cultivated on 447,195 hectares of land in Sylhet division with a production target of 23.71 lakh tonnes.

Srinibash Debnath, additional director of DAE in Sylhet, said they were expecting very good yield this year as no disease was yet to affect the crops.

As of Tuesday, 31 percent of the produce was harvested in the haor areas against 21 percent in the whole division, he said, adding that the progress was satisfactory.

The official, however, voiced worry that flash flood may hit the region any time.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of Bangladesh Water Development Board, a flash flood may hit the haor region at the end of the week due to excessive rainfall in the north-eastern part of the country and the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya.

Earlier, officials of the Directorate of Primary Education said they have kept open over 5,400 primary schools in haor areas to accommodate the labourers who are harvesting paddy.