<i>Tk 1 cr school not started in 3 yrs</i>
COSTLY NEGLIGENCE: This well-furnished school building at Uttar Sehakathi village in Patuakhali Sadar upazila has not been opened for schooling in three years.Photo: STAR
A well-furnished high school set up on 1.32 acres of land donated by local people is yet to start its academic activities in three years. Valuable furniture, sports items and computer worth about Tk 25 lakh, which have been kept locked in the schoolrooms for three years, are getting damaged by insects. The two-storied building at North Sehakathi village, about 10 km from district headquarters, was built in 2005-06 fiscal year under the Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project at a cost of Tk 90 lakh, said sources at Education Engineering Department. The then commerce minister, also local lawmaker, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury laid its foundation stone on February 11 in 2005. After completion of the building, the Ministry of Education delivered 93 chairs, 90 pairs of benches, 12 black boards, almirahs, sports goods, computer etc worth Tk 25 lakh. Electrical wearing was also completed although there is no electricity line in the village. A five-member body headed by Sadar upazila UNO was formed to conduct school activities. Despite publishing advertisement for appointment of teachers and other staff for the school for three times, required persons could not be appointed due to interference by a local BNP leader and administrative tangles. Following disagreement among the offices of the UNO, the director general of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, and the DHSE deputy director in Barisal, the institution has failed to start its academic activities. When contacted, District Education Officer Anwar Hossain said, “UNO, who is the chairman of the school body, can easily take proper step to run the school. I am ready to give necessary help from my office if needed.” Md Khorshed Alam, who has recently joined as UNO of Patuakhali Sadar uapzila, said, “I shall try best to run the school. I hope that we will be able to start its academic activities from January next.” “We donated the land so that our children get opportunity to study in the school but in vain,” said Rafiq Khan, a land donor for the school.
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