Complaint boxes placed for students
At first sight, anyone can be curious to see a box named ‘UNO BOX’. It is basically a complaint box hung on walls in the corridors of different educational institutions in Ashuganj upazila.
Ashuganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nazimul Haider has recently taken an initiative to install such box at different institutions so that anyone, especially students, teachers and guardians, can put complaint against any misdeed in it.
From last Monday to yesterday three boxes have been put up on the walls of three high schools in Ashuganj. The institutions include Rowshan Ara Jalil Girls High School and Haji Abdul Jalil High School.
A total of 18 educational institutions in the upazila, by turns, will get the box, made of timber and transparent glass, within this current month, said Nazimul.
Every Wednesday, a representative of UNO will open the box, he said, adding that later, stern action will be taken against the accused after investigation.
“After joining here in July last year, I saw that some famous institutions in the area have lost its past glory due to misdeed and mismanagement of the authorities concerned,” said the UNO.
He further said the Feni madrasa girl was killed for protesting sexual harassment by a madrasa principal.
He has mainly taken the initiative to install the complaint boxes to prevent sexual harassment and improve the standard of quality education, said the UNO.
“But we must remain alert so that head of an institution and others are not unnecessarily harassed,” he added.
During a visit to Haji Abdul Jalil High School on Saturday, this correspondent found one complaint note in the UNO box.
Rezaul Azad, headmaster of Rowshan Ara Jalil High School, said the box is now a threat to stalkers. It will also curtail child marriage, corruption and nepotism.
Sayeda Khanam Bushra, a Class X student at Rowshan Ara Jalil Girls High School, said “We often deal with stalkers on our way to school. As the box has been installed, from now we can communicate with the upazila administration directly if we face such situation. It is really a great initiative by the UNO.”
Nur-e Jannat Tusha, a Class IX student of the same school, said “It is really a good initiative to install such box to report sexual harassment. I think it will reduce child marriage and stalking.”
Saidur Mia, a guardian in the upazila, said “I feel very happy to see the boxes at different educational institutions in the area as we can put complaints against any misdeed in the boxes from now.”