Covid-19 turns marginalaised students into child labourers

The closure of educational institutions due to Covid-19 has affected regular learning activities of many school children in Lalmonirhat. Due to the pandemic situation, especially marginalised students in the district have dropped out and engaged in child labour.

Although ten-year-old Ayub Ali from Fulgachh village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila was promoted to Class V from Class IV through auto-pass, he has never got a chance to turn the pages of a book.

Because his day labourer father Mostak Ali sent him to work in a motorcycle mechanic shop in the district town in June last year.

Now his father wants to see him a motorcycle mechanic, said Ayub. 

Ayub added his studies have been stopped due to the pandemic and closure of the school.

Rajesh Chandra of Bhatibari village in Sadar upazila said he was promoted to Class VI through auto-pass. But when he was the student of Class V, he had to quit his study and join a motorcycle mechanics shop in the town as a labourer in May last year.

Although he wanted to continue his study, the Covid-19 pandemic shattered his desire, said Rajesh.

'My son stopped studying due to closure of the school. I have sent him to work in a motorcycle mechanic shop and he is now earning Tk 60 to Tk 70 every day," said Rajesh's father Samiran Chandra Barman.

Bhaboranjan Roy, a motorcycle mechanic at Uttara Road in Lalmonirhat town, said at least 20 guardians brought their children to him to build them as motorcycle mechanic. He has managed to keep three of them in his garage. The three are students of class four, five and six.

Rafiqul Islam, a representative of a non-governmental organisation named Lalmonirhat Unnayan Songsta, said a number of child labourers in the town's businesses and technical centres have increased during the coronavirus situation.

He added that eighty percent of the child labourers are students of various educational institutions. Especially children from poor families quit their studies out due to the pandemic and closure of schools.

Lalmonirhat District Primary Education Officer Golam Nabi said the dropout rate will be known after reopening of schools.