DPEO asks primary schools not to use unfit buildings

Patuakhali District Primary Education Office (DPEO) on Monday issued letters to all the 1,225 primary schools in eight upazilas of the district not to use risky school buildings for academic purposes.

On November 14 last year, Patuakhali DPEO sent a list of a total of 123 risky primary school buildings in the district to the authorities concerned.

“We got an urgent letter from primary and mass education ministry on Sunday to submit a list of risky primary school buildings within the next 15 days,” Patuakhali District Primary Education Officer Mohammad Sayeduzzaman said.

"After getting the letter from primary and mass education ministry on Sunday, we asked all the upazila primary education officers on Monday to submit a list of risky school buildings and also told all the headmasters concerned over phone not to use any unfit building," he said.

Senior Assistant Secretary of primary and mass education ministry Mohammad Nurunnabi issued the letter on Sunday, he added.

After getting instructions from the DPEO we shifted students of three classes to a tin-roofed schoolhouse from the risky school building on Monday, Dakkhin Talikhali Government Primary School Headmaster Jalilur Rahman said.

The one-storey schoolhouse was built in 2001, but the building became unfit to use as there was no renovation since its construction, the headmaster said.

Like Dakkhin Talikhali Government Primary School there are 122 more risky school buildings in eight upazilas of the district.

According to Patuakhali DPEO, of the 123 risky school buildings, 11 are in Sadar upazila, 27 in Dashmina, 36 in Galachipa, 17 in Kalapara, 16 in Rangabali, nine in Baufal and seven in Mirzaganj upazila.