Ethnic Musahar kids’ lone school closed for two years

Children of indigenous Musahar community living at Subarnakhuli village on the border of Nilphamari Sadar upazila and Dinajpur’s Khansama upazila are deprived of schooling as their lone institution Subarnakhuli LSS Primary School has remained under lock and key for the last two years.

The situation has arisen due to conflict between the community-run school managing committee (SMC) and another one comprising people ‘from outside’ when process is on to nationalize the school with 120 students. 

Shanti Bhuyan Rikhiason, 62, president of the SMC run by the Musahar community, said they terminated school headmaster Dharani Mohon Roy, 55, in 2017 on charge of irregularities.

“But Dharani, a man of Bangali community, formed another SMC, made a new list of teachers and is trying to get the school nationalized with him as headmaster. Some men in Khansama upazila education office are cooperating with him.”

“We appointed Pandob Chandra Bhuyan Rikhiason, 30, of our community as new headmaster and he went to the upazila education office to submit relevant documents with list of genuine teachers for nationalization with him as headmaster. But no staff at the office received the papers as we are poor and cannot give them money,” he said.

“Following complaint submitted by Pandob Chandra, Dinajpur deputy commissioner ordered the then Khansama upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) to look into the matter. The UNO then directed the upazila education officer (UEO) to investigate but there is no development,” he added.

Pandob Chandra said, “We sought permission from the UEO for two consecutive years to allow our students to sit for the Primary Education Completion [PEC] examinations but he declined and instead, allowed students hired by terminated headmaster Dharani Mohon.”

“As the Musahars protested the conspiracy to grab their school, Dharani Mohon and Abdul Latif, president of the SMC formed by Dharani, with their hired goons locked the school in August 2017,” he continued.

Ramdas Rikhiason, an elderly Musahar, said, “As schools in the nearby area declined to admit our children, we set up the school on the community’s land in 1981 and paid teachers’ salary with small monthly subscription from each family.”

Later a man from the Netherlands helped construction of its building in 1998, he said.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found the school locked while many Musahar children were seen engaged in menial labour. Some girls were married off at an early age.

Moneswar, a student of Class V, said measures should be taken to re-open their school soon as many children like him want to continue schooling.

Contacted, Dharani Mohon Roy said upazila education office recognizes him as genuine headmaster.

Khansama UEO Habibul Islam said they recommended for the school’s nationalization with Dharani Mohon and the teachers listed by him as his students regularly appear in the PEC examinations.

Khansama UNO Ahmed Mahbub ul Islam said, “I visited the area and tried to settle the dispute but the situation is complicated.”