Over 100 edu institutions razed in two districts

Cyclone Bulbul left 106 structures of educational institutions badly damaged in coastal districts of Patuakhali and Barguna.

Out of the two districts, Patuakhali saw 61 structures collapsed while Barguna a total of 45.

With final examinations just around the corner, guardians, teachers and students are now concerned over resumption of academic activities at the institutions.    

In Patuakhali, the institutions affected by Bulbul include 41 madrasas, 18 high schools and two colleges, said Jahangir Hossain, district education officer in Patuakhali. 

“We sent a list of damaged structures to the higher authorities, urging necessary steps to repair the structures,” he added.

There are 30 madrasas, 12 high schools and 3 colleges that were damaged by Cyclone Bulbul in Barguna, said Sahadat Hossain, district acting education officer in Barguna. 

The list has already been sent to the higher authorities and they will hopefully take swift measures to repair the damaged structures of the institutions for the sake of the students, he added.

Syed Manzurur Rob Murtaza Ahsan, principal of Bamna Faizunnesa Women’s College, one of the colleges affected by the tropical storm in Barguna, said academic activities at the college will suffer greatly as an 80-foot-long partial brick building of the college has been destroyed. 

Classes of common subjects such as Bangla and English used to be held in the building that could house a large number of students at one time, but now it will be difficult to arrange those classes for all the students in smaller classrooms, added the principal of the college that has 1,457 enrolled students.  

Academic activities at ABN High School in Patuakhali’s Naldowani village under Dumki upazila are now in jeopardy as the school’s only building, made of tin and wood, collapsed when Bulbul lashed out on the country’s coastal areas.  

AKM Abdus Salam, the school’s founder, said a large tree toppled by the storm caused severe damage to the school building, leaving all concerned worried about upcoming examinations and all other activities of the school.