Schoolbags for Teesta river basin students

Several hundred students of different schools in the Teesta river basin area of Hatibandha upazila are now attending their classes with joy as new schoolbags reduced their fear of damaging books and other educational accessories by rain or river water.

With a vision to reduce dropouts and helping char children of poor families to educate non governmental organisation SKS under Safe School Project (SSP) started distributing the schoolbags in June this year.

At least 1,588 students of 25 schools, including 21 primary schools and four high schools, in eight villages under two unions of the upazila have received the schoolbags, funded by PLAN International Bangladesh, till September last.

The students in the char areas always remain worried as their books and other accessories may get damaged by rain and river water on way to their schools.

Aklima Akhter, a Class V student at Purbo Sindurna Government Primary School, said, “During the rainy season we have to travel on small boats to attend our classes while in dry season we wade through knee deep water and so, there is chance of damage to our books and other things.”

Shafiqul Islam, project coordinator of SSP, said students from most poor families have been given the schoolbags.

Hatibandha Upazila Primary Education Officer (UPEO) Hassan Atiqur Rahman said NGO is doing a helpful work by providing the schoolbags for the students in char areas.