Classes as well as extra-curricular activities of 25 schools in the district are badly hampered as a section of local influential people use the grounds of the educational institutions for tobacco trading for a couple of months during this period of the year.

The students of Saptibari High School in Aditmari upazila said they cannot stay long in the classrooms due to bad smell as tobacco is sold in their school ground two days every week.

"We can't play in our school field two days every week as tobacco market is set up there," said several students of Saptibari Government Primary School.

The students of Saptibari Blind School at the same village said they are seriously affected due to bad smell as there is a tobacco market just in front the classrooms.

Students of Kalmati Adarsha High School in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said they cannot regularly attend their classes due to large-scale tobacco sale in the school field two days every week.

Protest against the callous act went unheeded, they said.

Tobacco market is set up on the school premises during April, May and June every year, locals said.

The practice has continued for the last few years but the school authorities or local administration never took any step against it, said people at Saptibari village.

Talking to this correspondent, Saptibari High School Headmaster Tayez Uddin, Saptibari Government Primary School Headmaster Rasheda Begum and Saptibari Blind School's resource teacher Ershadul Haque said they are helpless in this regard as local influential people arrange the tobacco markets for earning windfall profit.  

Admitting the situation, District Education Officer Moslem Uddin and District Primary Education Officer Nabez Uddin said they are going to take action with the help of administration.