Classes in school veranda!

It is unsettling to note that classes for students of a primary school in Jhalakathi are being conducted on the school veranda for the last two years because of the dilapidated condition of their classrooms. That this is going on after the school authority's repeated plea to the concerned department is simply shocking. On several occasions, the local officials, too, have appealed to the relevant authorities to mitigate the sufferings of the students. It all has fallen on deaf ears. It is a shame that students in present-day Bangladesh are forced to take lessons in such condition. Regrettably, this is fairly representative of many primary schools in the country. 

We are indeed at a loss to understand how long it will take the authorities to understand that two years is indeed too long a time for students to make do without a classroom and to study out in the veranda, braving unfavourable weather conditions. Must we remind the concerned officials that students can only concentrate in their studies when the physical space in which they are given lessons is secure and free from unnecessary distractions? Is this not the least we can ask for to build a meritocratic society? 

We demand that the government launch an inquiry into this incident of neglect. Renovations to the classrooms need to be made on an immediate basis. Meanwhile, students have to be moved to a safer location so as to make sure their studies can go on uninterrupted. The concerned authorities should launch an investigation into the state of school structures across the country and renovate the unsafe ones without delay.