Disruptions of exam schedule unwarranted
There are two important points that we would like to flag in this editorial. One is trivialising the schedule of educational institutions in rural areas by the powerful and privileged, who want to use the facilities of these institutions for their own use. The other, and perhaps more worrying, is exploiting the name of Bangabandhu and the Liberation War for such purpose.
There are government orders to the effect that class schedule of educational institutions on account of any political programme like the visit of a ruling party leader from Dhaka, should not be disrupted. Such a violation of government order once again occurred on Saturday in Mizmizi in Narayanganj. This time it was a "doa mahfil" arranged by the local Awami League leader of Siddhirganj upazilla. And as always, the prayer congregation was followed by a feast that was attended by all the local party organs of the AL. And all these were held on the premises of a local high school halting not regular classes, but a very important occasion—the final exams scheduled for the day had to be postponed because of this programme.
Very obviously, the AL leader used his position as the chair of the school governing body. It seems that the programme was personal but apparently, he used the nature of the event ("doa mahfil") and the name of Bangabandhu and his family and the month of December to validate the use of the school. As the headmaster later told our reporter, he acceded to the request since Bangabandhu's name was used. And this is what we find reprehensible. Regrettably, it has become a norm to validate everything unseemly and out of line using the name of the Father of the Nation or the Liberation War.
While a school can and does hold such functions, those are normally done in a manner that does not disrupt classes, not to speak of dislocating a final exam schedule. One wonders why this programme could not be held, if at all in the school compound, in the evening.
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