No Shaheed Minar in 90pc Barishal primary schools
The nation will observe International Mother Language Day tomorrow. Educational institutions across the country will hold special programmes with students laying wreaths at Shaheed Minars to pay respect to the heroes who died for our mother tongue, Bangla, in 1952.
However, 90 percent of primary schools in Barishal do not have any monuments to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement.
This absence is particularly evident in Mehendiganj upazila, where there are no Shaheed Minars.
Only 153 out of 1,592 primary schools in Barishal have Shaheed Minars.
Two schools in Agailjhara upazila have Shaheed Minars, while there are five in Banaripara and eight in Hijla upazilas.
Meanwhile, 12 primary schools in Gournadi have shaheed minars on their premises, 13 in Sadar upazila, 16 in Bakerganj, and 19 in Muladi.
Nagerkathi Government Primary School in Bakerganj, established in 1970, doesn't have a Shahid Minar, said its headteacher Newaz Mallik.
He said 140 students of the school cannot pay respects to martyrs due to the absence of a Shaheed Minar. The repeated calls to set up a monument on school premises have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears of authorities concerned.
Barisal District Primary Education Officer SM Aktaruzzaman said, "As a newcomer, I cannot comment on the number of Shaheed Minars without observation. However, the funding is allocated at the government level. But individuals have the opportunity to construct one on their own if they want."
Rumpa Sikder, additional deputy commissioner (education and ICT) in Barishal, said each school should have a Shaheed Minar, and the district administration should ensure full support in this regard.
Educationist Dasgupta Ashish Kumar said, "Every education institution lacking a Shaheed Minar should build one to honour the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement and educate the present generation about the significance of the day."
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