Floating schools gear up education for underprivileged ‘Chalanbeel’ kids

They do not go to school, the school comes to them.

Some 22 floating schools locally known as “Nouka School” moved in to the submerged Chalanbeel area spanning over three districts providing academic facilities to more than 2,000 underprivileged children in the last few years. 

Floating Schools have now broadened their facilities, ensuring basic agricultural training for underprivileged women and also library and computer training facilities among people in Pabna, Natore and Sirajganj, thanks to ‘Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha’ (SSS), a non-government organisation for initiating better service enlightening Chalanbeel people.

The SSS first introduced floating schools for the underprivileged kids in Singra upazila of Natore district in 2002.  

The school gained quick popularity among the people and there are now 22 floating schools in Chatmohar and Bhangura upazilas of Pabna, Gurudashpur and Singra of Natore and Tarash upazila of Sirajganj under Chalanbeel region, organisation sources said.

“Chalanbeel areas go under water for four to six months each year during monsoon. Maximum educational institutions mostly primary schools located in remote areas become inaccessible. A major portion of school going children drop out as they are unable to go to their institutions during the monsoon,” Suprokash Poul, program coordinator of floating school program, said. 

“Floating schools go to the doorstep of the children. Carrying students from different points of the villages it reaches a certain point where classes are held. When classes end, the children are dropped to their villages again,” Suprokash said adding that each school holds three shifts a day with 30 students in each shift.

“We get training on crop cultivation in submerged land during monsoon. We learn how to cultivate paddy, jute and vegetables and how to protect the crops from pest attacks without using chemical pesticide,” Bulbuli Khatun, a housewife of Kalinagar village in Singra upazila of Natore district, said.

“There is no computer facility in our village. We would have to go to the upazila headquarters for this, which is 30 kilogremre away. But now, we get these facilities at our doorsteps,” said Abu Sayed, an HSC student of Singra.

A total of 39 boats--including 22 floating schools, 10 boats for library and computer lab and seven training centers have been moving in the five upazilas of Chalanbeel area but this is not enough to cover the vast area of Chalanbeel region,” Suprokash said.

The organisation is trying to increase the number of floating schools.