Nilphamari primary schools see dwindling attendance
The attendance of primary students in Nilphamari has seen a decrease of 13pc to 16pc after reopening of school following a long hiatus, which guardians and teachers say may be the result of the end of the school feeding programme.
The project tenure expired in June this year having an impact on students' attendance, they said.
After the reopening of schools following a long pause due to pandemic, the attendance of students was as high as 95pc to 98pc which has dropped within a few days as the average attendance rate now stands at 82pc, according to data of primary education offices in different upazilas.
According to the primary education department, it could be learnt that the government introduced the school feeding programme in primary schools in 2001 to make students of low-income families interested in attending schools and the programme garnered positive results.
Under the programme, students were provided with a packet of nutritious biscuits in tiffin time so that learners of poor families who come to school half-fed or unfed do not leave classes because of hunger and can concentrate on their lessons.
The programme continued even in the pandemic time during the long closure of schools when teachers handed over the packets of biscuits to students going door to door at the directive of higher authorities.
District primary education office informed that there is a total of 1,084 primary schools in six upazilas of the district where around 2.4 lakh students mostly from low-income families read as kids of solvent families are usually sent to read in specialised schools like kindergartens.
Guardians and teachers said that the reason for the sudden decrease in attendance may be caused by the discontinuation of the feeding programme as the students are not being provided biscuits after attending classes.
GirizaProsonna Roy, former president of district unit of primary teachers' association, said "Government programmes to provide textbooks for free and school feeding programme were epoch-making in popularising primary education and it should be continued."
Shandha Rani and Sumon, students of Uttar Ramnagar Government Primary School, said that they feel hungry during school time and can't pay attention to lessons.
Delwar Hossain, a guardian from Gayabari village of Dimla upazila, said that her daughter reading in class four in a local primary school now insists on giving her Tk 10 before going to school daily to buy snacks from the grocery shop as she is not getting the biscuits from the school anymore.
Ashraful Islam, headmaster, of DoluaDogasi Government Primary School in Sadar upazila, said that they were going to the doorsteps of the students assuring them that the progrmme will resume soon in a bid to increase the attendance rate.
Assistant District Primary Education Officer MdTazul Islam Mondal said, "The government has not officially stopped the school feeding programme and there is every possibility for its revival as it is an effective one."
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