Sylhet floods: Students of 500 schools, colleges yet to return to classes after Eid

Around 500 educational institutions in Sylhet have been affected by the series of flash floods since May, leading to a halt in academic activities. Some are currently under water, and the rest are housing the flood affected.

While secondary schools elsewhere resumed classes from 26 June and primary schools from 3 July after Eid and summer vacations, in Sylhet, students of both secondary and primary schools are yet to return to classes.

In the district, due to the floods, a total of 398 primary schools, 78 secondary schools and around 15 colleges have refrained from academic activities. 

This season, the first spell of flash floods hit Sylhet on 29 May, submerging six upazilas. The flood situation improved from 8 June. Again, around 13 upazilas, including parts of Sylhet city, were inundated in a second round of floods from 16 June, where as many as 12 lakh people were marooned. The flood water of the second wave started receding from 25 June.

The latest round of floods hit the district from 1 July.    

Sources from the District Primary Education Office, Sylhet, told The Business Standard that out of total 1,477 primary schools in the district, classes have remained suspended in 398 schools. Of them, 37 schools are in Sylhet sadar upazila, 2 in Bishwanath, 55 in Balaganj, 32 in Fenchuganj, 27 in Golapganj, 54 in Biyanibazar, 23 in Zakiganj, 4 in Kanaighat, 3 in Jaintiapur, 2 in Goainghat, 65 in Companyganj, 22 in Dakshin Surma and 72 in Osmaninagar.

“Of the 398 primary schools, 167 are being used as shelter centres, and the rest are inundated by floodwater,” Sakhawat Hossain, district primary education officer, Sylhet, told TBS.

Ajay Kumar Dev, headmaster of Jan Ali Shah Primary School in ward-40 of Sylhet city, told TBS, “Since the day after Eid, some flood-affected families have taken shelter in the school. Though all primary schools across the country reopened on 3 July, we could not resume classes.”

He said even if the school opens now, the attendance will be very low as the roads in the area are under water at present.

District Education Officer Abu Sayeed Md Abdul Wadud told TBS that due to the floods, classes have been suspended in 78 secondary schools in the district. Most of the schools are in Osmaninagar, Balaganj and Fenchuganj upazilas, along the Kushiyara river basin.

He said once the floodwater recedes, extra classes will be arranged to recover the learning losses.

However, the flood situation in Sylhet remained almost unchanged yesterday. Moreover, water levels in the flooded areas along the Kushiyara river have increased slightly.

According to the district administration, so far, 9,234 flood victims are currently staying at shelter centres in various upazilas.

As per the Water Development Board, Sylhet, the water level in the Surma and Kushiyara rivers was flowing above the danger level at many points as of yesterday.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Russell Hasan told TBS that the flood situation is deteriorating in some places in the low-lying upazilas due to the onrush of water from the upstream. But hopefully it won’t deteriorate too much.
 

50,000 people stranded in Kurigram

The flood situation in Kurigram has further worsened due to the swelling of the Brahmaputra and the Dharla rivers amid incessant rainfall and onrush of upstream water, rendering 50,000 people marooned, reports UNB.

Abdul Gafur, chairman of Jatrapur union in Kurigram sadar, said the homes of 1,500 people in his union have been submerged, leaving 8,000 people stranded.

Abdul Hamid Sheikh, a member of ward-6 of Begumganj union, said around 150 houses in his ward went under floodwater, affecting about 800 families in the union.

Water Development Board Sub-Divisional Engineer Rafsan Jani said that the Brahmaputra river is flowing 63cm above the danger level at Chilmari river port point, while the Dharla River is flowing 2cm above the danger level at Kurigram Bridge point.