TDS Desk:

Bidhan Mallik, headmaster of Rajapur Government Primary School in Jashore’s Abhaynagar Upazila, stands worried about yet another disruption to the academic activities of his students.

With brows furrowed, he points to the second floor of the school building.

Once used for classrooms, it has now turned into makeshift homes for 10 families whose homes have been submerged in the recent floods.

Bidhan’s school falls in the Bhabadah region, often called the “Sorrow of Jashore”.

Here, the water is a symbol of suffering, hunger and disease.

The ‘why’ is evident.

“There is no environment for carrying out academic activities now. The flood has ensured that students haven’t been able to come to school for almost two weeks,” he says.

The water has already inundated a number of classrooms as well on the ground floor.

He said the relevant officials had been informed about the situation.

Bidhan isn’t alone.

More than 200 educational institutions have been submerged in the Bhabadah due to continuous rain over the past two weeks.

Most have suspended all academic activities, many for more than 20 days.

In others, few students attend. It’s mostly teachers present and administrative officers.

As a result of the low pressure, rains from 13-16 September resulted in this waterlogging in Bhabadah region.

Speaking to The Business Standard, Jashore District Education Officer Mahfuzul Hossain said 51 secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions of Keshabpur, Manirampur and Abhaynagar upazilas are waterlogged.

“Academic activities are suspended now, but will start once the water recedes,” he said.

Jashore District Primary Education Officer Md Ashraful Alam said 93 primary education institutions in the region were submerged.

Teachers had been requested to continue classes as much as possible through alternative means.

Asaduzzaman, principal of Keshabpur Government Degree College, said due to flooding, classes were being held in another building.

Anisur Rahman, assistant primary education officer of Keshabpur Upazila, said teachers of some schools had arranged to take classes in any high place near the school or on the balcony of other people’s houses.

But even alternate arrangements haven’t been of much help to students.

Arun Kumar, a student of Soradanga Primary School in Abhaynagar, said, “We have water at home and school too. To go from home to school, you have to wade through chest-high water. How will I go to school then?”

Ranjit Bawali, convener of Bhabadah Water Extraction Struggle Committee, said apart from mainstream institutions, many madrasas and kindergartens were also completely closed.

The Bhabadah region has experienced severe flooding this year with some 10 lakh people affected.