Can this school be saved?

Hundreds of students of Mathbari Union High School in Jhalakathi are under the threat of losing their school to the erosion of the Bishkhali river.

According to locals and school teachers, the school, established in 1970 at Badurtola of Rajapur upazila, was built around one and half kilometers away from the river.

Eroding for the past 12 years, the river has now reached the mouth of the school building and has engulfed three quarters of the school field and a nearby village road in the past two weeks.

Bishkhali began eroding again one month ago, destroying shops, houses and vast amounts of land, Md Afzal, a shop keeper of Badurtola Bazar situated near the school, said.

The school, now on the brink of destruction, currently accommodates around 450 students from grades one to 10, school sources said.    

Sharmin Aktar, a student of the school, said, “We are always afraid during classes that our school may collapse any time.”

To ensure that the students' education is not hampered, Md Ayub Ali Khan, headmaster of the school, believes that the school must be shifted to a safe area as soon as possible.

“To do that, we need financial support. Our school committee chairman is trying to look for a safe location. But it must be done quickly, because the river may swallow the school soon,” he said. 

Golam Haider Khan, president of the school managing committee, said they are looking for a piece of land to shift the school to.

Meanwhile, Bazlul Haque Haroon, lawmaker from Jhalakathi-1, said, “I have been informed about the situation and will take necessary steps to provide safety to the students and their education.”