Sugarcane centres on school fields in Natore hampering education

Thousands of students have been suffering from different problems, including the disruption of their regular education and athletics, due to sugarcane purchase centres that have been set up on their school grounds in Naldanga and Sadar upazilas of Natore.

The sugarcane purchase centres have been hampering educational atmosphere as the vehicles carrying sugarcane are kicking up dust on the school grounds during loading and unloading of the goods, reports our Natore correspondent.

During a visit, the correspondent found that the purchased sugarcane was spread throughout the fields of nine schools in the two upazilas, including Darappur High School, Darappur Goverment Primary School, Buribhag Government Primary School, Buribhag Dimukhi High School, Biprabalgharia Government Primary School and Basudebpur Srischandra High School.

The photo is taken from Buribhag Government Primary School in Naldanga upazila of Natore recently.

"The students can hardly walk or play on the school grounds due to the piled up sugarcane. Studies and sports of 170 students are being hampered by frequent vehicular movement on the school field," said Abdus Sattar, headmaster of the Buribhag Government Primary School of Naldanga upazila.

"The students play on the field with the risk of life. We are always very worried about the possibility of an accident," the headmaster added.

The stockpiling of sugarcane also causes trouble for lessons as well as extra-curricular activities of over three thousands students for five to six months every year, from October to March, he said.

Tohidur Rahman Liton, president of the managing committee of Basudebpur Srischandra Bidya Niketan High School, said they rented out parts of the school field to Natore Sugar Mill.

The headmaster of the school Yasinur Rahman said, "We do not want to have a purchase centre in the field. But at the request of the local farmers, the centre has been kept in the field. The sugar mill will be given a letter to remove it."

Md Shahriaz, Deputy Commissioner of Natore, said no obstacle would be allowed on the schools' playgrounds. He will ask the district education officers to remove all the purchase centres on all the school grounds.

ASM Ziaul Faruk, Managing Director of Natore Sugar Mill, said that they have nine sugarcane purchase centres on the school grounds for some time.

"But we will remove the centres if the school authorities instruct us," he added.