Staff Reporter:
Hundreds of students at Kashimpur Government Primary School in Panchagarh Sadar are attending classes under trees and in the open field after authorities suspended lessons inside their severely cracked school building, exposing children to scorching heat, rain and other weather extremes.
The decades-old school building has developed large cracks in its walls, while chunks of plaster have fallen from the ceiling and exposed steel reinforcement bars have raised fears of a possible collapse. Considering the safety risks, school authorities have stopped using the building and shifted all academic activities outdoors.
The temporary arrangement has left students struggling to continue their education under difficult conditions.
Fourth-grade student Ayesha Siddika said attending classes in the open has become a daily challenge.
“It is very difficult to study in the intense heat. When it rains, we have to run with our books and notebooks. We cannot concentrate properly,” she said. Her classmate Omar Faruk said the absence of classrooms has severely disrupted learning.
“We don’t have a classroom anymore. We have to sit outside for every lesson. During heavy rain or when the sun becomes too strong, classes cannot continue. We urgently need a new school building,” he said.
Parents have also expressed deep concern over the children’s safety and education.
Nur Jamal, whose son studies in the fifth grade at the school, said the students are now trapped between two dangers. “On one side there is a building that could collapse at any time, and on the other side children are forced to study in an open field. Neither situation is safe. Immediate action is needed to protect their future,” he said.
Teachers say conducting lessons without proper classrooms has become increasingly difficult.
Assistant teacher Arfina Begum said students have lost access to basic classroom facilities, making effective teaching almost impossible.
“We are teaching without a blackboard in the open field. It is difficult to conduct written exercises, and whenever it rains or the weather becomes extremely hot, classes have to be suspended. This is seriously affecting the children’s education,” she said.
Headteacher Md Abu Bakkar Siddique said the school had no choice but to stop using the damaged building.
“The safety of our students is our first priority. We are continuing classes under the open sky on a limited basis, but this cannot continue for long. Temporary classrooms and a permanent new school building are urgently needed,” he said.
The school is located in Garinabari Union under Panchagarh Sadar upazila and serves children from surrounding villages, many of whom come from low-income families with limited access to alternative educational facilities.
Panchagarh Deputy Commissioner Shukria Parveen said the district administration has taken note of the crisis. “The administration is aware of the condition of the school. We are taking steps to arrange temporary classrooms as quickly as possible to reduce the suffering of the students. A proposal for constructing a new school building has also been sent to the concerned authorities,” she said.
However, officials have not announced when either the temporary classrooms or the permanent building will be completed, leaving students to continue their lessons under the open sky for the foreseeable future.
