The New Nation - Internet Edition

ACCORDING to an estimate, about 8,000 educational institutions-primary schools, high schools, colleges and madrasahs-have been damaged by the November 15 super cyclone that swept the south and southwestern coastal belt. Among them about 1,400 structures have been razed to the ground. Now these schools and colleges do not have rooms to hold classes. The tidal bore has also washed away books and education materials and equipment. This situation is in a way horrendous and undoubtedly hampers studies. The students even cannot sit for their final examinations for want of books and chairs, tables and benches. This is likely to hamper education among the students leading to increased dropouts. This might affect several batches of students in the coastal zone.

The government has adopted a massive rehabilitation plan to bring back normalcy, in the cyclone-affected areas. Education particularly remains under sharp focus of this plan. The government is going to repair and rebuild the educational institutes at an estimated cost of Tk 700 crore. In the specific situation of the coastal belts frequently battered by cyclones and tidal surges, these buildings need to be built for the dual purpose of education and using as cyclone shelters. The concept of using these buildings as cyclone shelters already exists. They are built on high columns with the lower part having no rooms or walls. These must be strong so that they can withstand the onslaughts of 20-22 feet high tidal surge. The buildings must also have overhead tanks to meet limited demand for water immediately after calamities. The tensile strength of the construction materials needs to be such as to dissipate any added impact of cyclone or tidal waves on the buildings.

The schools and colleges as well as their students should be supplied with books and necessary equipment free of costs to meet the present demand on an urgent basis. But this should not be confined to primary students only. As the students are not in a position to pay tuition fees, all other charges should, therefore, be written off. The government should also continue with the food for education programme to retain the students at schools. If these measures are taken, they are likely to ensure quality and continuity of education in the cyclone-battered coastal districts. It is hoped that implementation of the government plan on a priority basis would remove uncertainty that looms over education in the areas under distress and bring back confidence among the students and their guardians.