A school with one student!

Highlights:

• Moynapur Govt Primary in Khulna's Dumuria once had 90 students
• Most shifted to other schools due to poor communication
• The low lying area stays under water during monsoon
• In past 5-year no of students ranged from 5-10
• Local education officer has written to the ministry to close the school down
• Established in 1991 and made government primary in 2013
• Authorities plan on merging schools like this with nearest ones

There are many schools in the country that are being run by one teacher. But there is perhaps only one example where a school has only one student with three teachers.

The one of a kind institution – Moynapur Government Primary School –  is located at DumuriaUpazila in Khulna district. The lone student ArponSarker studies in the second grade.

Teachers of the school say the school does not get students as it is situated in a low lying area. There are only 29 families living nearby the school and they do not have school going kids.

This, according to the teachers, is the main reason why the school does not attract students.

Swapna Rani, head teacher of the school, told The Business Standard that her school was running with 5 to 10 students for the last five years.

Actually, there is no proper road to the school and most of the time the region is under water especially during monsoon. As a result, families living outside the area are reluctant to send their kids to the school, she said.

SikderAtiqur Rahman Jewel, primary education officer of Dumuriaupazila, told TBS that they have written to the Primary and Mass Education Ministry asking them to close the school and shift the teachers elsewhere as there is little hope of students' number increasing in the near future.

The school was established in 1991 as a private institution before it was made a government primary school in 2013 when 26,000 registered primary schools were brought under government facilities across the country.

Locals said, the school remains closed most of the time as the teachers go there when they feel like because of the lack of students.

As the school premises are mostly empty, local farmers have been using the veranda and field of the school.

However, Swapna Rani said, teachers come to school every day, but they have no choice but to pass idle time.

"There was a time when the school had 90 students. Due to the poor communication system and vulnerable infrastructure of the school, the students shifted to other schools," she said.

Sources at the upazila primary education office said, there are 214 government primary schools with a total of 22,000 students and 1,000 teachers in DumuriaUpazila. Of them, 16 government primary schools have less than 50 students each.

Alamgir Mohammed MonsurulAlam, director general of Directorate of Primary Education under Primary and Mass Education Ministry, told TBS that they have asked the field officials to identify such schools and inform the ministry soon.

"In the meantime, we have found some other schools like Moynapur Government Primary school in different places. We are planning to merge the schools with low numbers of students with nearest schools," he said, adding that they are yet to decide on the assets of such schools.

Locals against closure of school!

Locals blamed the government's lack of initiative behind the school's poor performance as the authorities did not take any step to develop the area.

MdMohsinGazi, a member of Dhamallia Union Parishad, said his area's communication is very poor.

"During the rainy season, the whole area goes under water. The government should develop the area rather than closing the school down," he added.

JahurulHaque, chairman of Dhamallia Union Parishad, said, "We are trying to build roads around the school. I believe the school will get many students after the development work is finished."