About 13,497 students are feared to drop out in Haimchar. The government had started school feeding project in 2017 in Haimchar upazila of Chandpur with the aim of eradicating the primary school dropouts..
The project is being implemented by the Government and the World Food Program (WFP) and the Development Cooperation Team (UST) NGO.
In this situation, it is not possible to distribute biscuits among the children from the coming month of July. It is alleged that the ministry is responsible for the closure of the project. The secretary of the ministry wants to give cash instead of food money.
On the other hand, the department wants to give food (biscuits) to the children as per the previous rules. Students, teachers, officials and parents involved in the project are worried about the closure of school feeding activities in government primary schools after this June. They think that many children will drop out if there is no school feeding. They don’t want to go to school.
In particular, 5831 out of 13.497 students of Haimchar upazila are drop out students of charanchal. Besides, if the school feeding activities are stopped, the families of these students will be forced to live a life of humanity. All the concerned officers and employees will sit on the road.
In this situation, Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni wants the intervention of teachers, guardians and other concerned officials and employees to continue the school feeding project.
A school feeding project was launched in Haimchar to reduce the number of primary school dropouts and to provide school-based nutrition. Through this project, the government gives one packet of high quality biscuits to the children every day. Char students used to come to the representative school in the hope of biscuits. Many think that children from poor families will drop out of school and start working in the river or in the fields with their parents.
In this regard, Md. Badsha Mia, a 3rd class student of Charsoladi Government Primary School No. 38, said, “We used to give a packet of biscuits every day so that I could concentrate on our schooling and get strength in my studies. When we poor people get biscuits, the family needs less food. I come to school every day to get biscuits.
In this regard, the guardian AH Rahim said that most of the boys and girls in our char area did not go to school. The government took them back to school with biscuits. A request to the government not to stop giving biscuits to schools.
Md. Salauddin, a teacher at Manipur Gazipur Government Primary School No. 4 and organizing secretary of the Upazila Primary Teachers’ Association, said if the school feeding project was stopped, the attendance of students in char schools would be reduced and they would suffer from malnutrition. If the government does not take up alternative projects, the dropout rate will increase.
The education minister is seeking intervention to alleviate malnutrition among students by extending the school feeding project period for local people, parents and students.
Corrspondent: BM Ismail, June 29,2021