Monsoon leaves 200 students risking lives by boat
Photo: Agamir Somoy
The road disappears whenever the monsoon arrives in southeast Golkhali village of Golkhali Union under Galachipa Upazila of Patuakhali. At some points, there is knee-deep water, while others are filled with mud and large potholes. It is difficult to travel even on foot, let alone by vehicle.
During such times, a small boat becomes the only hope for over 200 students to reach school. Every day, they must travel to school by that boat, risking their lives.
Located side by side are Southeast Golkhali Government Primary School and Southeast Golkhali Secondary School. There are around 600 students in the two institutions. Students from four villages study in these schools.
Locals, teachers, students, and guardians said the communication system for these two schools has been fragile for a long time. The 1.5-kilometer-long unpaved road becomes unusable. As a result, every year, guardians must take the initiative to arrange a small boat and a boatman to transport the students.
Each student pays Tk 20 daily for the boat ride. This expense is also difficult for poor families. If the boatman falls ill or the boat does not run for any reason, many students cannot go to school that day.
Sometimes, senior students have to operate the boat themselves at great risk. Suman said, “After putting my child on the boat, I am constantly worried about whether they reached school safely and whether they returned home. We want relief from this suffering.”
Aryan Hossain, Ibrahim, Jashim Uddin, and Adin Hossain, students of class nine at Southeast Golkhali Secondary School, added that they feel scared to travel in the small boat during the monsoon.
They demanded that a paved road be constructed quickly. It is not just Southeast Golkhali; students from Northeast and East Golkhali villages also face the same problem. The unpaved roads of those two villages also become unusable for travel.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abuzar Md. Ijazul Haque said, “I will visit the spot. After observing the situation, I will inform the authorities and make every effort to solve the problem.”
