Young learners of an ill-fated public school in the district's Mehendiganj upazila have no roof over their heads for the past four years.

Established in 1943 on 72 decimals of land in Gaguria village under Sreepur union, Gaguria Government Primary School has been moving from one place to another since 1974 when its original building was washed away by the River Tetulia.  

The school now temporarily sits on an unused, dilapidated kachari house -- an extended part of a house used for meetings or office work -- owned by Hashem Sardar in Sreepur.

The school has 122 students -- boys and girls -- and four teachers.

After the destruction of the original building in 1974, the school had to be moved to its first temporary address and it was there till 2000, when the school land was swallowed by the Tetulia for a second time.   

The institution was then again moved, this time on an embankment, said Amir Hossain Gazi, a member of Sreepur union.  

Misfortune of the students continued as disaster struck again in 2012. This time the Tetulia embankment was breached and the school had to be relocated, for the third time, to its present location, which is about five kilometres from where it was first set up on the other side of the river.

The current state is so appalling that it cannot accommodate all the students, said Imran Mahabub, assistant headteacher of the school.

A suitable location for the temporary accommodation of the school has been selected, but the authorities are yet to finalise a plan for constructing the school building, Imran added.

In the meantime, classes are being held out in the open for the last four years. When it rains, classes are cancelled for the day.

“We don't have any classroom and that's why we go home when it starts raining,” said Shohag, a first grader in the school.

Despite repeated requests, the authorities have done nothing to construct a new building for the school, alleged Zakir Hossain, a local.

Mahmud Hossain, a social worker, said, “This situation is terrible and it's affecting the children's education in the area.” 

Contacted, Maniruzzaman, assistant upazila education officer of Mehendiganj, said: “We have sanctioned Tk 3 lakh so that a temporary tin-shed can be built for the school on the bank of the Tetulia.” 

Asked if the government has any plan about the school's future, Akhtaruzzaman, the upazila education officer, said he could not comment as he did not have adequate information about the status of the school.