Skipping school due to lack of a bridge

Last year's flood in Kurigram washed away most parts of a wooden bridge on a canal in Kurigram's Phulbari upazila, forcing more than 100 children of two villages to skip classes for days. The bridge, located beside a sluice gate at Borobhita union’s Dhaniram village, connected the villages to Phulbari. It is yet to be repaired. Many students, living in East Dhaniram Char and Baghkhaoar Char, study at Purbo Dhaniram Government Primary School, Borobhita High School, Borobhita Girls High School and Shahbazar Madrasa. Several students told the Dhaka Tribune that they would be forced to skip classes this year too if the bridge is not repaired before the rainy season. Long absence from schools had hampered their studies last year. Purbo Dhaniram Government Primary School Headmaster Mahfuzar Rahman Liton said the char road usually submerges during the rainy season. Besides, there are no boats in the area, forcing some of the students to cross the canal using banana tree as raft. Bobobhita Union Parishad Chairman Md Khoybor Ali Mia said they would repair the temporary wooden bridge within a day or two. “We have also approached higher authorities to construct a concrete bridge on the canal,” he said. “We will move forward with it as soon as we get the approval.”