Chitalmari School Forced to Hold Classes Outdoors Amid Severe Shortage

Sabokhali Secondary School, located in Chitalmari, Bangladesh, is currently facing an acute shortage of classrooms that has forced teachers and students to conduct lessons outdoors. Established in 1967, the educational institution now accommodates approximately 250 students, with 224 of them regularly attending classes on a daily basis. Despite this steady and substantial student body, the physical infrastructure of the school has failed to expand proportionately to meet the growing daily demand for adequate learning spaces.

The administrative challenges at the school intensified following the implementation of strict new regulations under the directives of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer. These reinforced measures include banning students from bringing mobile phones or motorcycles to campus, while also requiring them to bring their own tiffin from home. While these rigorous new disciplinary and lifestyle rules have successfully increased students' focus and overall attention on their studies, the rising participation has exposed a critical vulnerability in the school's physical capacity to house them properly.

Because of the severe shortage of available rooms, school authorities have been left with no alternative but to conduct several classes out in the open air beneath a banyan tree. Teachers and students alike are enduring significant hardships as a result of this makeshift arrangement, though staff note that they have no other viable options available under the current circumstances. The outdoor setup disrupts normal teaching routines and underscores an urgent, unmet need for proper educational infrastructure on the school grounds.

Md. Abdus Shakur addressed the difficult situation, stating that many classes must be held under the open sky beneath the banyan tree due to the lack of classrooms. He noted that this causes considerable suffering for both teachers and students, but emphasized that with no alternative arrangements in place, they have no other choice and that a new building is desperately needed for the school.

Echoing these concerns, Limon Biswas Yunus highlighted the historical context and the pressing need for expansion. He pointed out that the institution, founded in 1967, currently has about 250 students but lacks sufficient space to teach them, prompting an urgent demand for the construction of a new four-story building. Furthermore, Yunus criticized the allocation disparity, pointing out that while some secondary schools with low student enrollment have already received four-story buildings, Sabokhali Secondary School lacks necessary classrooms despite its large student body, prompting an appeal to relevant authorities for swift action.