343 pry schools shut for a day for minister's reception

All the 325 government primary schools and 18 community primary schools of the district remained closed yesterday as the district unit of Bangladesh Primary Teachers' Association organised a reception for the state minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.

The minister, Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing, MP, however, did not attend the programme.

"I decided not to attend the reception after knowing that all the primary schools of the district were kept closed for the purpose. I strongly disapprove arranging such programmes by closing so many schools," Bir Bahadur told the journalists.

Later, the programme, held at Khudra Nrigosthir Sangskritik Institute in the district town from 11:00am and 1:30pm, was run with Kwe Shwe Hla, chairman of Bandarban Hill District Council, as chief guest.

Each school had to pay Tk 1,000 for the programme, said several headmasters, seeking anonymity.

"My son told me that the school was declared closed for today [Saturday] due to the reception programme," said the father of a student of Bandarban Adarsha Government Primary School.

Teachers of those institutions attend a reception arranged for a state minister at Khudra Nrigosthir Sangskritik Institute at the district headquarters. The minister, however, denounced the programme and refrained from attending it. PHOTO: STAR

Seema Das, district unit president of Bangladesh Primary Teachers' Association, said, "The schools were kept closed upon the decision of all the teachers. This would count as a holiday taken from the quota reserved for teachers."

Signatures were taken from all the teachers present at the programme.

Contacted, District Primary Education Officer Md Shahidul Azam said, "The teachers association arranged the programme and invited me as a special guest. I gave the permission as I did not want to go against the will of so many teachers of the district."

Appreciating the state minister's decision not to attend the reception, several guardians and civil society members said the programme could have been arranged on a holiday.