Many educational institutions in the flood-hit Feni, Cumilla and Noakhali districts have yet not been able to reopen for different reasons.

Many educational institutions in these districts are still been used as flood shelters for the affected people, while some are still under water.

In some schools, the prolonged flood has damaged the furniture, books, buildings, including doors, windows and floors, connecting roads and playgrounds.

Despite the damages, many institutions have reopened with students doing classes in a difficult condition.

The overall situation would improve within this week, said officials from these districts’ primary education and education offices.

The recent flood in eastern, south-eastern and north-eastern Bangladesh heavily damaged the agricultural and fisheries sectors, roads, other infrastructure, educational institutions and homesteads in 11 districts.

The flood affected nearly 60,00,000 people and sent over 5,00,000 to shelters, many of whom are still in flood shelters.

Feni district primary education officer Nasir Uddin Ahmed told New Age that out of 559 government primary schools in the district, around 80 schools reopened as of Sunday.

‘Academic activities are yet to be restored in the schools which are in remote areas,’ he said and added that currently cleaning activities were ongoing in other schools to resume the classes by this week.

Feni education officer Md Shafiullah said on Sunday that classes resumed in around 25 per cent secondary and higher secondary level schools, colleges and madrassahs out of total 351 institutions in the district.

He added that some of the schools still provided shelter to the flood affected people.

Cumilla district primary education officer Md Shafiul Alam said that out of total 2,107 government primary schools academic activities were restored in around 70 per cent schools.

Many schools in upazilas, including Laksam, Brahmanpara, Burichang, Chauddagram, and Nangalkot, were not in shape to resume classes yet, he mentioned.

Cumilla district education officer Md Rafiqul Islam said that till Sunday 328 out of total 1,137 secondary and higher secondary level schools, colleges and madrasshas were providing shelter to the flood victims who could not return home that were still under water.

In many educational institutions, most of the furniture, books, doors, windows, floors, connecting roads and playgrounds were damaged in the district, he added.

Noakhali primary education officer Mansur Ali Chowdhury said that out of total 1,253 primary schools academic activities had resumed in 800 schools as of Sunday.

‘We could not resume classes in the rest of the schools as many areas in Begumganj, Chatkhil and Sonaimuri are still under floodwater,’ he added.

Noakhali education officer Nur Uddin Md Jahangir said that around 95 per cent secondary and higher secondary level schools, colleges and madrasshas in the district resumed classroom activities.

‘The rest of the educational institutions are still being used as shelters,’ he said, adding that the institutions where classes resumed had been heavily damaged.

They already informed the ministry about the situation, he added.

Flood-affected people are anxious about their future after losing everything, including houses, in the flood, while many of them still wait for relief.

The disaster management and relief ministry on Friday said that the flood so far killed 71 people with the highest 28 deaths recorded in Feni.

This year the students in many areas already have struggled with different natural calamities like cold, heatwaves and floods in the beginning of the year, and political unrest in the middle of the year, which has disrupted their academic life.