Most of the educational institutions in Mirzaganj of Patuakhali do not have permanent Shaheed Minar. Of the 241 educational institutions, including public and private primary and secondary schools, madrasas, colleges and kindergartens, 175 have no permanent Shaheed Minar.
As a result, students in remote areas are being deprived of the significance, history and importance of 21st February International Mother Language Day.
Lack of government funds, on the other hand, due to the negligence of the heads and managing committees of the concerned institutions, the locals complained that the Shaheed Minar was not being built in these institutions.
It was learned that although the institutions near the upazila town observe the day at the central Shaheed Minar, in many institutions in remote areas, the students have been celebrating the day by constructing temporary Shaheed Minar with banana tree, bamboo, paper and mud on their own initiative. Again, the day is not observed in any institution.
According to the Upazila Secondary and Primary Education Office, there are 210 institutions including 142 primary schools, 32 secondary schools, 29 madrasas and seven colleges in Mirzaganj upazila. There are also 31 kindergarten schools. Of these, six colleges, 102 primary schools, seven secondary schools and 30 madrasas and 31 kindergartens have no permanent Shaheed Minar.
In this regard, Upazila Education Officer (Acting) Md. Zahid Uddin said, it was not possible to build Shaheed Minar in all the institutions as there was no government allocation for Shaheed Minar.
However, many organizations are constructing Shaheed Minar on their own initiative. Shaheed Minar will be constructed in all the institutions if government fund is provided.
Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Upazila Academic Supervisor, said that all the national days including International Mother Language Day are observed with utmost importance on the initiative of Upazila administration.
To that end, most of the secondary schools have built Shaheed Minar on their own initiative. However, there is no Shaheed Minar in a madrasa.
Institutions which do not have Shaheed Minar have been urged to construct Shaheed Minar as soon as possible.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mosa Tania Ferdous said that no information has been received about this before. Subsequently, subject to the approval of the appropriate authorities, initiatives will be taken to construct Shaheed Minar from various development projects.
