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Most of the primary schools in Tangail have been lying in a sorry state for long hampering academic activities of thousands of children.
   The educational institutions are mostly running with dilapidated infrastructures and inadequate number of teachers.
   According to the district primary education office sources, a total of 3, 99,925 children between six and ten years of age are now receiving education at 1,348 primary schools in all the twelve upazilas of the district. Of them, 937 are state-run primary schools while the rest 411are registered primary schools.
   Of the total, 937 are housed in concrete buildings and the rest are either thatched or tin shed houses, said the sources.
   Guardians said most of the non-government primary schools lack adequate number of teachers and sufficient seating arrangements including benches, tables and chairs.
   The students of Kochu Government Primary School take lessons from the teachers sitting on the floor.
   Headmaster of the school Nizamuddin said teachers give lessons to the students in the classrooms standing on their feet.
   ‘During monsoon, woes of the students as well as teachers know no bounds’, he said adding that rainwater trickles down the roofs of the school walls drenching the students and teachers.
   ‘We run for shelter in the neighbouring area when storm lashes’, said a student, Rashed Khan of Amarpur Government Primary School under Baghil union of sadar upazila.
   Assaduzzan, headmaster of Pushla Government Primary School at Kalihaqti upazila, said during winter, they are battered by chilly wind and cold.
   Again, there is no drinking water facility on the school premises. Thirsty students go to the neighbouring houses to drink water from tube well, he added.
   Many guardians alleged that teachers did not attend classes regularly. They often remain busy with their personal work outside shirking their responsibility.
   Their activities are hardly monitored by the education officers concerned, it is alleged.
   When contacted, the district primary education officer, Sheikh Ali Afzal, informed New Age that 4,652 teachers out 5,185 were discharging duty in the schools while 553 posts of teachers are lying vacant.
   Even posts of two upazila primary education officers and seven assistant primary education officers are also lying vacant hampering primary education in the district.
   ‘We have sent a letter to the higher authorities informing them about the vacant posts of primary teachers in the district’, he added.

With the summer in its full, the picnic spot, Niribili, situated at village Rampur in Lohagora upazila of Narail, is drawing a large number of visitors, especially school and college students, everyday.
   Set up by engineer Mofizur Rahman on a 15- acre land some 12 years ago at an estimated cost of Tk 50 lakh, the picnic spot draws nearly four to five thousand visitors to its picturesque surroundings everyday during winter and summer.
   The holidaymakers mostly from ten districts of Khulna division and greater Faridpur include students and members of different professional groups. The entry fee per head is Tk 10 only.
   Chirping of different species of birds, zoo with tiger, crocodiles, deer, horses, peacocks, monkeys, snakes, rabbits and museum, noted artist SM Sultan’s art gallery, book stalls, mini cinema and cottage industry stalls in the spot add to pleasures of the visitors.
   Lake with pleasure boats and a bamboo bridge, artificial fountains and a garden inside the spot are an added attraction.
   The garden has a large number of fruit bearing trees and flower plants.
   Encouraged by the rush of visitors, Mofizur Rahman, a resident of Laxmipasha under Lohagora municipality area, has built another picnic spot cum children’s park on a 10-acre land at a place only half a kilometre away from Niribili. Mini rail, horse rides and other games attract the visiting children most.

A group of assailants injured two persons and set fire to a house during an attack allegedly over a longstanding rivalry at village Kayed Para in Charkalekha union under Muladi
   upazila of Barisal early Thursday.
   During the incident, the attackers also exploded bombs and threw combustible substance targeting the house inmates.
   Dulal Molla said a group of armed assailants numbering 8 to 10 swooped on their house at about 1:00 am on Thursday.
   They searched for Dulal. But failing to find him out they started beating his father Matiur Rahman Molla, 60, and other members of the family.
   As Shahnaj Begum, 40, wife of Dulal, tried to resist, the culprits threw
   combustible substance on her and set fire to their house.
   Hearing schemes, villagers came to their
   rescue and extinguished the fire.
   The attackers managed to flee the scene blasting bombs. Dulal Molla accused his cousins Shahjahan Molla and Shahe Alam Molla and their associates for the attack.
   Matiur and Shahnaj were admitted to Muladi Upazila Health Complex.
   The police recovered a live bomb form the spot.
   Shahjahan Molla said Dulal, his brother-in-law Ruhul Amin and their other family members were accused in two cases filed by them.
   As trial of the cases reached a final stage, Dulal Molla staged the incident in a bid to influence their verdict.
   Sukumar Roy, officer-in-charge of Muladi police station, said, ‘Both the groups have a long-running dispute and are accused in different cases and counter cases. So nothing could be said clearly before investiga-tion.’

The law enforcers seized 3,300 bottles of Phensidyl syrup (codeine) in separate drives in Comilla and Jaipurhat on Tuesday and Thursday.
   In Comilla, members of Bangladesh Rifles seized 2,500 bottles of Phensidyl at village Salukia in Chauddagram upazila.
   Acting on a tip off, BDR jawans raided the area and seized the contrabands.
   But no one was arrested in this connection as smugglers fled the scene sensing presence of the law enforcers.
   The BDR jawans handed over the seized goods to
   the Chuadanga police station.
   Later, the police suspect that the criminals smuggled the goods from India and hoarded those to carry to the capital.
   In Jaipurhat, the Rapid Action Battalion in Jaipurhat seized 800 bottles of Phensidyl (codeine) syrup at Ratanpur of Panchbibi on Thursday.
   The battalion said, acting on a tip-off, they had searched a truck at Ratanpur and seized the drugs. No one was arrested in this connection. A case was filed.