A large number of girl students are being deprived of their education facilities in Rajshahi and even under Rajshahi City Corporation areas, though government has given the girls many facilities including sub-stipend (Upobritti), free books, food for education and free education for the propagation of female education in the country. The condition of female education in rural areas of the district is further worse.
There being no employment scopes including industrial bases in the city areas of Rajshahi, the poor class of people have either to work as day labourers or as rickshaw or van pullers. Most of the low income group of people living at the city peripheries has no ability to send their children to schools by paying full admission and tuition fees.
Specially, thousands of girl students at the secondary levels are staying idle at their houses without attending their schools.
It is known, only at the Primary stage of education, the girl-students of the city areas are facilitated with free studentship and free books but the poor guardians of the secondary level girl-students have been suffering most for not being able to manage the study cost.
As a result, thousands of female students living at the city areas of Rajshahi are being deprived of secondary education opportunities.
It is learnt, the educational institutions of Rajshahi City are offering scholarships for the secondary level girl students but the amount is very meagre.
Concerned sources said, there are more than 25,000 girl students reading in 47 government primary schools,13 registered primary schools and a number of Madrashas and the KinderGarten schools.
Last year, 4,910 students were enrolled in class five in the government primary schools of which 2,359 were male students and 2,551 were female students.
It is learnt, most of the guardians of the students reading at the government primary schools of Rajshahi are from the poor classes.
Comparatively well off people of the city send their children to the kindergartens or to the government high schools which also offer primary education.
Due to tough contests and coaching based admission tests, the students of poor guardians failed to admit their children in those posh schools.
According to sources, more than 15 percent girl students of the city schools abandon their study during the primary stage while in the secondary stage most of the poor guardians failed to provide admission fees, tuition fees, examination fees for their girls. Even, they failed to purchase books for them.
The low income group guardians of the girl students of city schools have pleaded to the government to introduce free tuition and sub-stipend for the girl students.
Saiful Islam, Assistant District Education Officer in Rajshahi informed, due to various reasons, mainly due to financial crisis many poor guardians of the city failed to send their female children to the school.
He added, the government has been giving many facilities for the education of female students but still many people are reluctant to send the female children to the school. A mass consciousness is required to ensure 100 percent presence of girl students, he added.
