Over a year after devastating floods, 284 government primary schools in six upazila of Feni district, which were damaged due to flood, still await repair work despite having an approved allocation of over Tk 12.99 crore.
With deadlines missed and procedures stalled, a staggering Tk 12.67 crore has been returned to the national coffer, leaving the authorities of 284 schools in disrepair and thousands of students in limbo.
The government had earlier allocated Tk 12,99,70,812 crore for the repair and renovation works for 314 government primary schools in six upazilas of the district.
But the authorities concerned carried out repair work on only 30 schools, spending Tk 31,73,334.
As the authorities failed to carry out the repair work in time, a total of Tk 12,67,97,478 was returned due to non-implementation of the planned repair work.
The upazila engineer expressed reluctance to carry out the repair work for not receiving any instruction from the Local Government Engineering Department.
As a result, the allocated money was returned to the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE).
According to the DPE, Feni, after receiving the allocation on April 29, the renovation activities of 284 schools did not start in time, leading to the fund return.
Besides, 30 schools that received allocations of less than Tk 1, 50,000 have completed their repair work.
Due to the allocation of more than Tk 1.50 lakh, to 284 schools, the upazila primary education officer sent a letter to the upazila engineer to take necessary measures regarding the repair work.
As no instructions were received from the Local Government Engineering Department, the upazila engineer was unwilling to move ahead with the repair work.
As a result, the allocated funds for the 284 schools were returned to the Directorate of Primary Education.
The allocated amount could not be spent as the project’s designated period expired for failure to invite a tender in time.
There are 559 government primary schools in Feni. Of these, 151 in Sadar upazila which received Tk 5,02, 26,514 while only 5 schools were repaired, at a cost of Tk 5,62,159 and Tk 4,96,64,355 was returned.
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In Dagonbhuiyan upazila, out of 102 government primary schools, 16 schools' furniture and infrastructures were damaged during the last year's floods.
A fund of Tk 76, 11, 960 was allocated for the repair work, officials said.
Due to the alleged lack of support from the upazila engineer for the implementation of the repair work, the allocated funds were returned, they said.
In Sonagazi upazila, an amount of Tk 2,83,29,941 was allocated for the repair of 102 out of 110 government primary schools.
Among those, 25 schools spent Tk 26,11,175 on repair work, while Tk 2,57,18,766 allocated for the repair of 77 schools was returned.
In Chhagalnaiya upazila, out of 78 schools, 65 schools have received Tk 3,51,66,987 for repairs, while, in Parshuram upazila, a total of Tk 29, 58, 875 has been allocated for 7 schools and in Fulgazi upazila, Tk 55, 76, 546 was allocated for nine schools that have gone unutilised.
The headmasters of the affected schools reported that due to the lack of time, this allocation could not be utilised.
As a result, the schools have not become suitable for teaching.
Many teachers have been compelled to spend their own money on urgent repair work, creating uncertainty about the reimbursement.
Upazila Executive Officer Sultana Nasrin Kanta said that the funds could not be utilised due to insufficient time for floating tenders.
“Efforts are underway to request fresh allocations next fiscal year,” she said.
District Primary Education Officer Firoz Ahmed said that if funds arrive early or project durations are extended, future repair works could be implemented effectively.
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He also clarified that allocations under Tk 1.5 lakh can be spent directly by school authorities, but larger amounts require involvement of the Upazila Engineer.
Executive Engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) Md Mahmud Al Faruque said he was unaware of any returned allocations and had not been contacted regarding them.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Fatima Sultana said “We have contacted the ministry. We hope that if we receive the funds back by August of the current financial year, the repair work on the newly affected schools will begin.”
Meanwhile, a teacher from Paschim Chilonia Government Primary School, Kishore Chakrabarty, said that teachers had already spent personal funds to make the schools functional due to post-allocation delays and now face uncertainty over reimbursement.
Last year, a total of 323 primary schools in Feni were partially damaged due to flood, involving an estimated loss of Tk 1,62,87,799.