Students taken off classes to convey demands to mayor

They could have got a good lesson on grammar or learnt crucial strategies of maths but the students of class IX and X of City Corporation Adarsha High School of  the capital's Dhalpur yesterday learnt how seniors wrestle to get microphones and complain to the mayor about local problems.

Calling off classes, the school authority brought the students of class IX and X to nearby Dhalpur Community Centre to press their demands before Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon who heard locals' problems and promised of giving solutions at a programme.

Headmaster of the school, Iqbal Hossain, who was surrounded by the students at the community centre, later told the correspondent over the phone that “no class was called off”.

Councillor of ward 49 Badal Sardar organised the programme, “Janatar Mukhomukhi” (face to face with public), at 11:00am at the community centre.

The correspondent arrived there at 10:45am and saw students wearing white shirts and blue trousers and roaming inside the centre.

Classes are held in two shifts and the day shift begins at 12:30pm and continues till 5:00pm with a break in the middle.

“Teachers asked us to come here,” one of the students said, adding that no class of IX and X would be held.

Most of the students of the school gathered on the 2nd floor of the community centre to see the programme.

During the programme, teachers of the school wrote down their demands for nationalising the school, constructing a building and turning it into a college, in a paper, handed it to students and pushed them into the crowd to place it before the mayor.

Students attempted several times but failed as the locals were wrestling with each other to place their demands before the mayor.

At one stage, the school's headmaster, Iqbal, himself was able to point out their three demands and Khokon agreed to provide donations for the construction of the building.

The correspondent visited the school later and found the classroom of section A of class IX vacant. However, other classes were being held.

“Only the students who are in scout went to the programme. Some of their friends too may have gone there but the classes were held accordingly,” claimed Iqbal.

Khokon promised locals that Golapbagh Playground would be freed of construction materials and tools that have been kept there.