Barguna, Jan 19 (V7N) — Thousands of residents living in Majherchar, a remote char area under Kakchira Union of Patharghata upazila in Barguna district, have been struggling for decades without access to any formal educational institution, leaving generations of children deprived of basic education.

Majherchar, which emerged in the middle of the Bishkhali River around 40 years ago, is now home to several thousand people. Despite its long-established population, the area still has no government or private school. As a result, every year more than a hundred children grow up without entering classrooms, while many others are forced to drop out at an early age.

Local residents said that an NGO once initiated temporary classes for children at a cyclone shelter built in the area. However, the program was eventually shut down due to a lack of government support. At present, there is no educational arrangement for children in the char.

To attend school, children must cross the river to neighboring areas, a journey that locals describe as extremely risky. The danger intensifies during the monsoon season and periods of storms and rough weather. Fearing accidents and possible loss of life, many parents are unwilling or unable to send their children across the river, effectively cutting them off from education.

Residents say the absence of schools has pushed many children into child labor or household work at a very young age, while a significant portion of the char’s children remain completely outside the education system.

Guardian Rahim said parents live in constant anxiety over their children’s safety due to the hazardous river crossings. He added that establishing a school in Majherchar would allow children to continue their studies without risking their lives.

Local social activist Irfan Ahmed Swain said that despite various national initiatives to improve education standards, remote and hard-to-reach areas like Majherchar remain neglected. He urged the authorities to take immediate steps to establish an educational institution in the area.

Ward-level Union Parishad member Sarwar Hossain said residents of Majherchar have long been living under risky conditions, and the lack of educational facilities has deprived many children of schooling every year. He noted that repeated efforts over the past eight to ten years have failed to bring any school to the area, though he continues to raise the issue with higher authorities.

Patharghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Isharat Jahan said that several thousand people reside in Majherchar and that the matter is being taken seriously. She added that after proper assessment and verification, necessary steps would be taken to establish an educational institution in the area.

For now, uncertainty continues to surround the future of Majherchar’s children, as residents wait for concrete action to ensure their right to education in one of Barguna’s most isolated riverine communities.

END/AIJ/SMA/