Climate-displaced children's dreams falter as adults fear eviction

The 13-year-old girl who was seen working in the Shutkipalli, the dry-fish yard in Nazirartek, ward no. 1 of Cox’s Bazar city, on the morning of 27 October was seen in the afternoon studying in the fifth grade at school.

Her name is Maryam Akhter. The 14-year-old boy named Mohammad Babu, who was seen attending classes at noon at the same school, was later found working as a labourer in another dry-fish yard in the afternoon.

It was revealed that Maryam’s father has been in prison for five years. As a result, she works in a Shutkipalli alongside her mother from 6:00 am to earn extra income and attends school at 2:00 pm to continue her studies.

Babu’s father went missing while fishing in the sea about five years ago. To support his family, Babu finishes his morning shift at school and works in the dry-fish yard from noon.

School teacher Josna Akhter, 25, explained that many children like Maryam and Babu juggle labour and education in the Shutkipalli. When asked to stop working, the children say that if they do not work, their families will have to starve.

The lives of these children are as multifaceted as their school, named ‘Shikhon School.’ Prothom Alo conducted an investigation based on the accounts of these two student-cum-child labourers and their teacher.

It uncovered a tragic story about the devastating impact of climate change which has rendered the lives of 12,000 children and 40,000 men and women in a township uncertain. They lack homes, land, permanent addresses, stable lives, and dreams. Their only identity is that of climate refugees.

Years pass, but neither the state nor the government assumes responsibility for them. Instead, the administration exacerbates their plight. The municipal area has been expanded, and they have been classified as city dwellers. However, basic facilities such as gas, water, drainage, hospitals, and schools remain unavailable. Even the land they live on is not theirs but belongs to the government. Now, a large-scale campaign is underway to establish state-owned facilities in the area, leaving these displaced people in constant fear of eviction.

Although flats are being constructed for their rehabilitation, nearly half of the population will not be accommodated. The future shelter of the remaining half remains uncertain.

These climate refugees have been deprived of formal education for three generations. Even while living in the city, the government does not build schools in refugee camps, citing the lack of provision for constructing institutions on Khas land (government-owned fallow land).

Some ‘Shikhon Schools’ have been established under non-formal education initiatives. In each school, 30 to 60 children are admitted to the first grade and taught up to the fifth grade.

However, there is no policy outlining the future for these students after that point. The government claims that these children will be given priority admission to secondary schools in the vicinity, but no such schools exist nearby.

Furthermore, these Shikhon Schools are set to close this December, with no plans to extend their operation. This temporary and incomplete system places about 12,000 children at risk of dropping out of education, while their families face the looming threat of displacement once again.

On 29 April, 1991, around 40,000 people from Kutubdia upazila, who had lost everything in a devastating cyclone and tidal wave, sought refuge in Jhilanja Union on the coast of Cox's Bazar's Sadar Upazila.

They settled on a vast expanse of khas land in the area, which is now part of Ward no. 1 of Cox's Bazar Municipality. The Bay of Bengal lies to the northwest, Cox's Bazar Airport to the east, and the under-construction Air Force base to the south.

Neither the municipality nor the district administration has precise data on the number of people living in this climate-displaced camp, which spans approximately 4,000 acres. However, according to Aktar Kamal, a three-time elected councilor (now former) of the ward, at least 52,000 people reside there.

Over the last three decades, 19 mahalla (areas) have been established in the area. Among them is Nazirartek Mahalla, home to the country's largest Shutkipalli (dry-fish yard). Every year, approximately 3 billion taka worth of dried fish is produced in 800 small and large mahals there.

Additionally, 1.5 billion taka worth of dried fish powder is made from rotten fish and leftovers, which is distributed across the country as feed for fish fry. At least 37,000 residents of these mahals work for meager wages, including 12,000 women and more than 7,000 child labourers.

The investigation also revealed that at least 30,000 more climate refugees have settled on government land in areas such as Harbang, Kaiarbil, Dulahazara tea garden, Malumghat, Haser Dighi, the west of Khutakhali Bazar in Chakaria, and Minabazar in Teknaf's Hnila area. In these locations, at least 3,000 children remain deprived of the opportunity to receive an education.

In 2022, 310 Shikhon schools were established in various coastal and remote areas of the district under the Non-Formal Education Bureau. These schools currently provide education up to the fifth grade, with a total enrollment of 12,300 students, including 6,683 girls. In Ward no. 1 of Cox’s Bazar Municipality, there are 30 Shikhon schools, each admitting 30 students, making a total of 900 enrolled children.

Former councilor Aktar Kamal recently informed Prothom Alo that there are 12,000 children eligible for primary school admission in this ward. Of them, 900 are studying in Shikhon schools, and approximately 4,000 attend a limited number of private educational institutions and maktabs-madrasahs throughout the ward. However, the remaining 8,000 children are deprived of education.

When asked about this issue, District Primary Education Officer Shahidul Azam explained that Ward no. 1 is entirely government khas land, predominantly occupied by climate refugees and transient populations. He stated that establishing government schools on khas land is not feasible due to legal and administrative complications.

On 20, 22, and 27 October, observations revealed that Shikhon schools were bustling with children from morning until noon. Children could be seen coming to school in groups.

These schools stand out from others in the area. For years, they have provided opportunities for children to draw, tell stories, practice music and literature, and participate in sports. Students also receive clothing, books, notebooks, pens, and other supplies free of charge.

This educational initiative is managed by the non-governmental development organization Samaj Kalyan O Unnayan Shangstha (SKUS), with 25 supervisors overseeing the teaching programmes. Additionally, children are regularly provided with deworming and iron tablets free of cost.

Jayed Nur, the SKUS Cox’s Bazar Project Manager, told Prothom Alo that the salaries of more than 300 teachers and staff at Shikhon schools have been unpaid for the past 10 months. Consequently, many children who had enrolled have recently stopped attending school.

SKUS Chairman Jasmine Prema highlighted that stipends ranging from 120 to 300 taka are provided monthly to encourage children from impoverished families to attend school.

However, she expressed concern about the uncertainty surrounding these students’ progress to the sixth grade after completing fifth grade in December. She also mentioned that funding for Shikhon schools has been stalled since January. Despite this, the organisation has continued teaching, keeping the future of the children in mind.

A review of the implementation guidelines for the ‘Out of School Children Programme’ under the Non-Formal Education Bureau of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education reveals that the goals, objectives, and regulations outlined do not align with the realities of these learning institutions.

The guidelines state: “According to the Non-Formal Education Act, the specific goals of non-formal education are to create alternative education opportunities for out-of-school and dropout children, impart literacy and knowledge to the deprived population, create lifelong learning opportunities, develop livelihood skills through technical and vocational training, transform them into skilled human resources, and create self-employment qualifications.”

These lofty promises, however, remain confined to the written word. According to the guidelines, schools are supposed to operate for six months for classes one to three and 12 months for classes four and five, amounting to a total of 42 months or 3.5 years. Yet, the schools in this programme were inaugurated in January 2022 and are scheduled to close this December, making the duration only three years. Compounding the issue, the programme has been mired in a financial crisis for the past year.

In the village of North Kutubdiapara, there are over two hundred children eligible for primary school education, but no school exists to accommodate them. Among them, 30 children are studying in a Shikhon school, 22 of whom are girls.

This correspondent spoke to Joynab Akter, a 12-year-old student at the school. Joynab speaks fluent English and has a good grasp of mathematics. With a smile, she shares her dream: “I want to study to become a physician.” However, her smile fades quickly, as she is uncertain about where she will study after completing fifth grade in December.

Siblings Husne Ara, 12 and Touhidul Islam, 11, sit side by side in the same school, dressed in blue shirts. Books and notebooks lie open before them. Their father, Kefayat Ullah, works in the construction of the airport.

When asked about their ambitions, Husne Ara aspires to be a pilot, while Touhidul dreams of becoming a physician.

During storms, when their home floods with seawater, Touhidul explains matter-of-factly, "I go to my grandparents’ house in Chakaria."

These children, like 12,000 others in the region, dare to dream of better lives through education. But the harsh realities of poverty and displacement cast a shadow over their dreams.

At the Shikhon school, teacher Josna Akhter patiently helps students with their multiplication tables. She voices her deep concern: “These children will complete fifth grade by December, but there is no secondary school nearby for them to continue. The nearest schools in Cox’s Bazar city are eight kilometers away. Their parents neither have the means nor the willingness to send them that far.”

Farida Yasmin, another teacher in nearby Samiti Para, adds, “Many children here are forced to work as labourers to support their families.”

The story of Alauddin, a 65-year-old resident of North Kutubdiapara, reflects the devastating toll of recurring disasters. In the 1991 cyclone, Alauddin and his wife, Motahera Begum, lost three of their children—two daughters aged 8 and 10 and a son aged 12—to the tidal wave. Their two surviving daughters, Rukhsana and Nasima, now in their thirties, were unable to study because of the family’s struggles.

Rukhsana married at 17, but tragedy struck again when her husband went missing at sea while fishing. Now, she single-handedly raises their two children. Her son, Rashed, 17, studied up to the seventh grade but now drives a battery-powered autorickshaw to support the family. Her daughter, Tasmia, 9, is currently in the fifth grade at a local school.

Standing on the school premises, Motahera Begum recounts her family’s struggles with visible sorrow. “I couldn’t study, my daughters couldn’t study, and now my grandchildren are facing the same challenges.”

In the neighbouring areas of West Kutubdiapara, Nazirartek, and Samiti Para, more than 300 children attend 10 to 12 similar schools. These areas are rife garbage heaps, the stench of dried fish and swarms of mosquitoes, creating an unlivable environment. Many homes are flooded with seawater during storms, and there are no cyclone shelters nearby. When disaster strikes, the residents are forced to flee seven to eight kilometers to Cox’s Bazar city for safety.

Assistant Director of the Non-Formal Education Bureau, Cox's Bazar Office, Md. Mehedi Al Islam, told Prothom Alo that government directives mandate the admission of 12,000 students who will complete the fifth grade at Shikhon schools this December. It has been made compulsory to admit children aged 10–14 into nearby secondary schools. “If there are no schools in the area or parents are unwilling to send their children to distant institutions, the matter will be reported to higher authorities for alternative solutions,” he stated.

District Secondary Education Officer Md. Nasir Uddin acknowledged the challenges involved. Although Cox's Bazar city has 11 government and private high schools, he emphasised the need for separate arrangements for Shikhon school students due to limited admission capacity and logistical barriers.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT), Nizam Uddin Ahmed, echoed the commitment to admitting Shikhon school graduates into nearby schools. However, he admitted that challenges remain. “If problems arise during the admission process in January, the government will take appropriate measures,” he assured.

Every household in the climate refugee camp lives in constant fear of eviction. All the khas land in the area has been acquired for the expansion of Cox’s Bazar airport’s runway and the construction of an air force base.

In 2011, the then Awami League government registered 4,409 climate refugee families across 21 separate lists, totalling over 30,000 individuals. Subsequently, a special shelter project was initiated in the Khurushkul area, east of the airport and across the Bakkhali River, involving the construction of 137 five-story buildings. The project is being implemented by the army.

According to the district administration, two years ago, 600 families were allocated flats in 20 of these five-story buildings, free of cost. The beneficiaries are primarily beggars, fishermen, and labourers from the dry-fish industry. Now, 85 more buildings have been completed, ready to accommodate another 2,720 families.

However, former councilor Akhtar Kamal revealed that approximately 3,500 families, with a combined population of at least 20,000, remain ineligible for flats under the project.

Furthermore, the list of beneficiaries was updated in 2016, removing 1,400 families and adding an equal number of new ones. This exclusion has fostered frustration and anxiety among the 20,000–22,000 climate refugees left out of the plan.

The fear of eviction, coupled with uncertainty about their children’s education and livelihoods, has left thousands of climate refugees in a dire and precarious situation.