Fate of 223 students in limbo as PenField School faces eviction

The Ministry of Housing and Public Works has taken the initiative to evict PenField School Dhaka without giving any prior notice. The school authorities allege that the ministry has already sought police assistance in evicting the school by Monday, before the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays begin.

However, 223 students of the school are scheduled to appear at “O” and “A” level examinations, starting April 25. If the school faces an eviction, then these students won’t be able to sit for the exams, school authorities added.

The school authorities further alleged that the eviction notice mentions the building's eviction but does not specify that it is a school building. They have secretly sought police assistance without informing the Ministry of Education and the Dhaka Education Board of the matter.

They also said that the school located on plot 2/6 of Lalmatia B Block has been running on a foreign curriculum for a long time. The institution is running with the approval of the Dhaka Education Board. The two-storey building’s top roof is tin-shed and has an open space in front. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works leased the land from the National Housing Authority. Apart from the school, there is no other institution in the building.

Syed Parvez Ahsan, principal of the institution, said: “The ministry took the initiative to evict the school without giving us any notice, and they planned to do it when the school will be closed for Eid holidays. This was discovered when a team visited the school for a site inspection prior to the eviction. Then we also learned that the police were informed of the matter.”

The “O” level examinations will start on April 25 and the “A” level in May. 

“If there is no school building, the examination of these 223 students will be in limbo. If the school does not release the statement of entry, then these students will not be able to sit for the exams.

“We are affiliated with the Dhaka Education Board, but the Ministry of Housing and Public Works did not inform the board or the Ministry of Education of the eviction,” he alleged.

The Dhaka Education Board's college inspector, Professor Mohammad Abul Manchur Bhuiyan, stated: "We are not aware of the eviction." If the students have problems sitting for the exams, the matter should be resolved through talks with the concerned authorities.”

Mahfuzul Haque, officer-in-charge of Mohammadpur police station, said: “We have been informed about the matter. A magistrate will be present on the designated day, as the ministry has requested assistance from the force. School authorities will show the necessary documents to the magistrate.”

Mahmudur Rahman Habib, the joint secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works (Development Division-9), was unavailable for phone comments.