A teenager schoolgirl has reportedly committed suicide by ingesting poison after being unable to pay her school fees ahead of her annual exams at Hajiganj upazila in Chandpur district.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in the village of Kondra in Barokul East union of teh upazila.
Jannatul Ferdous, 14, the daughter of Monir Hossain, a resident of Kondra, was a class 8 student at Belchong High School.
According to reports, she consumed toxic pesticide which made her critically ill. Her family rushed her to the Hajiiganj Upazila Health Complex for initial treatment. After an emergency wash, her condition worsened and she was referred to Comilla Medical College Hospital. But, she passes away on the way to Chandpur Sadar Hospital.
Sources from the local community and hospital suggest that Jannatul took the drastic step after being unable to pay the fees for her upcoming exams.
Her family, however, denied this claim when approached by the press.
Jannatul's father, Monir Hossain, mentioned that his daughter had been physically unwell and was slightly behind in her studies. He stated that he had told her to repeat the eighth grade as she hadn't paid the exam fee which made her participation in the exams uncertain. However, before he could arrange the payment, she took this tragic step.
According to reports, the secondary level annual exams are set to begin the following day (Thursday), and schools in the area have been collecting outstanding fees in order to issue exam entry cards to students.
Regarding the issue, when The Daily Observer tried to reach the school's headmaster AHM Khorshed Alam, he was unavailable for comment but Assistant Headmaster Mohammad Zakir Hossain Patwary refuted the claim that students were being prevented from taking exams due to unpaid fees. He explained that the school allows students to sit for exams even if their fees are pending.
Hajiiganj Police Station's officer-in-charge Mohammad Mohiuddin Faruq confirmed that police were investigating the case. He assured that legal action would be taken in accordance with the findings.
Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Tapas Shil also expressed concern over the suicide and assured that no student would be prevented from sitting exams due to unpaid fees.
He directed all educational institutions to ensure that fees would not be an obstacle for students' participation in exams and encouraged parents to contact him if needed.
