Irregularities, a shortage of instruments and inadequate infrastructure have left the music and dance schools run by Dhaka鈥檚 city authorities in disarray.
The Dhaka South City Corporation runs 12 schools and the Dhaka North City Corporation operates five, all housed in community centres.
In Dhaka鈥檚 south, five schools have been shifted to other centres because of construction work while three others were relocated for different reasons. Teachers say that all this has disrupted classes and driven down enrolment.
Chowdhury Mostaq Hossain, a teacher at the Basabo Community Centre school, said that the centre had been used as an army camp for four鈥揻ive months, forcing the school to move to a nearby temple. The shift caused many students to drop out.
鈥極nly 40 out of 131 enrolled students attend classes regularly,鈥� said Mostaq, who has been teaching there since 2004. The school is also short of one dance teacher despite being allotted two music, two dance and two tabla instructors.
Several schools have been merged and moved, but many residents are unaware of their new locations.
The schools at Haji Golam Morshed at Bakshi Bazar and Islambagh centres have been relocated to Sat Shaheed Community Centre while those at Haji Jumman at Sutrapur and Fakir Chan at Narinda centres are now at Gendaria Community Centre. Some schools are running with four or five students.
Md Nasir Uddin, a tea seller near the Basabo centre, recalled how the school used to be lively with children between 3:00pm and 5:00pm every Monday and Wednesday.
鈥淭he school moved a few months ago. People still ask me about it, but I have no answers,鈥� he said. Nasir used to send his daughter to learn dance there.
The Basabo school is now housed in Gita Hari Sangha Deb Mandir at Tilpapara, about a 10-minute walk from its old location. Classes take place on the veranda.
With Durga Puja under way, the space has become too cramped, cluttered with materials, leaving little room for all students.
The Paltan Community Centre was vandalised and burnt on August 5, 2024, when the Awami League government fell, said Mohammad Shamsul Alam, the Zone 2 assistant social welfare officer of the south city authorities.
The school there has five teachers for 21 students. There is instrument inadequacy. And, student attendance is poor, especially at the weekend.
鈥業f the centre鈥檚 environment were improved, we could attract more students. But as the community centre is frequently rented out for events, the floors often remain dirty and decoration materials are left scattered,鈥� said a teacher at the school housed in Abdul Hamid Community Centre at Karwan Bazar.
Officials admit there is little evaluation of teacher performance. Some teachers reportedly skip classes while an absence of oversight and no publicity further hamper the schools.
Teachers complain that the south city authorities increased tuition fourfold to Tk 100 a month and admission fees two times and a half to Tk 250 under a 2024 policy.
Teacher honorariums were supposed to increase from Tk 12,000 to Tk 15,000, but the adjustment has not been implemented.
The city corporation鈥檚 chief social welfare and slum development officer, Mohammad Mobasswer Hasan, admitted on September 24 that the policy was flawed, lacking details and performance evaluation guidelines.
The policy needs review, he said, adding that the authorities have recently prepared a list of schools that lack instruments.
The city corporations launched the schools in 2004 to nurture children鈥檚 artistic talent and promote cultural vibrancy.
The north city authorities run its schools for children aged 4鈥�14 in the afternoon on Thursday and morning on Friday, offering three-year courses in music, dance, art and recitation under a 2018 policy.
The south city authorities admit children aged 6鈥�18 to four-year courses in music and dance in the afternoon on Monday and Wednesday.
