Sajek Correspondent, CHT News
Monday, August 10, 2026
Teachers at Sajek College held classes inside the
institution’s main building for the first time on Monday, despite objections
from Forest Department officials and local military authorities.
The community-built college had previously conducted
classes in temporary facilities outside the main building. Organizers said
restrictions imposed by the Forest Department and local military authorities
had prevented students from using the classrooms.
The faculty decided to begin indoor classes at 10:00
AM on Monday, citing the difficulties faced by students and teachers in
continuing lessons in temporary facilities.
However, officials arrived at the site before classes
began.
At around 9:00 AM, a joint contingent led by Baghaihat
Army Zone Second-in-Command (2IC) Major/Lt. Col. Md. Salman arrived in the Ujo
Bazar area in two pickup trucks. The group included Zone Field Intelligence
personnel and Baghaihat Range Assistant Forest Officer Md. Rifat Hossain.
According to Sajek College Governing Body member
Babudhan Chakma, the 2IC told him that classes could not be held inside the
building without coordination with the army zone and compliance with conditions
set by the authorities.
Chakma said he rejected the conditions, arguing that the college had been funded and built by local residents and should be administered by their elected representatives.
The officer subsequently asked Chakma to discuss the
matter with the Zone Commanding Officer before leaving the area. The teachers
nevertheless proceeded with classes inside the building.
OFFICIALS VISIT DURING CLASSES
Around noon, another delegation arrived at the college
while classes were underway. The delegation included Baghaichhari Upazila
Non-Formal Education Officer Samabesh Chakma, Machalong Police Station
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Tofazzal, military intelligence personnel, Rangamati
Forest Department Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Md. Abu Salah, and
local representatives.
OC Tofazzal raised questions about the legality of
holding classes, citing a lawsuit filed by the Forest Department during the
college’s construction that remains pending in court.
He asked who had authorized the institution to begin
classes while the legal dispute remained unresolved.
ACF Abu Salah similarly argued that the college could
not legally operate without the necessary administrative clearances and
authorization from the relevant authorities.
College Principal Suman Chakma said the governing body
had previously been given assurances that the issue would be resolved.
He recalled that during Independence Day celebrations
on March 26, the deputy commander of the Baghaihat Zone had requested two
months to resolve the matter and had assured the college authorities that newly
graduated Secondary School Certificate (SSC) students would be allowed to
enroll.
“We waited for that timeline,” Suman Chakma said.
“Instead of allowing classes to begin, the college committee was summoned to
the military zone a week ago and asked to provide financial guarantees
regarding operational funding.”
He said a local ward member submitted the requested
financial assurances on Sunday, but the administrative obstacles remained.
“Our students have been forced to study in a tiny,
unsuitable storefront, and many stopped attending out of fear,” he said.
“Parents have been living with immense anxiety over their children’s future.
That is why we decided to teach the students who showed up today.”
The principal also questioned why a locally funded
educational initiative for Indigenous youth was facing obstacles despite the
government’s allocation of substantial resources to other humanitarian
programs, including support for Rohingya refugees.
DISPUTE OVER LAND AND LEGAL STATUS
Babudhan Chakma said education is a fundamental right
and criticized the Forest Department for filing a damages lawsuit reportedly
seeking Tk 50 lakh in connection with the college project.
He disputed the department’s characterization of the
site as forest land, arguing that the area is surrounded by homes and a nearby
market and is being used to provide higher education opportunities to local
youth.
“If thousands of people live in this immediate
vicinity, with a market just 20 yards away and houses all around, how does this
specific parcel suddenly become forest land?” he asked.
Local resident Jiku Chakma linked the dispute to the
community’s history of displacement following the construction of the Kaptai
Dam. He said many residents had been resettled in the area after losing their
ancestral lands.
He argued that if residents could not build homes and
educational institutions on the land where they had been resettled, authorities
should reconsider the consequences of the Kaptai Dam project and allow
displaced communities to return to their ancestral lands.
The visiting officials subsequently left the college
premises.
MILITARY CONDITIONS
The latest dispute follows a meeting held on August 6
at the Sajek Union Parishad office. According to members of the college
governing body, Baghaihat Zone Field Intelligence Officer Md. Humayun presented
three conditions:
* The 2IC of the Baghaihat Army Zone must be appointed
president of the Sajek College Governing Body.
* All existing teachers must be dismissed and replaced
through a new recruitment process.
* The college must submit a complete financial audit
detailing construction costs and sources of funding to the military zone.
College organizers said military officials had made it
clear that classes would not be permitted until the conditions were fulfilled.
The college project has faced disputes with forestry and military authorities since construction began in 2024. Organizers said legal cases were previously filed against several key figures involved in the project, including Sajek Union Parishad Chairman Athulal Chakma and UP Member Parichoy Chakma.
They also alleged that prohibition notices were placed
at the site and that security guards had faced harassment and nighttime
searches.
Despite the disputes, the governing body proceeded
with teacher recruitment and student admissions.
Monday’s classes marked the first time students were
able to receive regular instruction inside the college’s main building,
according to college authorities.
-------