Dhaka, Sept 21 (UNB)-The World Bank approved $25 million, including $4 million from Canada, to help Bangladesh provide education and support to heal the psychological wounds of Rohingya children and youth who have fled violence in Myanmar.

The second in a series to help Bangladesh deal with the crisis, the additional financing on grant terms expands an existing World Bank project to help about 350,000 Rohingya children and adolescents get basic education in learning centers. 

The existing Reaching Out of School Children Project II (ROSC II) project is also being extended for two years, which will enable the enrollment of poor children in the host communities in Cox’s Bazar. 

The project extension will help provide training to more than 17,000 local adolescents and help them with job placement.

“Bangladesh has done a great service to the world by sheltering nearly a million Rohingya people, most of whom are women and children. Many of these children were exposed to psychological trauma, torture and violence. Without learning life skills and basic education, they can become a lost generation,” said Qimiao Fan, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. 

“In addition to providing access to learning opportunities, the grant financing will support psycho-social activities to help Rohingya children recover from shocks and prevent exploitation. The grant will especially focus on girl children—who are often victims of gender-based violence—so they receive education in a safe environment.”

The financing, part of up to $480 million announced by the World Bank in June, will help establish 1,000 new learning centers and support about 500 existing learning centers in the camp areas. In addition, about 2,000 teachers and instructors will be recruited and trained in about 100 teachers’ training facilities, said a press release.

Adolescent girls in camps face risks of abuse, abduction, and early marriage. More than half of the teachers will be female, who will be trained to help the girl children and adolescents to manage safety concerns and if needed, guide them to safe locations. Further, the financing will help raise awareness among Rohingya children about their rights, gender violence, and personal safety.

“While the financing will address the immediate education needs of the Rohingya children and adolescents, it will also help strengthen the government’s service delivery system in Cox’s Bazar,” said Syed Rashed Al Zayed, World Bank Team Leader for the project. 

Through an innovative World Bank financing instrument for refugees and host communities, for every dollar contributed by Canada, five additional grant dollars will be unlocked for a total of $25 million in new financing.

Mymensingh, Sept 21 (UNB) – The train communications between Dhaka and Mymensingh resumed after 15 hours of suspension due to the derailment of a train at Fatemanagar in Trishal upazila on Friday.

Zahirul Islam, Railway Station Super, said the train communications on Dhaka-Mymensingh route was  restored around 11 am after the relief trains cleared the track.

Earlier, two bogies of a commuter train veered off the tracks around 8 pm on Thursday near the outer signal of Fatemanagar Rail Station, halting train movement.

A number of inter-district trains remained stranded due to the incident.

Later, two relief trains from Dhaka and Mymensingh went to the spot and cleared the tracks.

A four-member probe committee, headed by Railway Assistant Transport officer, was formed to probe the matter and the committee was asked to submit its report within 10 working days.

Khulna, Sept 21 (UNB) – Two people were killed when a truck crashed into a motorbike on Khulna-Satkhira road at Jilerdanga  in Dumuria upazila on Thursday night.

The deceased were identified as Wahiduzzaman, 30 and Naharul Islam, 28.

Habib Hossain, officer-in-charge of Dumuria Police Station, said the Khulna-bound truck from Satkhira hit the motorbike coming from the opposite direction around 11 pm, leaving two motorcyclists dead on the spot.

The bodies were taken to Khulna Medical College and Hospital.

Rangamati, Sept 21 (UNB) – Two activists of United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), a Chittagong Hill Tracts-based political group, were killed in a reported gunfight between two rival groups at Ramsuparipara along Betchhari-Mahalchhari bordering area in Nanierchar upazila early Friday.

The deceased were identified as Sumanta Chakma and Akorshon Chakma.

Local people said Sumanta and Akorshan were the activists of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and recently they joined the UPDF.

Abdul Latif, officer-in-charge of Maniarchar Police Station, said the gunfight took place in the midnight.

The incident took place in a remote area and police have been sent to visit the spot, said the OC.

Earlier, on May 3, Advocate Shaktiman Chakma, 55, chairman of Naniarchar upazila parishad and a leader of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (MN Larma faction), was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in the district.

Later, five people were killed and eight others injured in a gun attack on a motorcade of the followers of slain Naniarchar upazila parishad chairman Shaktiman Chakma at Betchhari in the upazila on May 4 while they were going to attend the funeral programme of Shaktiman.

Rajshahi, Sept 21 (UNB) – Three people were killed and 15 others injured when a bus hit a stationary truck on Dhaka-Rajshahi highway at Tarapukur in Puthia upazila on Thursday night.

Two of the deceased were identified as truck driver Zakir Hossain, 35, of Charghat upazila, bus helper Ripu, 25, of Gomostapur in Chapainawabganj district while the identity of another one could not be known immediately.

The accident took place around 11:30 pm when the Dhaka-bound ‘Shyamoli Paribahan’ bus rammed a sand-laden stationary truck on the road, leaving three people dead on the spot and 15 others injured, said Shakil, officer-in-charge of Puthia Police Station.

The injured were taken to Puthia upazila Health Complex. Among the injured, the condition of five victims were stated to be critical, said police.

On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to hospital morgue for autopsy.