Before dawn breaks over the Bay of Bengal, ten-year-old Masum wakes to the sound of waves crashing against Sonadia Island. He picks up his schoolbooks and prepares for another day at Sonadia Government Primary School, fully aware that his education has a fixed end point. Education ends at grade fiveSuch stories are common on Sonadia Island, a remote landmass of about nine square kilometres off Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar, surrounded entirely by the sea. Yet formal schooling on the island ends at grade five. Each year, an average of 25 to 30 students pass grade five, after which most are forced to drop out.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 18, 2026 04:10 UTC