# Uthowaiyi Marma, the Young Teacher Who Built 4 Schools for Mro Children in the Remote Hills of Chattogram

> The word “remote” alone cannot describe the true inaccessibility of Menrat Para in Bandarban’s Alikadam. Reaching the Mro village requires a four-hour boat ride followed by an eight-hour trek through steep hills, forest…

Published: 2026-05-10 · Desk: Latest · Source: Prothom Alo

The word “remote” alone cannot fully capture the inaccessibility of Menrat Para. To reach this Mro village in Kurukpata Union of Alikadam, Bandarban, one must first travel four hours by engine boat from Alikadam Panbazar to Dochhari Bazaar. From there begins a long trek on foot.

The journey continues through hilly trails, crossing the steep “Rungrang” hill and numerous streams. After about eight hours of walking through forested mountain paths, Menrat Para can finally be reached.

On February 27 last year, Uthowaiyi Marma visited this village. He recalls, “The exhaustion of 11 hours of hard journey disappeared instantly when I saw the Mro people welcoming us at the entrance, playing the traditional bamboo flute ‘Plung’. They danced around me in rhythm, even made me join them, and embraced me warmly. That love made me forget all the hardship of the journey.”

Although Uthowaiyi himself is not from the Mro community—he belongs to the Marma ethnic group—he is always welcomed with such warmth whenever he visits Mro villages. This deep affection comes from his long-standing contribution to the Mro community, including establishing four schools and one hostel in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

His journey began in 2016 after completing higher secondary education. At that time, he was teaching at Lama Chairman Para Primary School. Alongside teaching, he used a camera gifted by his father to travel through remote hills and take photographs. During one such trip to Chongkat Karbari Para, he met Shahriar Parvez, then a university student and now a senior copywriter at a Dhaka-based creative agency. Shahriar shared his dream of educating underprivileged Mro children, and Uthowaiyi joined the initiative. Together, they started an educational program called “Paumum Tharkla,” meaning “from bud to bloom” in the Mro language. It began with just four to five students at Karbari Chongkat’s house.

Over the past decade, Paumum Tharkla has grown into a full school of about 2,500 square feet, now educating 78 children from pre-primary to grade five, including 38 residential students. The school employs four teachers and one cook. It runs on crowdfunding, local support, and private donations. Solar energy powers fans and lights, and residential students receive two meals a day along with safe drinking water. Designed by BUET architects Sayan Sur and Kaushik Kumar, the eco-friendly two-story building was constructed in 2021.

Following this initiative, Uthowaiyi established three more schools: Chennoi Non-Government Primary School in Lama Saroi Union (2021), Rengyon Para Asha-Hofnong School in Naikhongchhari Dochhari Union (2022), and Popa Badla Asha-Hofnong Anandomoyee School in Lama Sadar Union (2024). All these schools serve Mro children, many of whom are entering school for the first time. Notably, before the establishment of the Popa Badla school, there was no educational institution in that area.

Uthowaiyi has not sought funding from government agencies or NGOs for these projects. The costs of two schools were covered by a Germany-based expatriate named Syed Saqil, while the Paumum Tharkla school received solar support from the Azimur Rokeya Trust.

Born in Gaidapara of Lama upazila in Bandarban, Uthowaiyi studied at Baro Bom Government Primary School, later moved to Lama for education, and lived with various guardians during his schooling years. He completed his SSC from Lama Government High School and HSC from Matamuhuri College in 2011, later joining teaching in 2012.

He says his motivation comes from his own struggles in childhood, having left home at an early age for education. He also realized the importance of mother tongue-based education for Mro children, who face difficulties learning in Bengali.

Alongside schools and hostels, he has installed five ring wells in 11 Mro villages in Lama. At Huingnoi hostel in Chuaipra hill, 24 Mro children currently reside, where he is affectionately called “Dadavhai” (elder brother). Whenever he visits, he is welcomed again with the sound of the “Plung” flute.

That sound of love, he says, gives his life meaning and fulfillment.

Original reporting: https://www.prothomalo.com/lifestyle/fsq42yxbry?utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e224_tv2_tp1_a1demo07y8qkhw&fbclid=IwY2xjawRtJIpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFKTTJTZkZoZ1FDSE50eWo5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlvkYZr9f1gcn6POFiUvO58_9m66R2_CtUasjCzR-aRTsViXxSceAFgqRURu_aem_FU8UK37GHlMTGV6rXsW4AQ
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