01. December 2011

Christmas 2011: Providing Children with Access to Education

Our second project – building a village school for 180 girls and boys in Bangladesh – has been successfully completed this year as well as recognized as a state school.

cbs has been a partner involved in projects to promote education in Bangladesh since 2005. In the northern village of Uttar Gidari, we have been working to establish a primary school for some 180 children since 2008.

From 2005 to 2007, cbs was involved in making basic education available to 30 students from ethnic minorities. For members of these ethnic minorities, it is a real struggle to break the vicious circle of illiteracy, poverty, and marginalization.

In those three years, the children from the village of Baoitshandi learned basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Much our to delight, all of the children reached their first learning target and are now attending a state high school.

This initial success strengthened cbs’ resolve to go one step further and support the process of institutionalizing school education in the country over a four-year period.

2011 the Uttar Gidari village primary school funded by cbs has become an officially recognized state education establishment that sustainable stays under the financial and organizational responsibility of the Bangladeshi school authorities.

After four years, this is our Christmas gift; a gift to children in Bangladesh whose journey we have had the pleasure of following for some time now.

The teachers: Julhas, Jasmin and Sharmin

The Situation in Bangladesh - Elementary Education to Escape Poverty
The same number of people live in poverty in this South Asian country as in the 10 poorest African countries put together. Almost five million children between the ages of 6 and 10 do not attend school at all. These are usually the children from the poorest families and are almost all from rural regions.

The school system in Bangladesh has major shortcomings; fewer than half of schoolchildren complete basic schooling. What’s more, the quality of teaching is often poor. In times of crisis, poorer families have to eliminate all spending that is not necessary for their daily survival. If food prices go up, families are often forced to take their children out of school to save the fees.

At the same time, however, more and more koran schools are being established; a development that is not without problems. In some instances, there are strong links between school management and local groups from Islamist parties.

NETZ – Development Cooperation with Bangladesh
Netz e.V. is a non-profit organization that supports self-help projects for the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh. It aims to tackle the root causes by taking measures in the areas of food, education, health, and human rights. One project is called Schools for the Poorest and is aimed at children who would otherwise have no access to education.

Anandolok School – “The Happy People’s School”
In the village of Uttar Gidari, located on an alluvial island in the rural north of the country, a primary school for a total of 180 children has been evolved in partnership with cbs since 2008. The number of boys and girls in attendance has now reached 180, and since January 2010 there has been a fourth grade. Three teachers and an assistant provide regular lessons. In addition, 30 children attend a preschool class.

The water supply at Anandolok School - The Happy People's School

A supervisor assesses the quality of lessons and trains the teaching staff, all with the goal of helping over 90% of each year group complete school successfully. More than half of the children are girls; since parents often place less importance on their education, they are deliberately encouraged. Children from the poorest families are systematically enrolled and are exempt from school fees. As a result, not a single child has left the school since 2008. The children learn Bengali, English, mathematics, and, from the third grade, social studies and culture. Lessons take place six days a week. A politically neutral education is fundamental to the further development of democracy in Bangladesh.

Once a year, the children are examined by a team of doctors and given any medication they require. First, however, two buildings had to be erected with the three classrooms, staff room, and separate toilet facilities for boys and girls.

2009 the children had to make their way to school over red gravel. Now there is a tarmac road that passes by the school directly and links several villages. There is also a shop and bus stop for minibuses right outside the school. More and more, our school is growing into a central meeting place in the village.

No wonder, then, that the school is already affectionately known to villagers as Anandolok School “The Happy People’s School”.

2011 – Handover to the School Authorities in Bangladesh
A great deal lies in store for the year almost gone: From January 2011 there was a fifth grade and the number of students hit 180 for the first time.
Actually, children of the fourth class are being prepared for the final examination. They are also the first school leavers and oftentimes the first ones in their family with a primary school graduation. The most important aim is to have the cbs-backed project fully recognized as a state school and to hand over responsibility for its management to the school authorities in Bangladesh. Having grown fond of the children in the last few years, we hope that the project will be brought to a successful close. Keep your fingers crossed for us and the children!

For more information, please visit the Web site of the NETZ Partnership for Development and Justice at www.bangladesch.org.