An impressive initiative; School for underprivileged children in Patuakhali

It is encouraging to learn about an initiative taken by some undergraduate students of local colleges of Patuakhali to educate the out-of-school children of their area. They started Golachipa Swapno Puron Bidyaniketon, a school for underprivileged children, in March 2017 with 28 students, and within two years of its establishment, it is now providing primary education to 85 students, 47 of them girls.

While Bangladesh has made considerable progress over the past decades in primary school enrolment, still a large number of children remain out of school due to extreme poverty and other social adversities. Although the common perception is that the number of out-of-school children is declining, approximately 2.9 million children of primary school age (6-10 years), according to the UNICEF, do not regularly attend school. Amid such a situation, schools such as this one gives children a fresh chance to get primary education. The remarkable example set by these undergrads should be emulated by others in our society.

Since the school is providing its students with opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities such as singing, dancing, poetry recital, etc., alongside academic lessons, as well as providing them with snacks at the end of their lessons, children are willingly attending school. The school hours are also convenient for the students, many of whom have to work with their parents in the morning to earn a living. However, maintaining the expenses of the school has not been easy for the management with the increasing number of students attending it. Therefore, the government as well as the wealthy people of society should come forward to support the school and other such socially-driven initiatives. Small initiatives like these can go a long way in bringing about positive change in society.