Dreamers of our time 3 poor students set up free school for working children

Your Right to Know
Friday, October 26, 2012

Aminul, Razzak and Nazma run this school for underprivileged working children in Patuakhali. The children get education, books and snacks absolutely free and all of it is paid for by the trio's earnings as home tutors.Photo: STARSohrab Hossain, Patuakhali

He lives in a different time and he is not a Martin Luther King. Yet he has a dream. Dream to see all kids go to school.

But having a dream is one thing and living it is quite another. And he knew it. Himself being a masters student from a poor family, he realised he could not do it alone. So he shared his dream with two of his college mates who immediately joined hands.

Together they set up a school in January last year in Patuakhali town where they teach underprivileged, working children, mostly from slums, for free. The three friends -- Aminul Islam, Abdur Razzak and Nazma Akhter -- also provide books, notebooks and pens for all the 64 students. The money comes from their income from private tuition.

Most of these children, aged between five and 14, are engaged in various kinds of work ranging from paper picking to hawking at launch and bus terminals to support their families.

In this poor neighbourhood, there are government schools within walking distance where primary education is free and education materials are also distributed for free. But the families of these children are too poor to afford even the examination fees or a decent garment for their kids. So they chose to send their children to seek a living instead.

“This struck me. And then I had this idea that if these children get a little education, they will be able to earn more," says Aminul Islam, “then I dreamt of setting up a school for these kids.”

The one-room school -- Sromojibi O Shishu Shikkhaloy -- set up at Sher-e-Bangla Town Hall building offers informal education and does not follow any specific curriculum. Classes are held in two shifts -- from 6:00am to 8:30am and from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, six days a week. To discourage dropouts, the children are given tiffin twice a week.

Since its opening, the total cost of the school stands at Tk 50,000. Of the amount, Tk 40,000 was spent on purchasing education materials and furniture and Tk 10,000 on buying tiffin for the children, said Aminul.

All the money came from the trio's income from private tuition save for Tk 2,500 which was donated by Enamul Haque, chairman of Big Energy, a local NGO. Another NGO, Friends and Society, gave a board and two tables.

“We decided to do it with our own money," says Aminul.

On hearing of the idea, Abdul Mannan, an assistant imam at a local mosque, lent a helping hand. He is a part-time teacher there and offers his service when any of his three friends is sick or cannot come to the school for any other reason.

However, an uphill task lay ahead after the school was set up. As the parents of these children are extremely poor, they are more interested in sending their kids to work. So the three friends went from house to house to convince the parents and managed to get 28 students at the start. More students started to come form the second month.

“We thought that with education these children would be able to earn more and lead a better life," said Nazma, the female teacher.

She is a graduate student at Patuakhali Govt College, where Aminul and Razzak also study.

“We should do whatever we can to build a better Bangladesh. If we do, our society will be a better place," Nazma added.

Six-year-old Ibrahim, whose father is a rickshaw puller, said, “Previously, I was working at a furniture shop to support my family. But now I am studying here and also working at the shop."

Mannan, a day labourer, said he was delighted at the idea that his child can learn something at the school in the morning and work during the day.

Asked about their future plan, Aminul said he and his two friends were now able to offer free service and spare a portion of their income as they were still students.

"I'm really worried about the future of the initiative unless someone comes forward with help," he told this correspondent.

Contacted, Patuakhali Municipal Mayor Shafiqul Islam said it was "good initiative" to the benefit of many poor children in the area.

"I have already a plan and I will see if the school can get any help from the municipality," said the mayor, also a physician.