Apparently one of many educational institutions in the area, Surovi stands out from the crowd because of its unique objective: to provide an education to domestic child workers.

Founded in 1979 by Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu, caters to those underprivileged children who toil in other people's homes for a living.

"My mother was particular about keeping teachers for all the servants in our house, and so from an early age the idea was ingrained in me, that everyone deserves to have some basic education," says Syeda Banu, who continues to fund many of the school's running expenses, such as the cost of uniforms and tiffin food for the students.

Now a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with 19 off-shoot schools and several other education-related projects, Surovi has provided over 15 lakh children with schooling up to class eight, till date.

While all underprivileged and working children are welcome to study there absolutely free of cost, most of the school's students are domestic child workers, and in its initial stages, Surovi took special care to encourage area residents to send their house helpers there.

"Nowadays the school has become so well known that people send their house helpers here of their own accord. In Dhanmondi especially, because of the large number of well-educated upper middle-class households, there are many employers who are enthusiastic about enrolling their domestic aids here," said Jesmin Akhter, a Project Co-ordinator at Surovi.

"When I was brought here from my village, the lady of the house where I work enrolled me in this school," said Mohammad Al-Amin, age 8, who works as a gardener at a house in Dhanmondi. His face lit up as he said, "I miss my parents who are in the village, but I am happy because I can come to school, which I could not back home."

Seema Akhter, a student of class 2, enjoys school so much that she commutes everyday from Shukrabad, where she is a kitchen assistant in a house. "My employers are very kind, they give me bus fare and time-off to come to school and do my studies," said the smiling youngster, whose favourite subject is Bangla.

The school has designed its method to match its student body. There are three sessions a day, each lasting 2-3 hours. The tiffin break is kept to a minimum so that children can finish classes in a short time and return to their work, although they have the option of remaining behind to take art and music classes. Classes, which number from playgroup to class eight, are taught according to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) standards.

According to the Bangladesh Primary Education Act, which was passed in 1990 and came into effect in 1993, schooling is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 to 10. Yet, thousands of children continue to slip through the cracks in the system, and are deprived of primary education.

Syeda Banu started Surovi with the dream of reaching out to all those neglected children. "What the school has achieved in terms of educating poor children is like a drop of water in the ocean. Everyday on the streets and in people's houses I see so many little boys and girls who cannot go to school, and my hope is that all of them will find a place in some school someday," she said.