Wall uniting pupils against poverty
A headmaster in Kishoreganj believes education goes beyond the classroom. She's calling on her students to have a conscience.
It was a stroke of genius for 34-year-old Tanjina Naznine Misty, headmaster of Dakhhin Maksudpur Govt Primary School.
Having participated in a teacher's training programme at National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) in Mymensingh in July, she got an idea that would help out the needy children in her school in Kishoreganj.
“I was inspired by a trainer at the 15-day training at NAPE, who shared a similar experience about such an initiative started in Magura in 2015,” said Misty, who passed her Masters with honours from the Government and Politics Department of Jahangirnagar University in 2008. She also did her LLB under National University in 2010.
“After returning from the training, I began thinking about starting something similar at my school to help out the students coming from ultra-poor families,” said the headmaster, who paints in her free time.
“I bounced the idea off my colleagues and it was greeted with enthusiasm. We began the initiative on August 7.”
They set up a shelf on a wall in a corridor of the school and named it the “Wall for Humanity”. The teachers have instructed children to bring extra clothes, bags, sports goods and stationary that they no longer use and hang it on the hooks so that the children who actually need them can help themselves to the supplies.
“Some 50 items were deposited initially and the needy children who could not afford those have taken it from the shelf.”
The senior students have been given the responsibility of maintaining supplies on the wall and they are doing a wonderful job, said Md Rahmat Ullah, an assistant teacher of the school.
“There are about 170 students in the school and around fifty percent come from poor families, and they need the support. The clothes and school supplies are a big help,” said Poresh Chandra Sutradhar, a teacher.
Arin, another teacher at the school, said some poor students used to feel shy in taking the supplies. “But we are educating them on reusing clothes and ensuring that they are not hesitant.”
This is a lesson on humanity for these children, said teachers.
The headmaster also managed uniforms for 27 students in class three, tiffin boxes and other educational resources for the poor kids with donations from her university friends, they added.
Sadia, a fifth grader, said, “We, the senior students, have been assigned to support this initiative. It is quite a humbling experience for all of us.”
The school established in 1970 is running in a tin-shed house with four rooms, including an office room. The school runs in two-shifts to accommodate all the children.
A new building that will have six rooms is currently under construction; work on the building will be completed by December to accommodate more children.
Since joining as headmaster in October last year, Misty has undertaken several steps to better the quality of education at the school, said Md Tamizuddin, president of the school managing committee.
“Twice a week, the teachers now check the children's uniforms for neatness and cleanliness. The good performers are presented with pens as gifts. She also initiated Pahela Boishakh celebrations at the school for the first time this year, which the children enjoyed a lot,” added Tamizuddin.
Praising the initiative, Md Emdadul Hoque, upazila education officer of Kishoreganj Sadar, said such a move should be replicated in other schools of the district and the country as well.
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