Childless, they're parents to many

The founder couple and some students at Bogura Adarsha Shishu Bikash KG School in Magura, where students study for free up to class-V. Photo: Star

The couple set up the school as they were not blessed with children of their own. Photo: Star

A childless couple from Bogura village accepted their barren fate and decided to help educate for free the deprived children of the village.
Secondary school teacher Nawsher Alam and his wife Mahmuda Alam run the school of over 100 students enrolled through playgroup to grade five. The school was established on 44 decimals of land in 1998 from their inherited 55 bighas.
A tin-shed bamboo structure accommodates six classes of Bogura Adarsha Shishu Bikash Kindergarten School.
Volunteers from the area teach the students for a meagre honorarium paid from the couple's own resources. “We are not able to pay good salaries to this dedicated team of teachers. They work very sincerely for an honorarium of around only Tk 1,000 per month,” said Nawsher.
Inspired by the couple's initiative, Kazi Asaduzzaman volunteered to become the headmaster of the school. Kazi used to be an assistant teacher at the Fulbari Secondary School.
“We are volunteers because we want to contribute to building the nation. The couple's sacrifice is an inspiration for us in this sphere”, said mathematics teacher Mokhtar Hossain.
Mosammat Sharifa Begum, guardian of a student, said the school had brought hope to the village. “Before the school was set up, we had to appoint private tutors for kids at the pre-primary level,” she added.
“The school has opened windows for people of low income groups in the area,” said Abu Kashem Titob, the chairman of the Hajipur union parishad.
Nawsher has fulfilled his childhood dream. As he explained, “I set up the school to make education available to and keep it within the reach of the poor.”
Mahmuda expressed great satisfaction and said, “Although God has not given us any child of our own, we are proud parents of more than a hundred children learning at our school.”