Part of an Inspirational Story
Located in Narayanganj is a school of very modest proportions that dares to dream beyond its borders and limitations. Through British Council's flagship global education programme "Connecting Classrooms", this school is thriving towards the goal of globalised classrooms while contributing both locally and globally.
I.E.T. Govt. High School, despite its outlook, is grand in the souls that occupy it – the bright students and enthusiastic teachers. An integral part of this is Rashedul Kabir Rasel, one of the 48 ambassadors of the Connecting Classrooms programme; he is a teacher and a friend to his pupils.
Part of the programme since 2009, I.E.T. Govt. High School has been nominated for the Full Time International School Award. This prestigious award has high requirements such as taking part in numerous activities.
This year alone, the school has led projects into treating a polluted river and immersed in active conversation about women empowerment as well as hosting foreign guests from their partnered school, Boston Spa School, U.K. In another bi-monthly programme, the school brings in local community leaders to inspire the students. With the British Council's Commonwealth Science Class Competition, the students are part of a global project, one of nine participating schools in Bangladesh.
By collaborating with PiXL, a large partnership network of schools in England, the school has seen a steady increase in the number of GPA 5 achieved by its students. Furthermore, being engaged with PiXL Edge, the younger students started keeping a diary of all the good deeds they accomplished day to day. This active education approach not only helps students academically, but also serves the community by creating socially aware and responsible citizens.
We believe the core problem between adjusting in a foreign country when we go abroad for studying is that we don't understand each other's cultures. By communication, we can avoid unnecessary conflicts and overcome cultural barriers," Rasel explains. Hence, the school regularly maintains communication with their partnered school through Skype sessions, updating each other about their events and programmes.
As demonstrated by the school, Connecting Classrooms aims for professional development for teachers, sustainable school partnerships between schools abroad and Bangladesh to foster peer learning, professional dialogue opportunities and online access to high quality resources. The anticipated outcomes are, therefore, impressive.
Thus far, Connecting Classrooms in Bangladesh has 564 schools engaged, involving 646 teachers/assistant teachers and approximately 25,000 students from across Bangladesh. More than 1300 schools are registered with SchoolsOnline.
50 "Smart Classrooms" and 15 "Computer Literacy Centres" have been established. These classrooms use solar power and function through power disruptions. I.E.T. Govt. High School is also a beneficiary of this and so regularly provides basic computing courses to teachers and students. This inspired a growth in the school's IT sector and, acknowledging its necessity, prompted the school to start constructing updated classrooms.
In the years 2015-2018, the target is to have 3600 teachers and 1000 school leaders in Bangladesh to support them in integrating a range of core skills into the curriculum. The project is achievable as it is possible to connect all government and non-government schools in Bangladesh, including madrasas.
Connecting Classrooms allows for a sustainable growth in the education sector. It continues to open opportunities by linking schools together and thus provides a communication path for teaching methods and sharing of both ideas and ideologies. The programme paves a way for there to be a great impact.
With a keen eye and a broken brain to mouth filter, Mahejabeen Hossain Nidhi has a habit of throwing obscure insults from classic novels at random people who may or may not have done anything to warrant them. Drop her a line at mahejabeen.nidhi@gmail.com