School for underprivileged children
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Belal Hossain
CHOYONICA Biddyapith, a school for the destitute and slum children in Dhaka, might develop into one of the reputed schools in the city if it is offered essential help and supervision by the affluent strata of the society.
One humanitarian AK Al-Mamun established the institution at his own house at 2/2 Purana Paltan in Dhaka in July in 1978 in a bid to enkindle the light of education among the day labours, orphans and underprivileged kids.
Despite numerous obstacles a]nd hindrances, Mamun, now suffering from eye-sighting problem, has never retreated from his frantic efforts to provide primary education to the downtrodden children.
He has been continuing his intensive endeavors to bring students and arrange their admission at Choyonika Biddyapith and managed books and other education materials free of cost. No tuition fee is charged from the students here.
Training and Technology Transfer (TTT), a Dhaka based organisation, supplies the textbooks (out of the board books) and school kits for the students. The school has earned a good reputation since its journey in 1978 by providing primary education to the poor, orphan and working children.
The school goes on two days- Sunday and Thursday in a week. It starts its academic activities from 6 am to 8 am for Arabic, 9 am to 12:10 pm for nursery, class I, class III and class V and 2 pm to 5:10 pm for nursery, class II and class IV.
Some 1058 students have so far received primary education from the institution and many of them have positioned better. Choyonika has now an enrollment of about 140 students and 11 teachers.
Anneysha, a socio-cultural and social welfare organisation, extended its helping hand to noble work of Al-Mamun. Currently, Mamun is the general secretary of Anneysha.
Mamun recently in the school's annual prize giving ceremony 2006 and school kits and textbooks distribution 2007 made an appeal to the well-to-do people of the country to come forward to assisting the school to facilitate the indigent children to take education from the institution.
Economic adviser of the finance division of finance ministry MA Sattar Bhuiyan attended the function as the chief guest. Schoolteachers Maksuda Aireen Neela, Nazma Bugum and Homayra Tamanna were present on the occasion with school committee chairman Dr ASM Enayetullah in the chair.
Choyonika's founder and headmaster Mamun regretfully said neither any development organisation nor any rich person came ahead to help the overall developments of the school, which has been undergoing a lot of problems and limitations since its establishment.
TTT has been providing the textbooks and school bags for the students and nominal honorarium for the teachers of the school since 1993.
The school has a corrugated tin-sheets roof. The rainwater often oozes through the leaked roof, which hampers the academic activities of the students.
The teachers are now serving the school voluntarily. But how long will this continue? They are to depend on other profession for their livelihood. Even then, they want to spread the light of education and contribute to the ill-fated students by providing education. But they cannot overcome their limitations.
Blessings and financial support from those, who think about the day labours, orphans and slum children, are essential to materialise the dreams of a dedicated Al-Mamun and carry out the venture of the school to impart education to the deprived children. Otherwise, the devoted working group and the students of Choyonika Biddyapith might be lost in the darkness and uncertainty in the days to come.
CHOYONICA Biddyapith, a school for the destitute and slum children in Dhaka, might develop into one of the reputed schools in the city if it is offered essential help and supervision by the affluent strata of the society.
One humanitarian AK Al-Mamun established the institution at his own house at 2/2 Purana Paltan in Dhaka in July in 1978 in a bid to enkindle the light of education among the day labours, orphans and underprivileged kids.
Despite numerous obstacles a]nd hindrances, Mamun, now suffering from eye-sighting problem, has never retreated from his frantic efforts to provide primary education to the downtrodden children.
He has been continuing his intensive endeavors to bring students and arrange their admission at Choyonika Biddyapith and managed books and other education materials free of cost. No tuition fee is charged from the students here.
Training and Technology Transfer (TTT), a Dhaka based organisation, supplies the textbooks (out of the board books) and school kits for the students. The school has earned a good reputation since its journey in 1978 by providing primary education to the poor, orphan and working children.
The school goes on two days- Sunday and Thursday in a week. It starts its academic activities from 6 am to 8 am for Arabic, 9 am to 12:10 pm for nursery, class I, class III and class V and 2 pm to 5:10 pm for nursery, class II and class IV.
Some 1058 students have so far received primary education from the institution and many of them have positioned better. Choyonika has now an enrollment of about 140 students and 11 teachers.
Anneysha, a socio-cultural and social welfare organisation, extended its helping hand to noble work of Al-Mamun. Currently, Mamun is the general secretary of Anneysha.
Mamun recently in the school's annual prize giving ceremony 2006 and school kits and textbooks distribution 2007 made an appeal to the well-to-do people of the country to come forward to assisting the school to facilitate the indigent children to take education from the institution.
Economic adviser of the finance division of finance ministry MA Sattar Bhuiyan attended the function as the chief guest. Schoolteachers Maksuda Aireen Neela, Nazma Bugum and Homayra Tamanna were present on the occasion with school committee chairman Dr ASM Enayetullah in the chair.
Choyonika's founder and headmaster Mamun regretfully said neither any development organisation nor any rich person came ahead to help the overall developments of the school, which has been undergoing a lot of problems and limitations since its establishment.
TTT has been providing the textbooks and school bags for the students and nominal honorarium for the teachers of the school since 1993.
The school has a corrugated tin-sheets roof. The rainwater often oozes through the leaked roof, which hampers the academic activities of the students.
The teachers are now serving the school voluntarily. But how long will this continue? They are to depend on other profession for their livelihood. Even then, they want to spread the light of education and contribute to the ill-fated students by providing education. But they cannot overcome their limitations.
Blessings and financial support from those, who think about the day labours, orphans and slum children, are essential to materialise the dreams of a dedicated Al-Mamun and carry out the venture of the school to impart education to the deprived children. Otherwise, the devoted working group and the students of Choyonika Biddyapith might be lost in the darkness and uncertainty in the days to come.