This is the story of EDS published in Prothom Alo (01.10.2011), the most popular newspaper in Bangladesh

Irfan is born in a poor family and when he was in grade seven his father died. He thought his dream of getting higher education was destroyed as he had to start working in a jute company to earn money for his family. However, thanks to Education for Deprived Students (EDS), Irfan’s dream is now about to come true. By the help of EDS he completed SSC (final exam, secondary school) and HSC (final exam, high school) and is now dreaming of getting into the university. Not only Irfan, but 400 students like him are realizing their dreams by the help of EDS. Although Hafizur Rahman lives in Norway, he established the education program, which provides free education, in Fulbary gate, Khulna, Bangladesh.

How EDS started

While studying in school Hafiz used to think about the poor children. He played with them, taught them what they should have learned in school, and started dreaming of creating an educated family free from corruption. When he was in class 9 he started realizing his dream by teaching children from poor families on the roof of his parents’ house and continued throughout his university studies. In 2005, he started working in a more organized way and established EDS. The same year he got a scholarship in Norway and went there. However, he didn’t forget his dream of helping poor children to get education, and was thinking how to do that while being in Norway. He contacted his nephew Alamin and motivated him to take care of the children. At first, Alamin wasn’t interested as he was studying in class 10, did not know how to teach and handle the children, and he was afraid about his friends’ reaction when they would see him mingle with poor children. However, Hafiz motivated him and Alamin agreed to help out. Hafiz didn’t have any house where Alamin could teach the children, so when Alamin proposed to use his own bedroom, Hafiz got very surprised and happy. Alamin placed a mat on his bedroom floor as he didn’t have any chairs or tables. The news of the uncle and nephew helping poor children slowly spread everywhere. The number of students increased day by day, so Alamin told Hafiz that he didn’t have enough space for all the children in his bedroom and it was difficult to teach so many sitting on the floor. Hafiz sent Alamin money from his scholarship and Alamin bought four benches, a blackboard, some books and papers and continued teaching and helping the deprived children. Alamin and Hafiz didn’t only teach the children school subjects, but also how to behave with each other and their parents, awareness about corruption, leadership skills, health related issues, to take care of their friends and younger children and their responsibilities as Bangladeshis in developing their country.

EDS gets more organized

In 2008, EDS got more organized and as the number of students continued to increase, it got very difficult for Hafiz to bear the costs. Hafiz wanted to use the resources properly and was thinking how to teach more children by little money. He considered the children as a resource for EDS, so he motivated the older students to teach the younger. In that way the older students would learn to be responsible, develop their skills in teaching and managing groups of children and they would also learn their own school subjects better. However, nobody could teach the EDS students in grade 9 to 12, so Hafiz started paying some university students to do this. As the number of EDS students increased, Alamin’s home was not large enough, so Hafiz bought a house for money he had saved from his scholarship. The students were transferred to this new house in 2008. Every month Hafiz spends 4000 NOK from his own salary to cover teacher cost, books and other educational expenses for the EDS students. Two friends of Hafiz also helped EDS from 2008. As the number of students was increasing Hafiz decided to include volunteer teachers from universities and colleges to teach his students. He rented some houses close to his home for the new EDS students. More and more students were coming, so he consulted the authorities of Ajax and Shonali high schools (owned by Ajax and Shonali jute mills) to borrow classrooms for teaching the EDS students. In the afternoon there are no classes in those schools, so that time EDS uses the classrooms. About 200 children in Ajax and Shonali are now getting free education from EDS.

How was the response of other people to EDS?

When people from different areas around Khulna town saw the success of EDS, they started contacting Alamin to admit their children in EDS. Even poor children living 6-8 miles (10-13 km) far from EDS came to EDS every day. Poor people who were begging, daily workers and thieves started a new life with education by the help of Hafizur Rahman. It wasn’t easy for Hafiz to motivate those people. He used entertainment, played with them, arranged picnics and behaved like a friend. Finally he managed to motivate them to go to school. EDS is still following these methods to make the children interested in going to school and stay there. EDS also has a gift ceremony to inspire the students to study. Many people have improved their lives by the help of education from EDS. This year, some EDS students sat for the HSC exam, all passed and one got GPA 5. Those students said they never thought they would be able to get education, but now they are dreaming of getting into the university. They are now taking the admission tests to the universities and EDS will help them to cover the study costs.

Teachers and volunteers

Eight teachers are paid in EDS, but about 30 students from universities and colleges volunteer to teach the EDS students. Also two associate professors, from Khulna University and Khulna Engineering University are teaching the EDS students voluntarily. The EDS children are very happy that university teachers are teaching them, as these teachers know their subjects and teach in a good way. As there are no schools in Bangladesh where university teachers teach children, the EDS children never thought this would be possible. The volunteer teacher from Khulna engineering university said: “How can I just sit and look at Hafizur Rahman’s initiative? When I heard about Hafiz’ sacrifice I couldn’t sit at home. I felt that if Hafiz can do this from Norway, why am I not doing that even though I live close to EDS? Then I decided to join EDS as a volunteer”.

EDS students and parents thoughts about EDS

A worker in a hotel in Fulbary gate, Abdur Razzak, has a daughter named Maria. When Maria was in class 3 she had to quit school due to poverty as Razzak earned too little to provide her with pencils and extra classes. One day Razzak heard that Hafiz helped poor children to get education. He contacted Alamin and admitted Maria in EDS. Maria, now studying in class 8, said: “If it wasn’t for Hafiz, I would never have been able to continue my education. Now I am dreaming of getting higher education”. The van driver Abdul Gazi’s daughter, Zannatul Akter, had to stop her education in grade 5 due to poverty. Now she is studying in class 8 and said: “Now I’m studying for free in Hafiz’ organization. I don’t need to pay anything. As I have gotten this possibility to go to school, I am now dreaming of higher education”. Norosundor Bisnupodo, mother of Gaurango Sarker, a student in class 8, informed: “My son was not a good student. He was unable to understand the books properly and wasn’t interested in going to school. As we are poor and illiterate we couldn’t afford his education. When he joined EDS he changed a lot and now he gets good grades in school. I’m grateful to EDS for my children’s education”.

What do people say about EDS?

Alamin has been with EDS from the start. He is now the coordinator of EDS and responsible for all the EDS groups (there are five groups belonging to EDS in Khulna). Alamin told: “I feel proud to help my uncle’s great work. He is an example of a good leader of a society”. AKM Azharul, the head of the Department of computer science at Khulna Engineering University told: “I visited EDS several times and was very impressed by this good initiative. That is why I’m inspiring my university students to teach voluntarily in EDS, and many of them are doing so”.

We talked with Hafizur Rahman in Norway per mobile

Hafiz told us about his dream: “I dream of a society where people help each other to achieve development for poor people in Bangladesh. I know it will be difficult to establish my dream, but at least I will try my best. EDS is my life and I want to spread it to all Bangladesh. My dream will succeed when I will see deprived children become educated and spread the light of education to the entire society. These children take an active lead in spreading the values of EDS, such as being responsible, to help others and not be corrupt”.