Education for Deprived Students
Subtitle
Education is not filling up a bucket, but lighting a fire
William B. Yeats
Both students and parents are important for the students' education, thus EDS works closely with both parties. EDS seeks to develop the children's educational, social and ethical skills. To achieve this we use action learning and a holistic approach where we:
- create a good learning environment
- use various motivation methods
- use vegetable garden and pisciculture in the teaching
- motivate the EDS participants and their parents to be responsible and adhere to the EDS rules
- closely follow up the EDS participants and their parents
- continuously seek feedback from the EDS participants and their parents
- involve the community at large
- develop international relatons
When Hafiz started to teach the children in Moheswarpasha he tried to understand their psycology by spending the entire day with them and letting them do the activities they preferred. If the children did anything wrong he never got angry, but educated them to improve their behaviour. By spending time with the children, listen to them and never threat or get angry at them the children developed trust in Hafiz.
Children learn better when they trust, feel respected by and do not fear the educators. We create a good learning environment where the children:
- feel safe (we do not accept physical/psycological punishment)
- feel respected by the teachers
- feel free to ask questions and discuss with the teachers
- feel the teachers are their friends and learning is FUN!
We tell the EDS students' parents to take care of and follow up their children and create a good study environment at home.
Vegetable garden and pisciculture
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Ibrahim (red t-shirt), Assistant Supervisor (grade 7) leads land preparation with his EDS students and friends. -
EDS students (grade 5-7) preparing land for vegetable production. -
Irfan, EDS Supervisor (EDS student, 1st year, Bachelor in Accounting). -
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Masum, grade 7 student, preparing land. -
Raju, EDS Supervisor (EDS student, 1st year, Bachelor in Accounting). -
Ibrahim, Assistant Supervisor and responsible for Agriculture in EDS (EDS student grade 7), working with his friends in the EDS field. -
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Grade 9 and 3 students fishing in the EDS pond -
2011: grade 8 EDS studnets prepare the pond for fish cultivation -
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Md. Reyaz, 9th grade EDS student, is very interested in education. He is sick and can’t sit for more than 20 minutes. Then he feels pain under the lower abdomen. He has faced this for one year without informing EDS. He told his parents, but they had no money to take him to the doctor. Finaly he told Hafiz (when Hafiz called him), so now EDS will send him to a doctor for treatment. Despite his sickness he goes regularly to school and volunteers in EDS. He studies in EDS, teaches EDS students grade 3 and helps cultivating fish and growing vegetables. In this way he is developing himself and other children. -
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EDS volunteers counting the fish
EDS has a small vegetable garden and pisciculture where the EDS students learn by doing. They learn to produce food in sustainable ways, to take responsibility and collaborate with others.
This practical and fun work motivates them for learning and creates social relations between them and the teachers.
The produce is divided between the EDS students and adds much needed nutrients to their diet.
Games, sports and cultural activities
EDS arranges activities such as cultural programmes, movie nights, picnic and sports (football, cricket and badminton) to motivate the children to study. EDS also uses games for educational purpose, like to divide the children in groups and make a competition where the aim is to be the fastest group to find certain countries on the world map.
Study pairs
EDS seeks to develop the students' abilities to explain, disuss and work in teams. The older students are in pairs with the younger, where the older teach the younger. The pair showing the best development of the month receives a small gift (paper or pen) so it is thus in the interest of the older student to teach properly and of the younger to study well and learn.
Study groups
In the evenings the students participate in study groups, which are held in the students' homes and led by an older student.
Honour and positive feedback
The students showing good academic or behavioural development receive a small gift (schoolbook, pen or paper) to motivate them to further develop and other students to follow their examples. EDS honours students in categories such as:
- best academic development (in EDS and at school)
- most helpful
- most cooperative
- the student whom the younger students perceive as their best teacher
- the best study pairs
- best dancer/singer/performer during the cultural program
- the best football/cricket player
EDS also honours the parents and at the gathering for the Khulna University professors, gifts were given to:
- the EDS mother who had shown the largest responsibility in taking care of her children
- the best group of mothers in the group discussions during the EDS mother meeting
Parent meeting and home visits
EDS has regular parent meetings and the field coordinator visits the children and parents homes to discuss the children's development. Most of the parents work in factories or drive rickshaws. They have nearly no time for their children and often beat them even for small mistakes. EDS motivates the parents about education and to guide their children to good behaviour instead of using phyical punishment. EDS also motivates the parents to let their daughters study and not marry them off at young ages. If the children study well they can achieve good jobs, and thereby help their entire family to an improved livelihood.
Role models
In Moheswarpasha village and its surroundings many children don't complete primary school. When the children see what Hafiz has achieved (PhD studies, to establish EDS and help family and neighbours to improved livelihood) they get inspired to do the same. Many of the EDS children's parents know Hafiz from he was a child and have seen how he has improved his life by education. Hafiz is thereby a good and reliable example for the parents on how education can enable their children to improve their livelihood.
Local examples
When discussing the benefits of education and the negative effects of marrying of girls at young ages, drug use, dishonesty etc. with the oldest EDS students and their parents, we use examples from the local area. In this way both students and parents can relate to the stories and see that similar positive or negative effects may happen to themselves. It gives them hope and empowers them when they realize that they themselves are responsible for the direction they choose and that they through educating their children and adhering to the EDS values can improve their situation.
Both EDS participants and their parents are responsible for the children's education. Most of the parents work in factories or drive van/rickshaw. They have no time for their children and often beat them if they do small mistakes. We motivate the parents about education and encourage them to guide their children to good behaviour instead of using physical punishment. If EDS is to take the responsibility of assisting their children in their education, the parents must create a good study environment for their children by:
- not beating their children
- sending their children to school
- looking after that their children study at home
- looking after that their children attend the EDS study groups and other EDS activities
The EDS students are responsible for:
- - attending school and EDS every day
- - attending the EDS study groups and other EDS activities
- - teaching the younger EDS children voluntarily
- - behaving well with the other EDS students
- - behaving well with and aiding their families and others
- - being cooperative and not selfish
- - not involve in corruption
- - taking care of the vegetable garden and pisciculture
To be allowed to join the sports and cultural activities the students have to follow the responsibilities. Those who don't follow the rules may watch the sports, but not play. This motivates them to follow the rules to be allowed to play the next time.
EDS follows up the EDS students and their parents closely to assure a good development for the children.
Weekly EDS exams and contact with schools
To monitor the EDS students' development the field coordinator arranges exams for the students every Friday. The field coordinator also maintains close contact with the EDS students' schools and collects the students' school transcripts.
Contact with EDS students' homes
The field coordinator visits the EDS students' homes and discusses the students' development with their parents. The leader of each EDS branch is responsible for monitoring that the EDS students are fine, go to school and EDS, study and behave well.
To assure good quality EDS continuously dialogue with the students to get feedback on the EDS teachers, the environment in the EDS lectures, how their parents support their studies and behave with them, that they and their fellow students attend the study groups, school and EDS and behave well. EDS also seeks feedback from the parents on their children's behavioural development.
EDS seeks to enhance the awareness among Bangladeshi and others that we can develop our community by supporting each other. Several community members volunteer in EDS:
- - two doctors give the EDS students and families as far as possible free consultation and treatment
- - students from Khulna University for Engineering and Technology provide computer classes
- - a local teacher and students of Khulna University teach in EDS
- - Transparency International gives seminars on anti-corruption.
In addition many people assist during picnic and cultural events and contribute with their ideas and knowledge to improve the EDS program.
To reduce the social gap between the rich and poor EDS occasionally invites children from richer families to join the EDS activities to create friendship across socio-economic backgrounds.
EDS seeks to collaborate with public schools in Khulna for exchange of experiences and shared learning. We have invited teachers from public schools to see how we work in EDS and to discuss teaching methods and wish to have a close collaboration in the future.