Ensuring equitable access to high-quality primary education for children from marginalized and backward communities, including those in remote pastoral areas, is vital for achieving SDG-4.
Addressing this concern, the Japan-based organization Shapla Neer Bangladesh organized a national-level debate at AS Mahmud Seminar Hall of the Daily Star Centre in the capital on Tuesday.
The event, titled "Ensuring Equitable Primary Education Opportunities for Marginalized Children" brought together stakeholders from the Bangladesh Government, academicians, researchers, donors, INGOs, NGOs, civil society, and media.
The gathering aimed to share insights and discuss a project named ODHIKAR, which focuses on advocating for fair primary education for children from marginalized communities, specifically targeting the marginalized ethnic community and the remote char area of Dinajpur and Narsingdi.
During the event, community-level stakeholders from Narsingdi and Dinajpur presented various issues related to primary education in marginalized areas.
These issues included the shortage of teachers in government primary schools in the char area, the unfulfilled right to education in the mother tongue for children of marginalized communities, and the lack of teachers from their own communities.
The presentations highlighted statistics indicating that, despite having books in their mother tongue, around 400 students in 18 government primary schools in Dinajpur Sadar upazila do not have the opportunity to learn in their mother tongue due to the absence of indigenous teachers.
Community stakeholders from Raipur, Narsingdhi, and Dinajpur shared their challenges and current situations during the event.
Shahanaz Begum from Dinajpur Char area expressed gratitude for the support they received in education, especially after the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Rasheda Rawnak Khan, a teacher and researcher in Anthropology at Dhaka University, commended the ODHIKAR project as a valuable initiative.
She emphasized the need for vulnerable communities to come forward and discuss their issues, with collective efforts to address and solve these challenges.
The ODHIKAR Project, focusing on the education rights of children from marginalized ethnic groups, is currently underway in Dinajpur Sadar upazila and the isolated Chanpur Char area of Raipura, Narsingdi.
Shapla Neer is implementing the project with support from Papri and the subsidiary Gram Bikash Kendra.
Key speakers in the event included Said Ahmed (CEO, IID), Dr Rasheda Rawnak Khan (teacher and researcher, Anthropology, DU), Sohag Hossain (assistant district primary education officer, Narayanganj), Md Momen Sarkar (chairman, Union Parishad, Chanpur, Raipura, Narsingdi), Md Ataur Rahman (chairman, Union Parishad, Shankarpur, Dinajpur), Moazzem Hossain (chief executive, Gram Bikash Kendra, Dinajpur), and Abu Based (executive director, Papri, Narsingdi).
They discussed the importance of understanding the project's reality, the need for amendments, and the clear goals set for achieving equitable education for vulnerable children.