Our latest education policy has set a target that dictates “all students have to be enabled to complete their eighth grade education by 2018.” Almost five years have gone since we had that policy made, but the drop-out rate of girls is still 50%.
We need to reduce this high rate of drop-outs and bring our girls back to school, as all our development programs will go in vain if a a huge population is left illiterate. To educate these girls, we need the government’s support and co-operation from the community, our schools, and our families.
As an ardent supporter of girl’s education, I travelled to various remote areas of Bangladesh to see the current situation of girls’ education. Through my extensive visit to Naogaon, Bogra, Meherpur, Kulaura, and Satkhira, I had the opportunity to talk to some of the fortunate girls who came back to school. These rural girls are courageous enough to continue their education, overcoming all hardships.
Our first brave girl is Joney Aktar Bristi -- a student of class X in Kanta Kismot High School in Patnitala, Naogaon. When Joney was a little girl, her dream was to be a doctor. But unfortunately, when she was in the sixth grade, her parents told her that there was no money left for her education. She stopped going to school. But hard-working Joney did not give up on her dream.
She went to her ex-school headmaster and asked for help. Her headmaster enrolled her in his school’s bag-making training program. After a couple of months of training, Joney started to make beautiful bags with intricate designs using beads, ropes, etc. Joney was able to earn a stable income, and now she trains other girls in her school. She not only supports her education but also helps out her family.
Our second girl is Tomalika, a student of class VII in Bamoil High school in Patnitala, Naogaon. She was having trouble going to school before, since her house was about 6-7km away from her school. Every day she had to travel almost 12km back and forth, had to walk, and also take the bus or a rickshaw, since they were the only means of transportation in the rural areas.
Most of the time it is too difficult to get a rickshaw, and buses are so over-crowded that girls can hardly think of riding them, so the only mode of transportation that remains is walking.
Walking 12km everyday was difficult for Tomalika: She would be tired and her school performance was getting worse, her productivity was diminishing, she was late for her classes almost every single day, and ultimately she lost interest in school.
Another serious problem which occurred was when some boys blocked the road on her way to school and harassed her. Tomalika feared going to school alone, and chose to stay at home instead.
When Mr Abu Helal, headmaster of Bamoil High School, found Tomalika was consistently absent in school, he immediately rushed to her house. To solve her problems, Mr Helal came up with an amazing idea: He pursued and convinced her parents to buy a bicycle for her. And Tomalika’s parents did exactly that. The headmaster and other teachers taught Tomalika how to ride a bicycle.
Mr Helal went to the community and urged other parents to do the same, and the response from the community was overwhelming -- other parents bought bicycles for their daughters as well. And now, Tomalika, Sabrina, and other girls come to school riding their bicycles as a group. This noble initiative not only helped increase the attendance of girls in school, but also reduced drop-out rates.
When asked how she felt about riding a bicycle, Tomalika said: “When we walked to school, our clothes got wet due to fog and rain. And we had to sit in our classes with those wet clothes on. Some of us suffered from fever, headaches, etc. Also, some boys teased us almost every day. Then we all decided to go to school on our bikes, which helped us overcome the distance quickly.”
This example made girls from other schools interested in riding bicycles. Realising it as a safe and secure way to travel, female students of Khirsin School, Nokucha School, Sibpur High School, and other schools in Patnitala, Naogaon, are now also using bicycles.
Despite losing hope for a while, these two courageous village girls have been trying hard to continue their education and make their dreams come true. We should salute the headmasters of the schools who took the initiative in combating the drop-out rates of girls from their schools, and for bringing them back.
