Friendships ICT-aided schools in remote chars create landmark
Staff Reporter
The press conference for Friendships ICT-aided schools in remote chars create landmark 100 per cent pass rate in JSC exam was held in the capital recently. The event was a recognition and celebration of the fact that all students from 7 of Friendships innovative ICT-aided secondary schools not only had a 100 per cent pass rate, but also a stunning 98.2 per cent achieved A or A-.
In attendance was Chief Guest Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister of ICT Division along with Special Guest Professor Syeda Tahmina Akhter, director, Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University as well as Runa Khan, founder and executive director of Friendship and Ayesha Taasin Khan, director and head of Good Governance and Education, Friendship.
Many students in remote areas of Bangladesh cannot continue their education after PEC exam due to lack of secondary schools rising from unavailability of skilled teachers, electricity or mobile network coverage and geographical distance. Thus, Friendship started designing a model with the help of ICT in 2014 with the objective of introducing an innovate way of delivering quality education to the most hard-to-reach communities. Subsequently, in 2015 Friendship started its secondary schools as pilot project; supported by solar panels, a computer and two screens per classroom and courses recorded in the Friendship recording studio in Dhaka with the assistance of teachers selected from the best schools in the capital.
Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director of Friendship said, Today I have come on this stage with lot of excitement. Students of our school have done such remarkable performance. The island where it takes 5 to 6 hours from mainland, even if we setup a school there, who would be interest to teach them? After their primary education what will they do? Then we thought of secondary schools. But we had to make them sustainable. We though deeply about this and today I am happy to see that our model works.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister of ICT Division said, Today we are working with digital technology for education. With the help of ICT education is spread in remote areas of the country. Friendship has given a new dimension to education. I will stay for our future education this has created a new milestone.
Friendships has established its ICT-aided education system and mHealth a working model. I deeply want it from the bottom of my health that these models would spread throughout the country so that everyone can follow them. Only idea is not enough, you need capable leadership to implement it. Runa Khan has proved it today.
He also said, We have created new academy under ICT ministry. Innovation design and entrepreneur is helping everyone. We would like to support Friendships education and mHealth programs. Same time we will also establish Shekh Russel Digital Lab in 7 secondary schools of Friendship so that the difference between village and the city reduces. We would like to see that Friendships 79 schools grows to 1000.
In 2017, 100 per cent of the students of Friendship secondary schools 56 in total, passed the JSC and achived 98.2 per cent A or A- whereas the national pass rate stands at only 83 per cent for the same year. Also in PEC exam, 100 per cent students passed whereas the national pass rate stands at 95.18 per cent.
Currently 4,686 students are enrolled in Friendships 79 Primary Schools and 244 in Secondary. This year, number of students in PEC exam increased from 375 to 543 from last year out of which 260 from Gaibandha, 126 from Kurigram and 157 from Chilmari. 88.4 per cent students got A- or higher.
