Chocolate School!
Mithun Rezaul Hannan
In the beginning of 2007, Mobarak Hossain Hridoy, a 27-year-old young man, established a school beside his home in Kandigram village of Kuliarchar upazila of Kishoreganj district, named Fulkuri School for the children of poor people.
Mobarak Hossain Hridoy was a student of Kuliarchar Pilot High School. But he could not attend his SSC examination in 2006 due to serious illness. After that, financial crisis and illness stopped his study life totally. Hridoy went to Dhaka for seeking a job to manage his educational cost. He started work in a sandal factory.
During his working life in Dhaka, he witnessed a lot of children in the streets, leading the life without fundamental needs. Child labourers in footpaths, hotels and factories made him sorrowful. Seeing these, he came back from Dhaka after four months, having a dream to do something for such children.
He started to teach the children of rich family. After gathering some money he plans to do something for poor children. He collected books, slates, chalk pencil, duster, blackboard, etc. and started a school for poor children. Firstly, the unaware guardians were not wiling to give their children in his school. Thus he cannot manage more than 10 students in that time. To create inspiration he started to distribute chocolate among the students. After that the villagers started calling him chocolate master. He continues schooling five days per week, without any roof! In that case he has to choose the place under trees. During rainy season he faced difficulties, but used to manage any house of neighbours.
After informing this, people of nearby areas got curiosity in it and a lot people visited Fulkuri School of Mobarak Hossain Hridoy. Some of them have tried to extend their helping hand to mitigate financial crisis, or to make a permanent house for the school.
Few months ago, a service holder named Wahidul Alam Limon gave 82,000 taka and local upazela administration provides 65,000 taka for Fulkuri School. Using this money Hridoy built a school house in his own land. Now the school is continuing in new house. At least 70 children are studying here. Children continue their study in Fulkuri School a year. After that they admitted in the local primary school. Mobarak Hossain Hridoy tries to ensure education for all poor children. He ensured primary education for more than hundred students in the last eight years.
Hridoy shows his determination, I will continue this school till death. If I can get some help, it will be very useful for success of my dream. Md. Mujibul Haque, headmaster of the local primary school, said that the students of Fulkuri School get admitted in my school with having basic knowledge about Bangla, English and Math. For this reason they feel relaxed and enjoy the time in school. Because of this, the rate of drop-out students is decreasing everyday.
Hridoy also formed a library named Fulkuri Shahityo Kendro Pathagar where everyone can read a lot of books. There are a huge collection of books in this library. He makes cordial appeal to all book lovers to help in making the library more interesting and richer.
