Switch BidyanikEtan - Dipnagor Branch
Dipnagor slum (Beside BGB Market), Gabtoli, Dhaka | Started in 2021 | Grade Preprimary to Class II | 120 Students
Contact: Muinul Faysal, Secretary, Switch Bangladesh Foundation | Mobile: +88 01622922133 | muinul.switch@gmail.com
Background: Dipnagor is a very densely populated urban slum in Dhaka with a population of over 5000. Many people living in this slum are migrants from rural areas for their livelihoods. The trend of population growth is very fast in this slum. Minimum amenities are absent here. Dwellers of this slum lack wealth, power, education, health facilities, and social connections. Their socio-economic condition is not at a level to maintain a bare minimum standard of living. By profession, male counterparts are rickshaw pullers, day laborers, transport-helpers whose average daily income is about $4. Women are primarily stay-at-home moms and take care of their household works.
Children were totally out of school before January 2021. There was no facility to attend to their primary education - no school was inside the vast slum of 1000 households or in the surrounding area before January 2021. Switch Bangladesh Foundation, a non-profitable voluntary organization and one of the implementing partners of Agami Inc. initiated ‘Switch Bidyaniketan Dipnagor’ and started providing formal education following the Govt. curriculum since January 2021.
School Management: A seven-member steering committee was assigned to monitor and supervise school activities and performance. They are also expected to ensure the effective management and functioning of the school and serve to ensure accountability to the community and donors.
Grades Offers and Facilities: A total of 120 students are enrolled in different grades at the beginning of 2021 academic year. Education is offered free-of-cost, and the school is currently serving students from preprimary to grade II. School activity starts from 10.00 am and continue till 2.00 pm on regular time from every Saturday to Thursday except Govt. holidays. Students are provided tiffin three days a week.
Teaching Staff: School authority has recruited two full-time teachers who are dedicatedly managing the teaching-learning process. In addition to that, ten students from public and private universities volunteer and engage in the teaching process and regularly attend school operations to help the regular faculty.
Funding: Agami, with the great support of an individual donor has approved an amount of $4500 for the fiscal year 2021 to support teachers’ salaries, house rent, students’ tiffin, and stationaries.
Beyond Education: Besides education for the children, a free-of-cost skill development training program on sewing has been put in place to empower the stay-at-home moms and unemployed marginalized women in the community.
Future plan: Ensure education for all the children of the Dipnagor slum, gradually increase the level of grades, improve the overall quality of education, and empower women through initiating vocational training and need-based skilled development program.
