One of the strongest determinants of the state of education in Bangladesh can be found in the percentage of the annual budget allocated to education.  UNESCO recommends that 7% of a country’s overall budget be reserved for education.  Bangladesh, however, falls way below this norm, devoting less than 3% of its yearly budget to educational expenditures. 

Our goals for 2012, with the support of our volunteers, are to establish a resource centre in Sylhet, Bangladesh which will allow us to provide the following:

Library - Access to a safe, creative and structured learning environment, with free access to books and other educational resources. Afterschool program – reading time, developing the literacy skills of participants and instilling passion for reading. Teacher training workshops – led and developed by UK and USA graduates, workshops will prepare the local teachers with adequate skills to ensure their teaching and communication is effective and engaging. Teachers trained in special education needs (SEN) – on-site workshops to prepare teachers in Bangladesh for what can sometimes be a challenging task of educating youth with SEN. Through the workshops it is hoped that we can minimise social and educational exclusion of these students by raising awareness of their entitlement to education. Access to information technology resources – Only a small, elite sector of society can afford to purchase a computer. There are very few public institutions that provide internet access to the underprivileged. We hope to provide basic computer and internet training for visitors to our centre.

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