Project Name: Innovative Wetland Education Provision Project (IWEP)
Project Introduction: Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) Education Sector has been awarded and implementing a project titled “Innovative Wetland Education Provision” Project, at the Mithamoin Upazila of Kishorganj district, Bangladesh.
The proposed project takes place in the wetlands of north-eastern Bangladesh, an area typified by rivers, lakes, ponds and canals. This low-lying land is flood prone, with annual flooding getting worse as the effects of climate change become more evident.
In the project area, children face many barriers that prevent their enrolment and retention in quality education. Firstly, children– particularly primary aged children – have a great difficulty traversing the watery landscape to get to school, particularly during the long months of flood. Secondly, the inaccessible nature of the area means that many of the schools that do exist struggle to attract and retain quality teaching staff. Thirdly, household poverty and vulnerability means that many children are often hungry or sick, or are obliged by their family to work and contribute to the household economy, or are from households who have been displaced by flooding. The consequence of these barriers combined is that children of the wetlands are less likely to enroll in school, and those that have enrolled in school are more likely to drop-out. Low levels of literacy in the project area are a consequence of this, both a cause and effect in the cycle of poverty.
The project aims to provide non-formal education to 588 out-of-school children in wetland areas over three years. The project will provide education in 14 classes, four of which will take place in floating classrooms, with the remaining ten being land-based in flood prone and inaccessible haor areas.
Each class will provide learning to 30 children, meaning that 420 out-of-school girls and boys aged 6 – 14 years will be enrolled in Year 1 of the project. Classrooms, both floating and land-based, will be attractively decorated to make a welcoming and effective learning area. Classes (three hours daily, six days weekly) will take place following DAM’s accredited multi-grade teaching and learning system (MGTL) which sets learners by ability (in one of four sets) rather than age. The MGTL approach recognizes that out-of-school children will arrive with different educational backgrounds (e.g. some will never have been to school while others will be school drop-outs).
The objective of the project is to ensure that out-of-school children aged 6 – 14 years in wetland communities of Mithamoin Upazila access sustainable quality primary education.”
Project Agreement Number: Nil
Project Goal: Ensure inclusive & equitable quality education for children in Mithamoin upazila, Kiskorganj District, Bangladesh
Overall Objective: The objective of the project is to ensure that out-of-school children aged 6-14 years in wetland communities of Mithamoin Upazila access sustainable quality primary education.”
Specific Objectives/Outcomes: Ensure that 588 out-of-school children aged 6 – 14 years in wetland communities of Mithamoin Upazilla access sustainable quality primary education
Outputs:
Output 1: Quality non-formal education provision made available in inaccessible wetland areas.
Output 2: Culture of support for ensuring that all primary-school aged children in project area access education.
Project Components: Primary Education
Major Activities:
Activities under Output 1
1.1: Conduct Baseline Survey to identify out of school children
1.2: Enroll 588 children inclusively and maintain attendance and other records
1.3: Provide education materials (Books, pen, pencil, notebook, etc) to the learners
1.4: Organize annual sports & competition of co-curricular activities
1.5: Purchase 2 boats for floating school (2 shift per CLC)
1.6: Establish 10 CLCs in Hati (high land in Haor) after identifying sites in coordination with local communities
1.7: Purchase & supply of school classroom materials for 4 boat classes & 10 CLCs in Hati
1.8: Decorate each classroom for a joyful learning environment
1.9: Repair and maintenance of boat schools & CLCs in Hati for continuous functioning
1.10: Conduct quarterly meetings with Center Management Committees
1.11: Recruit & selection of 8 staffs and 14 Teachers
1.12: Provide basic pedagogy training to the teachers
1.13: Provide subject (English, Math & Science) based training to the teachers
1.14: Provide monthly refreshers training (day-long) to teachers
1.15: Provide project implementation/supervision training to staffs
1.16: Provide training on Participatory progress Monitoring system
1.17: Conduct assessment (base and periodic) for learners’ evaluation
1.18: Organize monthly progress review meeting (Project central & Field level)
Activities under Output 2
2.1: Organize quarterly meeting with parents about their children’s progress
2.2: Develop volunteer groups for promotion of a culture of education in haor areas
2.3: Celebrate national & international days related to education
2.4: Organize awareness campaign on importance of education
2.5: Develop & print IEC & BCC and audio-visual materials for mass awareness of haor people
2.6: Organize Project inception meeting with government administration
2.7: Organize quarterly stakeholder meetings for effectiveness and sustainability
2.8: Organize quarterly meetings with Union Education Standing Committee
2.9: Documentation of project good practices and shares it with education stakeholders
Project Participants (Direct): The total direct beneficiary is 588 (Boys-264, Girls-324) for three years indirect beneficiary is 1200 (M 832 F368).
Project Duration: from March 2023 to February 2024
Financial partner (Donor): Read Foundation through DAM UK
Implementing partner (if any): Dhaka Ahsania Mission
Project Location/s and number of Field offices: Mithamoin Upazila of Kishorganj district
Project Budget: The total (DAM +UK) cost is 73,729.
Number of project staffs and volunteers: Staff-5 (M-4 F-1), Paid Volunteer (Teaching staff M-4, F-14)
Contact Person: Name & Designation: ABM Shahab Uddin, Project Coordinator (M&R), IWEP Project, Email: damjoyful.pm@gmail.com, Cell: 01824667440
