EYE Programme Launched
Four lakh children to be given basic education in 3 years
Shafiqur Rahman was only 10 when acute poverty forced his family to move to the capital from Barisal in 2001. Shafiqur used to work in a rickshaw garage along with his father to earn living at an age he was supposed to go to school.
However, a few months later he and his colleagues learnt of an education facility run by the Society for Under-privileged Families (SUF) NGO. Motivated by a teacher, his parents enrolled him in that school.
Continuing his work in the garage, he completed grade VIII in four years, took training on sewing and embroidery and joined the production house of SUF for a monthly salary of Tk 2500.
"But, I wanted to own a factory and today I am successful. My monthly income is now Tk 35,000," said the 19-year-old Shafiqur, who now runs a 6-employee tailoring factory in the city's Rampura.
He was sharing his happiness while speaking at the launching of a three-year phase of Save the Children, Sweden-Denmark's Education and Youth Employment (EYE) programme at Cirdap auditorium in the capital yesterday.
Salma Akhter, 17, has a similar story. She used to work as a domestic worker, but after completing grade VIII with the help of SUF, she trained in electronics and is now working as a technician in an electronic company.
"I dream to be the owner of an electronic company in the future," she said.
Rights activist advocate Sultana Kamal lauded such successes and said, "Your achievements generates hope. Replicating your successes, we can go forward."
Officials of Save the Children Sweden-Denmark said their programme on child labour earlier focused on protection of child workers. However, this new phase of the programme has some added special features.
"Child labourers will be provided with basic education either in formal or informal arrangements," said Save the Children Sweden-Denmark's Programme Coordinator Sabrina Karim Murshed.
"Thus, they can be more skilled and have technical education, which is not possible if they don't have basic education", she added.
In the three-year-phase, the foreign NGO targets to provide education to over 4 lakh children across the country through its partners, Murshed informed.
According to official statistics, there are 7.4 million children engaged in child labour and nearly 1.3 million of them work in hazardous conditions.
Labour and Employment Joint Secretary Arun Kanti Aich said, "Child labourers could turn into employed citizens provided that they have basic education and some vocational training".
"The government policy on child labour elimination goes very much in line with the EYE programme", he added.
Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Svend Lundbak said, "Bangladesh has immense potential of improvement, because the people here are very resilient and have entrepreneurship quality".
Save the Children Sweden-Denmark Country Director Birgit, its Education Adviser Bo Tovby Jorgensen and Programme Director Shahida Begum also spoke among others.
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