Bangladesh’s first “smart school,” designed to lower and end school dropout rates, has opened in Pirpur village of Chuadanga Sadar Upazila.
The government introduced the school – a technology-based teaching institution – to prepare children for the Information Age; to make learning easier and more enjoyable.
The school’s organizers said the initiative was taken to ensure an effective teaching and learning environment is available for students—so that they can cope with future challenges as global citizens, reports UNB.
They explained that smart schools use technology as a tool for teaching in the classroom and for taking attendance.
According to the report, Tk5 lakh was spent on the school. Its activities started on November 15 after being inaugurated by district Deputy Commissioner Gopal Das.
Noting that previously, the school had been in bad shape, a guardian named Afsar Uddin said: “Its teachers were not very careful …the attendance of students was also very poor.
"Now, things have changed as the school has been renovated and the compound decorated with vibrant colours. The students are now going to the school spontaneously, cheerfully.”
Abdur Jabbar, president of smart school governing body, said: “Not only the students, but also their guardians are very happy after becoming a part of the school.”
He added the pupils have become more attentive students.
Two of the school’s students – Sumaiya and Robin – said they are very proud to be students of Bangladesh’s first smart school.
The school’s head teacher, Jannatul Ferdous, said attendance at the school has increased remarkably following its digital transformation.
She said their target is to help expose the students to digital learning and build them as human resources.
Local Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Washimul Bari, one of the school’s organizers, said four “Rongin” (colourful) schools were established in the upazila earlier.
He said: “The plan to launch a smart school came from the concept of Rongin schools—by bringing both the students and teachers into the digital attendance system.
“Alongside bringing it into the electricity network, the school has also been brought under the surveillance of closed-circuit cameras.”
He said the multimedia system and internet have been put in place in the school classrooms.