The floating schools of Brac reached the remote chars of Daudkandi upazila of the district and neighbouring Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj to help the poverty-stricken children get the light of education.

Golaper Char, Chengakandi, Char Charua and Kathalia in Daudkandi and Char Chashi in Gazaria are cut off from the rest of the country by a water body as those remain covered with a layer of water for 8-9 months a year.

Even, the residents of the chars have to cross a river to communicate with the mainland during the rest 4-3 months of the dry season.

Children of the areas had been deprived of education as there was no primary school there.

Stricken by abject poverty, they could not afford to cross the water by boats to attend schools on the mainland.

Under such situation, Brac came in fulfilling the dreams of the children of the chars.

The non-governmental organisation set up five floating schools on board five boats at the chars in the firs week of October to enable to underprivileged children to get the light of education.

Thirty children –- 20 girls and 10 boys–are enjoying the opportunities to receive education at each floating school free of cost.

Masuma Akhter, a teacher of the floating school at Golaper Char, said the engine-driven boats that house the floating schools pick the students from their respective houses in the morning and again drop them at their houses after the school.

To their great joy, the students engage in recreational activities, like playing ludu, singing songs and reciting poems during intervals.

Brac district manager Dipak Roy said the students will get the opportunities to complete their education up to Class V at the floating schools. “They will be provided with education materials free of cost,” he said.

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