Roshan Ara gave a striking account in a room filled with 21 teachers and staff members, of her life as a teacher for the last five years in a DoPeace school in Mirpur, Dhaka. She captivated my attention as to how a single woman, while making sure that her daughter gets a college education, with meager resources and basic living conditions, is able to dedicate so much to the teaching and the well-being of the underprivileged children. Her certainty of purpose and the determination to make a difference will be enviable to many.
Every day when she arrives in the slum community, she is so warmly greeted by all she passes by with courteous small talks. Her five min walk from the entrance of the slum to the door of the classroom will drag on, so she arrives early. Many of the children will already be waiting for her. She quickly identifies those who are absent and visits their homes to find out why they are not at the school and brings those who are simply late or unwilling to come. Many of the parents would have already left for their manual labor, leaving the children mostly on their own resources.
She knows the story of each child and their family history, and that will be 90 students for the year, almost on a daily basis. She is an insider and a vital resource to the child, with the trust earned pretty much as an extended family. The students seek her for comfort in their daily struggle, in addition to the classroom teaching. The disabled children get the same attention. She successfully persuaded a transgender (a coaching student) to come to school, as the child was very resistant in the face of constant ridicule of his peers.
Roshan Ara is much revered and celebrated as the well wisher of the children in the community. Her status there is unrivaled and her positive impact on the community palpable.
Video: Part of Rosham Ara’s talk at the meeting with FFDA yesterday.
