I must talk about the determination of little children showing up for the classes every day defying the extreme temperature and humidity. I visited all the 16 DoPeace Learning Centers in Mirpir, Dhaka, in the last two days, and I am going to come out straight and say that it is not for the weak.
It is oppressive for me, and my training as a long distance runner does not pay off here. In fact, when I see the manual rickshaw pullers toiling every day, I believe they should be given a marathon finisher’s medal everyday – and that without all the drama that generally goes with it.
The attendance of our students is 95% – we record it daily – and don’t forget that the summer days are included in that. This is one indication of the seriousness of our endeavor that is ingrained from EDs to teachers to the students.
The performance of our students is amazing, as they face our quite strict evaluation standards. If you look at the setup that has allowed this to happen, it will surprise many. We have no admissions criteria. The students have to just show up at the door, and anyone can do that, including the disabled. We are teaching them and then get to the point that we are evaluating their performance!
If you think that we always talk about doom and gloom, poverty, and uneven playing field, think again. Our children work hard against all odds, but they also play hard on occasions. Oppressive heat didn’t stop them from all out dancing and enjoying at the time of my visit!
