।। Z A M Khairuzzaman ।।

‘Children who learn together, learn to live together’ — this motto is becoming true in the life of the children of AB Child Development Centre in Chirirbandar upazila under Dinajpur district in Rangpur division.
Five-year-old Shuvo was the son of Md Shahinur Alam Shah, a poor farmer. His mother was a housewife. Because of slow growth of their child, both the parents remained depressed most of the time.
It was in 2014 when Shahinur came across a worker of AB Foundation, who was conducting a door-to-door survey in their locality. He narrated the hopeless situation of their child to the AB Foundation worker, who suggested him to send the child along with his mother to the AB Child Development Centre (AB-CDC), a project of AB Foundation, located at Mondolpara. At the CDC, a programme was underway for deprived children, to make learning joyful for them. Accordingly, Shahinur and his wife took Shuvo to the CDC and got himself admitted there.  AB Foundation initiated the project to promote children’s holistic development in a joyful and child-friendly environment.
At Mondolpara CDC, Shuvo attended classes regularly. Teachers taught dull children with love and care. They never rebuked them. The boy learnt many things with the help of AB Foundation-innovated educational implements. Every month, his parents discussed their child’s progress with the CDC teachers.
Earlier, Shuvo hated to go to the centre. But now, he enjoys time there. Ultimately, he performed satisfactorily. On completion of the course at the CDC, he took part in admission test at Amena-Baki Residential Model School and College at the age of six in 2014 and got admitted there. Shuvo’s grandfather is optimistic of his grandson’s success.
Like Shuvo, lots of disadvantaged children have been improved through the project. The project is now being implemented in 11 CDCs since 2011, said Dr Md Amjad Hossain, Founder and Chairman of AB-Child Development Centre. From the beginning around 600 children are being benefited under the project till now, he said.
CDC is organised to create home-based early learning opportunity for children of 3 to 5 years, Dr Amjad informed.
Establishment of CDC in Chirirbandar might have become a risky venture. A freedom fighter’s innovative mechanism of running the centre involving all concerned not only attracted the children but also captured the imagination of the people in the surroundings. The AB Child Development Centre has now become a model for the people in the nearby area. Let us see how it happened?

Since there was no CDC in the surrounding so the question of child development does not arise. People in the locality did not attach that much importance to children’s development during that period. Guardians on their part also lacked awareness. ‘Tiny tots did not require development was the concept which generally prevailed among the people during that time.
It was during such a point of time workers of AB Foundation Project started conducting door-to-door survey in the upazila. As the news spread, people from all walks of life started swarming the location wherever the AB Foundation workers were visiting.
They wanted to know about children’s development, its benefit? Discussion was also held why children’s development is so essential, its impact on ones life. Ultimately,

they were convinced that children’s development is most essential for their prosperity.
Initially, eight CDCs started in the upazila in 2012, with an aim to expose before a child preparatory stage of pre-schooling. Guardians started visiting the CDCs to have a first hand knowledge about their activities. Local people began to understand that it was indeed a good job.
One hundred twenty three learners studied in the eight CDCs. Of them, 73 learners aged five years were graduated from the CDCs.
In 2013, 66 out of 113 learners were graduated from eight CDCs. In 2014, the CDCs were extended from eight to 11 in number. Sixty-nine out of 172 learners were

graduated from the 11 CDCs. In the ongoing year of 2015, a total of 180 learners are studying at 11 CDCs. Each and every centre received notice-worthy cooperation from children’s mothers. The scene of mothers taking their children to the CDCs holding their hands also encouraged and inspired many in the locality for education.

The slogan ‘Learn with fun’ also had a stirring appeal among the people in the locality.

Education is a human right, enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention on the Rights of the Child says that all children have the right to a good primary education and should have equal access to secondary education (Article 28). The right to education is a fundamental human right. Every individual, irrespective of race, gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion or political preference, age or disability, is entitled to a free elementary education. This right is explicitly stated in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948:

Ensuring access to education is a precondition for full realisation of the right to education. Without access, it is not possible to guarantee the right to education. Apparently, quality of education is the other side of coin.

The Bangladesh Education Commission Report of the Government of Bangladesh declared in 1974 that “Considering local need in primary schools, pre-primary classes could be established with financial and managerial help of the local community.”
The AB Foundation authorities have come forward to bring a ray of hope for the deprived children’s life.

The writer is a senior sub-editor at daily sun. e-mail: khairz@yahoo.com