Transformation of an abandoned tea garden

Swapnanagar Bidyaniketan is the first-ever school in a rural locality of Chittagong district, Bangladesh. Here children come from neighboring families sustaining life below the poverty line. Before this school, there are hardly any children in this locality who ever went to school. The school was formally initiated in 2009 by a like-minded group of people and is currently run under the society registered as Swapnanagar, and from then the school has been growing in its own way.

2004

A short-life effort survived till 2006 as a non-formal school

2009

Rebirth as Swapnanagar Bidyaniketan from the legacy of the earlier initiative. The first teacher joined as fulltimer.

2011

Be it corporal punishment or psychological abuse Swapnanagar took a strong position to eliminate all kinds of fear from the school environment. The first library ‘Kazi Nazrul Pathagar’ was founded for the community.

2012

Swapnanagar introduced learner-focused teaching-learning methods and regular training for teachers to complement it.

2014

Swapnanagar got first school transport and students from distant villages started getting admitted here. Swapnanagar also introduced the ‘Jibon-gorra’ (life-making) project to support and retain high school students continue their studies.

2016

To ensure freedom and flexibility in learning spaces Swapnanagar introduced carriable furniture and enabled classes beyond boundaries. Also, Swapnanagar started organizing theatrical activities and formed a children's theatre.

2017

Swapnanagar got its first bigger-than-earlier, well-designed and lasting school building and also introduced the school nutrition program Eggucation- an everyday egg for education.

2018

Swapnanagar introduced green and renewable energy practices with solar electricity & rainwater harvesting. Rekha & Rumon passed SSC under our ‘Jibon Gorra’ project as the first-ever member of their community.

2020

Rekha Dash passed HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) as the first person from her community and entered the higher study. She got admitted to Asian University for Women with a full scholarship. Swapnanagar developed the first community museum as social studies project and unearthed many lost history and heritage of the abandoned tea community. To reach out to one of the most outlying communities in the Covid-19 restriction Swapnanagar split into many court-yard-based small tent classes.

HELP THIS JOURNEY TO GO FAR

Empower, Educate, and provide for a child in need