In order to do something for your country and its people, you have to love and understand them. This simple fact is even more important in a developing country like Bangladesh where problems such as corruption, poverty, inequity, racial tensions and severe overcrowding lead to many people wanting a one-way ticket out. And yet, the bad sides of Bangladesh comprise only a part of the picture.

My country has a rich and ancient history, with one of the most vibrant cultures in the world. 2000 year-old boats from Jessore, Bangladesh have been found in Egypt, signifying that we traded with the ancient Egyptians. There are 42 living languages used by the many ethnic communities living in Bangladesh. Our country has the world's longest unbroken sea beach [at Cox's Bazaar] and the largest mangrove ecosystem on the planet [in the Sunderbans]. Our communities are strong and tightly-knit, and the hospitability of Bangladeshis is renowned worldwide. The list of amazing, lovable and inspiring things about Bangladesh is endless.

And yet, the average Bangladeshi school student does not know enough about their nation - history, culture, environment, society, jurisdiction, health and hygiene. There are three types of school in Bangladesh: the English medium [which follows the British GCE curriculum or the IB], Bangla medium [following the national curriculum] and Madrassa [Islamic curriculum]. The first and last systems hardly teach anything about Bangladesh, focusing instead on life in the western world for the English medium [e.g. I myself am from an English medium school where we learnt about health problems like bilharzia and typhus, and nothing at all about endemic problems like dengue fever] or Islamic teachings. The Bangla medium system has its share of problems. The national curriculum has, in the past, been manipulated by the political party in power to show themselves in a good light. Students also complain about how dull and memorization-oriented the national curriculum is.

The Bangladeshi media doesn't do enough to fill this gap in understanding. There are no websites, publications and hardly any television programs aimed at schoolchildren. Even if there were, I don't think that the job of teaching children about their nation should be left to the media. Not everyone has access to a television, newspaper or the internet. Primary education is free for all up to class 5 in Bangladesh, and up to class 10 for girls. Not only are schools the best way to teach students, but they are also the most accessible way to learn. I believe that everyone should have access to the truth about Bangladesh, and also be taught it in an engaging way.

When generations of students grow up without learning to appreciate their nation and its history, economy and society, many of them don't establish that passion necessary to do something for Bangladesh. Many of them grow up with misconceptions that lead to racial tension, prejudice and a problematic lack of awareness. Others want to leave and never return, and this is partly to blame for the vast brain drain problem in Bangladesh. My project is a long-term endeavor that hopes to improve students' knowledge of Bangladesh in the following ways:

>> Target group: students of classes 4-10 [young children are the most impressionable. If you can make an impression on them, they will want to learn more out of their own curiosity. It's a domino effect.]
+ Stage one would involve creating an engaging and interactive website in both Bangla and English for schoolchildren. The website will have lots of multimedia content alongside suggestions and support for teachers [e.g. worksheets, quizzes, etc.] so that they can intigrate the content into their lessons. While the internet is becoming more and more common even in rural areas, there are millions of Bangladeshis who do not have access to it, so the impact of the website could be limited.
+ Stage two would involve holding fun workshops for students in schools and other public areas. If I can manage support from sponsors, it would be possible to write and publish newsletters or even books which would then be delivered to schools around Bangladesh for free [or a small fee; however, the ability of poorer schools to pay or not would be taken into consideration].
+ Stage three would involve pressing for a mandatory general studies course to be implemented in primary schools in classes 4-10 in all three educational mediums. The course would cover the key issues of history, culture, environment, health and hygiene, economy, jurisdiction and society from a Bangladeshi perspective. If enough attention can be brought to the entire issue, I am certain that more groups and more people will take efforts to make education in Bangladesh relevant for schoolchildren.

This is a rather ambitious project that will be complicated by the fact that I am leaving this fall to start my freshman year of college in the USA. While I definitely plan to return to Bangladesh after completing my studies and can manage a website from the USA during my college years, I will certainly need a writing and management team in Bangladesh to maintain and strengthen local outreach.

This is my brief project plan so far. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the issue. One of the main reasons that I wanted to participate in the Sprout E-course is so that I could learn how to plan and manage the most feasible and best project after making compromises. I haven't had much experience with large-scale projects, which is why I would really appreciate criticism and ideas.