‘Boat Schools’ can be a solution to education in flood prone areas of Bengal
West Bengal is a state that has always been prone to floods due to the innumerable rivers and rivulets that crisscross its territories. From Paschim Bardhaman, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, Murshidabad, Nadia and Howrah, all districts are flood prone, specially during monsoon, the situation worsens when many families lose everything and they get displaced. Every year a large portion of state’s income is diverted to rescue such people and help them settle somewhere else for a few days or months. Due to the displacement many children and school students are stripped of education, the basic need of any child.
With global warming and climate change on the rise, the situation has worsened for sure. Floods have become frequent, at times, cyclones hit the coastal areas without rhyme or reason leading to large scale flooding of lowlands like Sundarbans, inundating newer terrains and displacing further people. They are all turning into what we call ‘climate refugees.’ But now West Bengal can follow a model that our neighbour, Bangladesh has adopted. They have devised a life-changing solution to this huge problem. Humans have always learnt to co-exist with nature in the best possible ways. Similarly, co-existing with floods and achieving basic education has become a reality in many flood prone areas of Bangladesh today, thanks to an innovative concept called ‘Boat Schools.’
The geographical location of Bangladesh and the climate change has led to rising sea levels, frequent destructive storms and cyclones etc. The ‘Boat Schools’ or the ‘Floating Schools’ have come as a solution. The man behind this unique idea is Mohammad Rezwan, an architect by profession. Mohammad Rezwan could empathise with the flood affected victims because he grew up in a flood prone area himself. Since his childhood, he had witnessed the struggles of residing in such areas and gone through many hardships due to floods. In the monsoon season in Bangladesh, i.e. June to October, many students lose the privilege to attend schools, as a result they used to drop out. Rezwan’s family had the privilege to ensure he could reach his school even in the monsoon season as they had a small boat. Not many had the same privilege. Rezwan was upset to see his friends and their families stay behind and it was difficult for him to accept. He thought that if the children were not able to reach schools, how would it be if the schools came to the children. Hence, he started thinking of an alternative.
At first, Rezwan could not find any investors but he did not give up. He started working as a social entrepreneur. In 1998, he established the “Shidhulai Swanirvar Sanstha”, a non-profit organization. He started his journey with a 500-dollar scholarship, some savings and an old computer. He did not have any experience of writing proper grant proposals, he read various articles and sent emails to hundreds of donor organizations. He asked them for help. The first school started taking shape in 2002.
To build the boat school Rezwan started looking for local materials at low cost, so that the investment could be kept as low as possible. He collected an old boat hull from his area and started his dream venture with these scraps. At first the locals were skeptical, but gradually they came to understand the importance of it. Boatmen, teachers and volunteers came forward to take part in building the school with a shared ideology. They collaborated in the design of the project and its implementation; they decided where the boat school will be harboured, at which points it will pick up students and the schedules.
The boat school offered the students education in subjects like Bengali, English, Mathematics and Art. Children aged 6 to 10 years now go to boat schools to study. The boat picks up the students from different places along the river. Classes begin when the boat reaches the river bank. 90 students are taught every day in three shifts. They teach the kids not only from text books but they are shown audio-visual performances as well and taught life skills.
Boatmen, teachers and volunteers came forward to take part in building the school with a shared ideology.
Boat schools currently have facilities up to the 5th standard. After that the students have to enroll in public schools. If the students show merit, then they are rewarded with solar lanterns as most of the students have to live without electricity. The boat schools also ensure the security of school going girls, as many parents worry when their kids have to travel long distances to go to school. With education at their doorstep, this innovation is being accepted with open arms.
90 students are taught every day in three shifts. They teach the kids not only from text books but they are shown audio-visual performances as well and taught life skills.
The small boats have amenities such as they have benches, blackboards and even libraries inside the boat. Big boats have laptops and computers installed inside them. Students are very interested to operate the laptops. The solar panels on the roof of such boats looks after the electricity requirement. After the classes are over, the women of the village get an opportunity to receive health care. Five separate floating medical clinics are also operated. A floating playground and a library have been added. The youths are also given lessons at night on the new ways of agriculture and farming in these changed climatic conditions.
Rezwan has shown us a new way through which education can be provided to youngsters who live in flood prone areas. Bengal can implement such an innovative idea for the betterment of the future generation who have to fight the floods for their mere survival. Can such a model come up in the Sundarbans? Biplab Das of Kishalay Foundation, an NGO that runs in Sundarbans says: “Yes Sundarbans is flood and cyclone prone belt, however the water doesn’t stay long as it can flow out into the bay easily. So rainwater logging is not a big issue here, maximum 3-4 days schools are shut during monsoon, then the children can join back. However, in areas in West Bengal where water logging is a major problem, there boat schools will be a great idea.”
