The journey of Hashimukh Somaj Kallayan Songstha(HSKS) began on the street of Paribagh. A group of philanthropic minds took this altruistic initiative to impart education to underprivileged children who idly spent time on the street. These children were no less in intelligence, aptitude & capacity. The volunteers thus collectively resolved to give these children their basic rights in whatever capacity they could so that the children could become self-dependent and have access to a brighter future. Initially, onlookers deemed it as a very ambitious plan for a group of young people who had no tangible resources but what they failed to fathom was that the real asset of the volunteers was knowledge & education. The volunteers realized that by educating one child they are making a positive impact on his/her whole family.
The establishment of the Hashimukh school was the culmination of years of unwavering commitment and diligent effort. HSKS has been operating a free school since 2014. They meticulously crafted a curriculum that seamlessly integrated elements of the government syllabus with their own, designed to create a more engaging and stimulating educational experience. HSKS provides comprehensive care to help them grow as complete human beings. They not only receive the necessary education to attend board exams and further qualifications but also develop qualities of compassion, kindness, and moral development.
Hashimukh operates a free school five days a week, from Sunday to Thursday, from 1 pm to 8 p.m. at (101, Central Road, Dhanmondi), where students are divided into two shifts. Students ranging from nersery to Class XII are receiving education free of cost. The journey started with only 15 children, but now there are over 371 children and adolescents enrolled in the school, receiving proper education. Hashimukh has started its second branch at (317, Bir Uttam Road, Aman Tower, Nasirullah Bari, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh) where 50 more underprivileged students are getting the same facilities, and now the total number of students is 400+. To date,400 students completed secondary education while 1600 finished primary education with the assistance of Hashimukh. The vast majority of the students live in the slums of Banglamotor, Hatirpool, Paribagh, and Bhooter Goli.
To become eligible for registering for board exams, i.e., PSC, JSC, SSC, and HSC equivalent the students of Hashimukh also enrolled in govt schools with the evident assistance of Hashimukh so that the students obtain institutional certificates to pursue tertiary education. Hashimukh follows the National Curriculum and Textbooks Board-approved curriculum. School uniforms, books, and stationery items are regularly provided to the students from the Hashimukh school with adequate guidance. The students get entire assistance from the teachers of Hashimukh to continue their regular studies. Moreover, the teachers of Hashimukh School actively keep in contact with the families of students and encourage them to send their children to school. Hashimukh is determined to bring about holistic changes in students’ lives so that they can be eligible for both local and global job markets.
The biggest challenge Hashimukh faced was convincing the parents of these children to send them to school as they did not realize the true value and return of education. With regular counseling, parents finally agreed to send their children to Hashimukh School. The success rate always outweighs the hard work when we get to see a new student enrolled in the school.
The dedicated Hashimukh Team diligently monitored and assisted students throughout this pandemic period. Then their research team conducted a six-month study to investigate the condition of our students post-pandemic. Foreseeable the findings reveal that the students were lagging compared to their actual potential as their regular practice of studying got disrupted and they lost touch with books. As our students belong to lower socio-economic backgrounds, they are lagging even behind children who had the privilege to access remote learning, and more alarmingly they have lost interest in learning.
The situation persisted even when physical schooling resumed in February 2022. In response, to deal with post covid challenges, HSKS has launched an education Project RE-KINDLED which emphasizes on 4Rs (Read, Receive, Retain, and Relate the lesson) to reignite their passion for education. Innovative strategies, such as appointing class captains, interactive displays, focus group discussions, and storytelling sessions, were employed to make lessons more engaging and captivating for the students. Gradually, these efforts began to rekindle their enthusiasm for learning, resulting in improved daily school attendance.The commitment remains focused on transformative education and skilling them up so that they can fit in the local and global job market. However, Hashimukh faced financial constraints in upholding this project. Consequently, they collaborated with the Sajida Foundation to help them achieve their project’s objectives. At 101 Central Road, HSKS managed to operate a free schooling for 371 underprivileged children ranging from PlayGroup to Class 12 with providing transformative education in collaboration with Sajida Foundation.
Moral Education (ME) is meant to turn all young individuals into morally autonomous adults by providing them with the required competence to judge for themselves what is morally right. To align with such holistic concepts, Hashimukh conducts moral development classes routinely.
As the majority of the students live in slums they are more susceptible to getting involved in crimes and delinquencies. Crime and delinquency among slum children include but are not limited to violence, theft, robbery, mugging, trafficking, drug addiction, drug dealing, smuggling, and sexual harassment. To instill moral values into students, Hashimukh gives moral lessons to children through story reading class, where each story carries a moral lesson. In addition to that, discussion classes are held where students are encouraged to open up to their teachers and own up to any wrongdoing they are involved in. We believe that the first step to rectification is to acknowledge the mistake which takes immense courage. We acknowledge the smallest of efforts by our students and encourage them to take responsibility for their actions. We put them in situations deliberately to evaluate if they would apply their learning from ME classes to make a decision.
To accelerate the moral learning of the students of Hashimukh, the establishment of a well-organized library plays a vital role that offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Simultaneously, Hashimukh recognizes that reading goes beyond words; it encompasses ideas and resilience during challenges.
We’ve been igniting a passion for reading in our children right from the start. To boost their enthusiasm, we offer incentives and employ various engaging methods such as hosting quiz competitions, encouraging essay writing, and facilitating book reviews.
We express profound gratitude to our esteemed sponsor and valued partner, the SAJIDA Foundation, for their generous support in establishing this library. Their contribution not only encourages our children to maintain their reading habits but also serves as a source of motivation for them to engage with books. Additionally, this initiative enables children to assemble invaluable life lessons and acquire knowledge that fosters creativity, cultivates cognitive abilities, and nurtures leadership skills, preparing them for future leadership roles.
Together, these initiatives illuminate minds and cultivate character, as students not only embrace ME but also engage with moral lessons through the library’s enriching collection.
When you bring together those who have, with those who have not – miracles happen. Become a time hero by volunteering with us. Meet new friends, gain new skills, get happiness and have fun!
When you bring together those who have, with those who have not – miracles happen. Become a time hero by volunteering with us. Meet new friends, gain new skills, get happiness and have fun!
