The schools that come to the students 

In remote areas of northern Bangladesh, on the shifting river islands (known as chars) of the Brahmaputra and Jamuna Rivers, life is a different story. Fierce river currents cause sudden riverbank erosion, swallowing entire homes, livestock, and farms within hours. 

The islands here have few paved roads with limited electricity grids, and no permanent concrete buildings. To reach a boat to the mainland, people here walk for miles through knee-deep sand or thick mud. 

Because a family might have to pack up and move five to 10 times in a lifetime, they can never accumulate wealth or build permanent assets. The few schools that exist are temporary structures made of tin and bamboo, which are frequently dismantled or washed away, ending most children's education early. People in some of these locations are unfamiliar with the concept of a secondary education system. 

Since a school structure cannot remain in one place for long periods, if schools were therefore designed in a way that allows them to be dismantled and relocated whenever necessary, they can be rebuilt on newly formed land. 

"When a char land is eroded, students migrate with their families to newly formed areas, and our schools move with them. We follow the students so that they can continue their education without dropping out," Reza Ahmed, deputy director of Friendship's Education Programme, told TBS.

Friendship started their primary education programme in 2006, and the first batch graduated in 2011. However, they had no option to continue their secondary education, as moving to towns or cities was not feasible due to economic and social constraints. 

But building climate-friendly schools would not be enough as providing secondary education in char areas presents several challenges. 

First, qualified teachers are required for secondary education, but it is extremely difficult to find such teachers in these remote areas. Educated professionals tend to migrate to urban areas for better opportunities. And due to harsh living conditions, qualified teachers from cities are not willing to relocate to char areas. Even government-appointed teachers are often absent or irregular in these locations.

To address this challenge, Friendship planned an ICT-based solution. A recording studio was established in Dhaka where video lessons were pre-recorded by the teachers from the best schools in the capital.

The recorded lessons are then sent to schools and delivered to students through projectors. The entire system is powered through solar energy.

Pre-recorded lessons by teachers from leading schools in Dhaka are delivered to students in remote classrooms through projector-based multimedia sessions. 

"To support this model, we recruit facilitators from the local community who have at least an HSC-level education. We refer to them as facilitators rather than teachers. These individuals are selected from among community candidates and trained to operate laptops, projectors, and manage file and data transfer systems," Reza added.

The facilitators receive  gradual subject-based training to support the students effectively. 

"This is important because facilitators need to be able to respond to basic questions raised by students during recorded lessons. When they cannot answer certain questions, they note them down and discuss them with online subject teachers during scheduled sessions, where the recorded teachers provide clarification," he further said. 

Ensuring quality education for char children 

"Our first priority is to ensure access to secondary education. The second priority is ensuring quality," Reza Ahmed explained.

Quality, in this context, refers to ensuring that students gain the knowledge prescribed by the curriculum. Yet the approach goes beyond textbooks. Education is treated not only as academic instruction but as a process of shaping responsible human beings.

"A good human being in society develops values such as empathy, tolerance, self-respect, and confidence," he added. 

With this in mind, the programme is not confined to the NCTB textbooks alone. Alongside the formal curriculum, a range of complementary activities is woven into school life.

Ethics and moral education sessions are regularly conducted, alongside discussions on self-love, self-respect, self-esteem, confidence, tolerance, and empathy. Facilitators meet students monthly to explore these themes in a structured but reflective setting.

Creative learning is also encouraged through hands-on activities. Poster presentations and other expressive exercises are organised to help students develop imagination and communication skills. Monthly cleaning activities are part of school routine, while tree plantation drives further reinforce environmental awareness and collective responsibility.

Coding courses have also been introduced and many learners from char areas are now engaging with programming for the first time. Schools are equipped with computer labs, enabling students to build practical ICT skills. 

An inter-school connectivity programme further expands learning beyond borders: eight schools from different parts of Europe collaborate with local students. Together, they work on themes such as environmental protection and cultural exchange, producing and sharing videos as part of their joint learning experience.

"To support this model, we recruit facilitators from the local community who have at least an HSC-level education. We refer to them as facilitators rather than teachers. These individuals are selected from among community candidates and trained to operate laptops, projectors, and manage file and data transfer systems."  Reza Ahmed, deputy director, Education Programme, Friendship

In this way, the secondary education system has evolved into a largely ICT-enabled model.

Each class is supported by at least one facilitator, ensuring that learning remains structured, guided, and consistent throughout the school experience.

Schools that are owned by the community

Community ownership is a key aspect of Friendships's secondary level schools. In char areas, the land used for schools is provided by the local community. It is not Friendships' property.

All students enrolled in the schools come from the local char communities, and the facilitators are also recruited from within these communities. They are not traditional teachers. A School Management Committee, consisting of parents and local elites, is responsible for overseeing each school.

Although Friendship staff visit the schools for limited periods during the day, the buildings, materials, and overall operations are managed by the community throughout the rest of the time. 

"Since the school belongs to the community, giving them ownership helps ensure proper maintenance and continuous support. In the future, if we discontinue our operations and hand over responsibilities to the government, the community will be able to support continued functioning of the schools," said Reza. 

Higher education and career 

In 2020, in collaboration with the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka, it was recommended that a structured career development guideline should be introduced after secondary education. Following this, in 2021, Friendship established a Career Guidance Cell for the programme. 

It has three main objectives. 

First, it supports students who are interested in higher education by providing both guidance and financial assistance. 

"Many students from our secondary programme are now enrolled in medical, engineering, and other tertiary-level institutions." 

In a remote char area of Gaibandha's Erendabari, Nurunnahar was a student of Friendships' secondary school. 

From Class 6 onward, her schooling shifted into a more modern system. "We were taught through videos and digital classes," using platforms like Skype and Google Meet. 

She also took part in international collaborative projects on climate and culture, where students created and shared videos about food, weather, and daily life with peers from countries like France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. These experiences, she said, made learning feel connected beyond borders.

She completed her SSC in 2023 with a strong result, narrowly missing an A+. But she never depended on private tutoring, relying instead on school-based support and guided instruction.

Friendship’s secondary education programme supports students pursuing higher education through academic guidance, financial assistance, and dedicated pathways to university.

Although she had once wanted to study science, limited access in her locality changed her path. With her family's support, she stayed and adapted rather than traveling long distances across the river.

"From 2012 until my SSC in 2023, I never needed private tutoring. Whenever we struggled, our teachers explained the lessons again and again until we understood," Nurunnaher said. 

Now, she is pursuing a degree in Economics at the Asian University for Women, carrying forward a journey shaped by both constraint and opportunity.

The second objective of  the career guidance cell is to support students who have dropped out due to various circumstances by integrating them into skills development programmes and helping them access suitable employment opportunities based on their interests.

"Although we do not operate our own skills training centres, we connect students to existing government training facilities," said Reza Ahmed.