How do you go to school when it’s underwater?
Floating Schools in Bangladesh
The Students.
During the monsoon season, as the water levels rise, many schools are flooded and become inaccessible or unusable for students. In some cases, schools are closed for 4 months. This has a significant impact on the learning and engagement of their students.
The Education.
The floating schools operated by Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha are repurposed traditional Bangladeshi wooden boats called noka. These boats replace their usual classrooms and also act as school buses and pick up the children from their villages.
The teacher and resources - including a library and computers powered by solar panels - are ready for a day of learning on the water. This means that adverse weather conditions will not affect the education of thousands of children.
The Impact.
This solution will also be crucial in overcoming the ongoing impact of climate change in the region as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that more than one million Bangladeshis could be displaced or affected by rising sea levels by 2050.
