The Dhaka Times Desk The British Council recently organized a graduation ceremony for the graduates of the AGE (English and Digital for Girls Education) program at the Fuller Road Auditorium in the capital Dhaka. 100 girls who successfully completed the AGE program were present at the event.
State Minister for Culture Nahid Izahar Khan, MP was present as the chief guest on the occasion. In addition, Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director of the British High Commission in Dhaka, Matt Cannell, Chief Executive of HSBC Bangladesh were also present at the event. Mahbub ur Rahman, Bangladesh British Council Programs Director David Knox and representatives of Spriha Bangladesh Foundation and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) including DNET.
Gender inequality is alarmingly noticed in the education sector of Bangladesh, especially among marginalized groups. Girls of these communities are facing various obstacles in attaining quality education; They are also getting inadequate opportunities in developing necessary skills like English or digital signature. Identifying this issue of gender inequality in the education sector, the British Council has been implementing the AGE program in Bangladesh for 12 years in collaboration with various partners.
The British Council reached out to 26 hundred and forty girls from marginalized communities through the Age Program in collaboration with HSBC and local non-governmental organizations Spriha Bangladesh Foundation and DNET. Over the past two years, 220 peer group leaders have been trained, who have trained 2,420 adolescent girls from 110 girls' clubs.
Nahid Izahar Khan, MP, Minister of State for Cultural Affairs, Government of Bangladesh, to the girls who completed the EDGE program said, “Your confidence inspires me; I am proud of you. My advice is, don't forget your roots and rich culture.” He thanked the British Council and HSBC for working with programs like Edge to positively impact the lives of marginalized young women.
In this regard, the Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director of the British High Commission in Bangladesh, Matt Cannell, said, "The British High Commission is currently placing special emphasis on 12 years of quality education for all girls, financing education and investing in basic education, i.e. skill development.
This AGE program is a significant part of our overall activities in the education of girls in Bangladesh; At the same time, it has created an excellent opportunity to build partnerships between the public and private sectors interested in working on important issues such as girls' education.”
David Knox, Director Programs, British Council Bangladesh said, “Through our successful partnership with HSBC and in collaboration with local partners, we have reached 26,40 teenage girls from marginalized communities. There are many more opportunities to work with international partners, government and private sector organizations and we are keen to strengthen such collaborations and partnerships to make these programs more sustainable and acceptable.”
Chief Executive of HSBC Bangladesh. Mahbub ur Rahman said, “In today's globalization and digital age, we want to give special importance to girls' English skills, digital literacy, social awareness and initiative-taking ability. As an international institution, we are optimistic about the potential of education's transformative capabilities. That is why, we are committed to investing more in such programs to empower girls and pave the way for their future success.”
Among the 200 Peer Group Leaders (PGLs), 100 Dhaka-based Age Club members received certificates and crests at the event. The remaining 120 PGL and 242 club members will be awarded certificates and crests within the next few months.
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