Rajshahi diocese in Bangladesh is working toward ensuring that as many children as possible receive basic education, one of the development goals the country is aiming for.

Catholic school management committees (SMCs), during a July 18-19 orientation program, said they will work toward bringing dropouts and poor children back to the school.

They will also liaise closely with local government officials to get educational support and benefits.

A total of 118 SMC members in the diocese attended the program which comes under Caritas’ Basic Education for Disadvantaged Children (BEDC) project.

BEDC started in January this year with the aim of providing education for all Bangladeshis, one of the country’s Millennium Development Goals.

The BEDC project covers 59 Catholic schools in the diocese, most of them in remote areas.

SMCs must understand the “very important” role they play as “they can help kids realize the importance of education,” Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi told participants on July 19.

The involvement of local communities was also highlighted as a major factor, Suklesh George Costa, Caritas Education and Development program officer, told ucanews.com.

As the diocesan area is heavily populated with indigenous people, SMC training would involve using “modern education methods with respect to local or indigenous culture,” said Ashim N. Cruze, a junior BEDC program officer.

Participants at the recent orientation program came from the districts of Rajshahi, Chapai Nawabganj, Naogaon, Natore, Pabna and Sirajgonj.

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