Md. Golam Moula, DPEO (District Primary Education Officer), Kishoreganj is very pleased to share that the students of sadar upazila are comparatively doing well in English than the other upazila students. One year back in 2014 all primary school teachers of this upazila got the training and materials from EIA. It was a demand which sprouted within the community after some teachers and AUEOs (Asst. Upazila Education Officer) observed activities in EIA classroom. There was significant interest on the EIA classroom approaches and unique materials loaded in a mobile phone hosted in a SD card. Many teachers who were not part of EIA came together and requested the approval and continuous support from UEO and the DPEO, which enabled them to be a part of this change.
Mr. Moula said, "EIA is giving training to the teachers which is very important for their capacity building and in making the classroom joyful. If the teachers can develop themselves then the ultimate development goes to the students."
"EIA training is totally different from the regular training as there is a scope for follow up. The other teachers who couldn’t practice anything in the class can observe other teachers and can reflect about their practices. They feel committed within themselves that they can do new things and can share it in the next teachers meeting for improvement."-He added.
Ithna, Mithamain and Ostagram; three haor (wetland) areas are also included in EIA intervention. Mr. Moula has strong preference to include this hoar areas because according to him, lot of qualified teachers find it demotivating to work in haor as the life there is very difficult. There is also less scope for professional development in such regions. So very often these teachers want transfer to Sadars (cities) areas. If they can be a part of EIA approaches both the teachers and the students will enjoy the classroom activities and specifically teachers’ motivation will elevate, this will also contribute in their profession.
Mr. Moula has many plans for his district teachers, as most of the teachers have email address, he planns to open an English in Action Club starting from Sadar upazila. He also plans to create a group in Facebook by which all the teachers will be connected together including AUEO’s, UEO and with DPEO himself. All conversation there will be about the classroom practice and of course it will be in English.
The contribution and direct support from AUEO, UEO and DPEO makes a huge difference in the community at large, making positive change sustain which opens many opportunities for next generation.
