List of Programs - April 2008
  • High School Scholarship Program
  • College Scholarship Program
  • School Improvement Program
  • Teachers Training Program
  • SSC Tutoring Program
  • Pre-School Program
  • Grade Six Testing / Tutoring Program
  • Computer Learning Program
  • Volunteers Training Program
  • VAB Emergency Programs 2000-2007
Brief Program Profiles
High School Scholarship Program:
This is VAB’s earliest and the premier program offering support to students from the poorest families complete high schools and reduce the drop out rate. Initially 10 students from Grade VI to X were offered scholarships from each school. Later 20 students from each school from Grade VIII to X were covered under the Program. Scholarships include provision of textbooks, exercise books and educational materials, session, exam and tuition fees, and school uniform. A total of 580 meritorious Class VIII, IX and X students from poor families received VAB scholarships (20 each from 29 Schools—4 girls and 25 coeducational) this year. As all the scholarship inputs were supplied directly to the relevant recipients (for example, tuition and fees to the schools) no cash was given to the students or guardians. To date over 3000 students benefited from this program.

College Scholarship Program
For VAB high school scholarship holders, a VAB college scholarship is the reward for outstanding performance on the nationwide Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam sat for in Grade X. The VAB scholarships are a great opportunity: they provide admission fees, textbooks, tuition fees, science equipment, calculators, college exam and session fees and finally, registration fees to sit for the centrally administered Higher Secondary Certificate Examination (HSC).

-- Class of 2005:
In 2005–2006 academic year, VAB, for the first time, awarded full college (2-year program) scholarships to 39 VAB students who had achieved (A+, A and A-) on the national SSC exam. In July 2006, a midterm performance review recommended 31 students to continue into the second year program; eight students dropped for a variety of reasons including only one student who failed. These 31 students sat for the HSC exam in 2007; 25 got A; 2 B and 3 C and only one student failed. Pass percentage was 97%. VAB assisted all 25 VAB students who scored A to enter universities, medical or engineering colleges.

As a special effort, VAB invited nine students to have a room and coaching at the VAB office to prepare themselves for the admission tests they took later and to get acquainted with Dhaka city. They brought their food from home. VAB provided a free stay, cooking facilities and coaching for three months. This VAB service greatly benefited them. VAB also helped find sponsors for several of these University Scholarships.

-- Class of 2006:
In 2006, a total number of 86 VAB students sat for SSC exams from 15 schools. 56 achieved A level (A+, A, A-) performance. 60 students (56 VAB students and 4 targeted donor students) received VAB college scholarships. With VAB assistance and advocacy, all the students have been admitted to colleges, most of them in their local areas; two were admitted to colleges in Dhaka. First-phase funds have been distributed to all scholarship holders. In July 2007, a midterm performance review was made and out of the 60 VAB students, 53-scored grade A and 7 B. VAB secured, from sponsors, scholarships for most of the 60 students, allowing them to complete their final year of college.

-- Class of 2007:
In 2007, 150 VAB students (an increase of 64) sat for SSC exams and 76% passed: 102 scored A, 11 got B and 4 C. Most failures occurred in Math or in English. VAB secured sponsorship from 46 families for all 102 students.

Families of VAB Scholarship Recipients:

Information on the occupation of parents shows that nearly half of the students came from marginal farm families with little or no land. About a quarter come from day laborers and petty businessmen comprising street vendors, roadside tailors and small tea stall owners. The remaining are from a variety of families headed by rickshaw pullers, rural primary school teachers, mothers working as housemaids or seamstresses and whose fathers have died, fishermen, and low-level NGO workers. There were also children of beggars (2) and physically handicapped parents. In terms of aspirations of students, almost one- fifth of scholarship holders want to study commerce/business. The remaining aspire to become teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, medical assistants, or NGO workers. Most scholarship recipients are male as female students receive government scholarships. Nevertheless, almost one-fourth of high school scholarship holders; approximately one-third of college scholarships are for females.

School Improvement Program

Following the first two years of the scholarship program, VAB realized that just keeping students in the schools to complete grade X and pass SSC exam does not guarantee a quality education. Many rural schools do not have either the facilities or the capacity to offer quality education. VAB organized a School Improvement Program in 2002 to assist each school to improve its quality of education and as a reward for satisfactory performance under the School Scholarship Program. Under the Improvement Program, schools are provided with computers and accessories; books for (sometimes non-existent) libraries; science equipment for poorly equipped laboratories; and sports and cultural equipment. By 2007, 14 Scholarship schools were included in the Improvement Program.

Teachers Training Program

VAB learned in 2002 that training teachers from VAB schools probably has the most impact on improving the quality of rural education. The training helps to motivate teachers, to build confidence by reviewing the national curriculum, and to make teachers more effective by modeling new teaching methods. In September 2007, the annual VAB training provided several 3-day training sessions to 91 teachers at the VAB office. Teachers of Grade VI–VIII were given content-curriculum training for Math and English—the subjects students have the most trouble with on the national SSC exam. Teachers also were trained using new interactive teaching methods by peer trainers. Trainers used discussion methods and modeled how to have students think out problems rather than memorizing—new concepts for many teachers. General Science was included along with Math and English. In the early years, Professor Shamsul Hoque Molla, Chairman of VAB Advisory Committee organized this program. In recent years, Principal Hamida Ali, a Member of the VAB Advisory Board, took responsibility for recruiting the trainers and organizing the training. As always, the teachers were quite excited about the training and demanded more as soon as possible. To date, VAB covered training of teachers from 24 schools from Grade VI to X in three key subjects- Math, English and Science.

SSC Tutoring Program

VAB initiated a pilot program of tutoring students for the national SSC Exam for mid- and poor-ranking VAB schools. Tutoring improves the performance of all students who qualify to take the SSC Exam in Grade X and thereby improves the rankings of the schools. As English and Math are considered the major hurdles in the SSC exams, VAB provided financial assistance in 2006-7 to six pilot schools to tutor students in English and Math for three months before starting the SSC exam. In 2006–7, the school results were impressive. To date, a total of 11 schools were brought under this program and are expected to excel.

Pre-School Program

VAB operated a Pre-School Program in Sirajgonj with full support from a targeted donor. The project is aimed at children who are mostly slum dwellers and whose families have not shown interest in school for lack of funds, facilities or family environment. The school has been under operation for three years where, besides education and play, a nutritious snack is also provided. The results are promising as most students graduate after one year and get admission to Grade II at local primary schools.  VAB also supports two more preschools and one primary school organized by a family foundation in Bagerhat with full support from two targeted donors and managed by a local NGO, Tripartite Development Corporation (TDC). In 2008, VAB plan is to include another 11 schools under this program.  A total 22 teachers, selected from the 11 VAB schools will be receiving a weeklong teacher training at VAB Office in April 2008. TDC will provide a weeklong teacher training. Teacher-trainees will be selected from the VAB college students, the VAB Grade X students and from local teachers.

Grade Six Testing / Tutoring Program

Students admitted into Grade VI in VAB schools after completing primary schools suffer from severe academic deficiencies, which persist till Grade X, causing dropouts and high failure rates in the national SSC exam. VAB in 2008, decided to test entering Grade VI students in 22 schools, following government approved question-papers. Students wrote tests in Bangla, English and Mathematics, each under 20 marks. After analysis of test sheets, the impression is that only 5% of each class would be capable of passing a Grade VI exam.  Test sheets in Math and English were the worse. Beginning in March 2008, 14 schools have been selected for this program and remedial tutoring has been started in 10 schools with the remaining 4 schools to begin in mid April. After 3-month tutoring, another test will be taken in all 14 schools to determine what, if any, next steps need to be taken.  A group of researchers has been engaged to monitor this work.

Computer Learning Program

In 2004, VAB New Jersey launched the Computer Literacy Program (CLP) to help the underprivileged youths learn basic computer skills to prepare them for the modern world. Each of the centers has at least four computers and two trained instructors. By March 2008, there are 72 fully operational computer literacy centers in 30 districts of Bangladesh. D.Net, VAB’s partner in Bangladesh is responsible for CLP field implementation. In consultation with prominent computer scientists in Bangladesh a curriculum was developed. Based on that curriculum a student’s manual ‘Esho Computer Shikhi’ (Let Us Learn Computer) has been published. This guidebook has gained wide acceptance in Bangladesh as the best manual of its kind. The CLP to date have produced 150 trained teachers and over 10,000 student graduates, who have completed 40 hours of intensive instruction and training. Of these 48% are female students. Success of the CLP has attracted Microsoft Southeast Asia to entrust D.Net the implementation of its “CLICK” (Community for Learning Information, Communication) Program to D.Net at 13 rural locations. The CLICK centers provide Internet communication and job training with advanced computer skills. Given that there are some 65,000 villages in Bangladesh, VAB knows that if the program were to bring about a meaningful difference in the lives of the underprivileged youths across Bangladesh, wide participation by indigenous organizations is a pre-requisite.  VAB is pleased to inform that the positive impact of the existing centers have created interest within Bangladesh to support the CLP program. In 2008, we are expecting more than 50% of the center sponsors to come from local donors while in the past virtually all the sponsors came from non-resident Bangladeshis.

Also, leveraging on the availability of computers and technical support at the computer literacy centers, preparations are underway to develop educational CD ROMs to enhance English learning and communication skills. VAB has launched the first phase of the program of the Computer Teaches Everyday English, CTEE initiative to set up five pilot projects.

Volunteers Training Program

Thirty motivated intern volunteers are the key to well-operated and monitored VAB programs. They are recruited from seniors at Dhaka universities and colleges. VAB provides them with a real-life experience in rural Bangladesh, which is a foreign world to many of them. After two days of training in practical research methods, interviewing techniques, accounting procedures, and a day of fieldwork, interns are assigned one or two schools for a year. They monitor and research the education progress of scholarship holders and of the school in general and distribute equipment and funds. The motivated interns make the program work and translate their excitement to teachers and students.

VAB Emergency Programs 2000-2007

In addition to above education and computer literacy activities VAB supported several ad hoc activities in response to natural disasters. The floods were extremely bad in 2004. Volunteer teams from VAB and Prakritajan solicited local funds and supplies and delivered emergency supplies to 15 VAB schools. Each school received 50 packages of food and medicine. Additionally, the team members, mostly professional doctors and teachers, carried relief goods and medicines from their own sources. In response to heavy flooding in 2007, donations were received from 45 individuals and one organization to the tune of $8,550, part of which were wired to Prothom Alo Tran Tahabil, and the remaining were wired to Chief Advisors Relief and Welfare Fund, as desired by the donors. The “Super Cyclone” Sidr struck Bangladesh on 15th November causing unprecedented devastation of property and livelihood of thousands of poor people in Bangladesh, especially in the districts along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.  VAB volunteers from New Jersey collected $13641 from VAB patrons and with the support of D-Net initially provided relief activities focusing on providing safe drinking water, water purifying tablets, medicine, dry food, cash for purchasing food to cook and serve, and clothes. Later, they established five deep tube wells and distributed textbooks to affected area students. In addition, $5641 was deposited to the Bangladesh Government Chief adviser’s relief fund. VAB volunteers from New York raised fund from several donors, which was used to provide a tin roof and furniture for the only VAB school, Bangla Bazar Girls High School, Gosani, Patuakhali affected by Sidr.