The second year of pioneering project Play, Learn, Act was inaugurated today at the Dhaka University campus office of the British Council. With supported grants from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), this project has been initiated to enhance literacy (reading and writing) and communication skills (listening and speaking) of students (class 1-5) from different primary schools by introducing books and digital resources from the British Council which will develop their analytical and thinking skills helping them express their thoughts and ideas in a more articulate manner.
Shaheen Ara Begum, District Primary Education Officer, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Robin Rickard, Deputy Regional Director South Asia, British Council; Barbara Wickham, Director, British Council; Francois de Maricourt, CEO, HSBC Bangladesh and Sarwat Reza, Head of Cultural Centre, British Council were present during the inauguration.
“Bangladesh, well poised to reap the benefits of the demographic dividend. The first step towards this, we believe, is to develop capacity of the young ones to a level where they can present themselves at a global level. The British Council is proud to be a part of this journey with initiatives such as this,” said Robin Rickard.
The project Play, Learn, Act brings many different aspects to the children, teachers, school administration staff and parents in Bangladesh through school events, community events and competitions. The project has completed its first year with ten schools and in the second year 15 schools will participate. At the end of 2017, students and teachers from 20 government primary schools will be benefited from the project.