Community schools seen as solution to garment workers’ children’s education gap

Community Based Learning Centers (CBLCs) are showing significant progress in addressing the education gap of garment workers, according to the SMILE project endline evaluation brief.

The findings were presented in a national dialogue titled “Rights and Well-being of RMG Workers and Their Children” at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.

The project was implemented by EDUCO Bangladesh, with funding from MANGO and in collaboration with the Shobujer Ovijan Foundation (SOF), at 19 factories in the Savar Upazila and Gazipur Sadar area of Dhaka.

Educo Bangladesh Project Manager Rafeza Akter presented the overall activities and objectives of the SMILE Project.

The presentation on the project’s impact and achievements was delivered by Irfath Ara Iva, CEO of H&H Research and Consultancy.

Country Director of EDUCO in Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid, said female workers are contributing largely in the garment sector; however, their children are significantly neglected in education, including care and security.

We introduce a rightly based model, which is helpful for these purposes. The investment in the care of children is a strategical investment that plays a major role in our sustainable economy, he added.

According to project findings, children enrolled in CBLCs demonstrated noticeable improvements in: Basic literacy and numeracy skills, Classroom participation and confidence, Psychosocial well-being and emotional stability and regular engagement in learning activities.

The learning centers also created a safe and structured environment, helping children stay connected to education even when formal schooling support is limited.

The SMILE Project shows broader workplace improvements that indirectly support children’s education outcomes. Worker satisfaction increased from 43.4% to 84.8%, while collaboration between workers and factory management rose sharply from 60% to 95%.

Mohammad Mozammel Haque, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment as a chief guest in this event.

He said that they have realized the need for daycare centers and community-based facilities.

He added that if the government’s capacity increases, necessary attention will definitely be given to this issue and existing challenges will be addressed.

He also noted that those who are financially capable can also come forward to support such initiatives.

He said that if sufficient resources were available, steps would have been taken more quickly to establish such centers.

He explained that these facilities not only contribute to the development of children but also increase productivity in factories by improving workers’ satisfaction.

He further stated that due to a lack of adequate opportunities, the children of garment workers are unable to reach their desired potential. He called on everyone to come forward in support of these initiatives.

Female garment workers are being marginalized and dropping out of the workforce, calling for urgent attention from all stakeholders, said Naimul Ahsan Jewel, General Secretary of Jatiya Sramik Jote Bangladesh and member of NCCWE.

At the event, the success stories of the SMILE Project titled “Voice of Change” and the “Educo Annual Report” were officially unveiled.

Special guests at the event included Imran Kader Turjo, Director of BKMEA; and Md. Mahfuzur Rahman Bhuiya, Joint Inspector General of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.

Under the “Strengthening Meaningful Participation of Factory Workers and Their Children in Leveraging a Decent Environment to Enjoy Their Rights and Well-being in Bangladesh (SMILE) project, 12 Day Care Centers (DCCs) and 5 Community-Based Learning Centers (CBLCs) are being operated. Through these, 120 children aged 0–5 years are receiving daycare services, and 3,000 children aged 5–12 years are engaged in community-based learning activities. In addition, 10,000 factory workers (8,000 women and 2,000 men), 300 factory management representatives, and 35 teachers and caregivers are directly benefiting from the project. Furthermore, approximately 43,000 people are indirectly benefiting from the initiative.