COMPUTER LITERACY PROGRAM Progress Through Innovation EE M A R G 3, 2020 PRO OCTOBER OCTOBER | LITERACY LITERACY EVENT FUNDRAISNG COMPUTER COMPUTER COMPUTER LITERACY PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED www.clpweb.org ICT-enhanced Education Penetration through 55 Districts Project Location of CLC & SCR Panchagar Parenthesis indicates number of CLC & SCR in each District Lalmonirhat (1) Number of CLCs in District (1) Nilphamari Number of SCRs in District (2) (11) Thakurgaon(2) (5) (1) (5) Number of Associated Centers Kurigram in District Dinajpur (5) Rangpur (7) (1) (2) (1) (1) INDIA (1) (Assam) (3) Gaibandha (3) (3) Jaipurhat Sherepur Sylhet (1) (1) Sunamganj (1) Netrokona (8) (1) (2) (5) Naogaon Bogra Jamalpur (3) (1) (2) (1) (13) Mymensingh Nawabganj (5) (6) (1) (6) (1) (1) (6) Moulvibazar (1) (6) (1) (4) (2) (2) (3) (2) Rajshahi (1) (1) Sirajganj Kishoreganj Habiganj (3) Nator Tangail (1) (2) (5) (9) (10) (5) Gazipur (1) (4) Pabna (2) (7) (13) (5) Narsingdi (4) (1) (6) Brahmanbaria Kushtia (1) Dhaka Manikgonj (8) (2) INDIA (7) (4) (12) (7) (3) (Tripura) (1) (1)Rajbari (22) (1) (4) Meherpur (1) (4) (3)MunshiganjNarayanganj (4) (5) (1) (4) (7) (9) (2) Comilla Chuadanga (2) Magura Faridpur (3) Jhenaidah (4) (3) (6) (2) Shariyatpur (5) (2) Gopalganj Chandpur(8) (1) Narail (2) (3) Jessore Madariupur Feni Khagrachhari (3) (4) (4) (1) (1) (8) (1) (7) (2) (1) Barisal (1) Noakhali (2) Laksmipur Rangamati (5) (4) Satkhira (2) (27) (2) (1) (1) Chittagong (1) INDIA Bagerhat (3) Pirojpur (8) (3) Jhalkati (1) (West Bengal) Khulna (42) (4) (1) (2) (2) (5) Bhola (6) Patuakhali(5) (1) (2) Barguna Bandarban Cox’s bazar Cox’s (2) MYNMAR BAY OF BENGAL (1) (Burma) Total Number of CLC- 278 (in 55 Districts) Total Number of SCR- 170 (in 43 Districts) Associated CLC- 97 CLP Annual Event (online) Program Highlights Saturday, October 3, 2020 9:00 PM to 11:30 PM National Anthems, USA & Bangladesh Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Author, Educationist Keynote Speakers Dr. Mohammad Ataul Karim, Scientist, Educationist Mr. Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, MP, Deputy Education Minister Mr. Sabuj Baruri, Kadambari CLC Graduate Testimony of CLP Ms. Taspia Jahan Dipa, HealthCare program Coordinator, SNT Beneficiaries Ms. Merina Rashid, CLP Graduate (NABIC Gazipur Center) CLP: History, Evolution and Mr. Shabbir Ahmed Uniqueness Connect Students Ms. Jill Stedronsky around the Ms. Samhita Tatavarty world (CSAW) Generation CLP: Reflection and Youth volunteers Motivation Sponsor’s Dr. Abid Rahman Testimonials Dr. Molla Huq Mr. Usama Siddiqui Featuring Youths Mr. Irvin Rahmaan Mr. Marjan Zaman Ms. Arnaz Amin High School Graduates Appreciation Ms. Tahera Kabir Questions and Answers Concluding Remarks Mr. ABM Sirajul Hossain, CEO, Dnet Musical Soiree Dr. Nashid Kamal, Musician, Educationist Mr. Mohiuzzaman Chowdhury (Moyna) Dr. Nashid Kamal is a Bangladeshi vocalist, writer and professor of demography. She is the eldest granddaughter of legendary Bengali folk singer Abbasuddin Ahmed. Widely regarded as a Nazrul exponent, Nashid Kamal has received many awards including the Nazrul Award from the Nazrul Academy in 2009 and Nazrul Padak from the Nazrul Institute in 2014. Mr. Mohiuzzaman Chowdhury (Moyna) is a leading Tagore song musician in the Bengals. He was trained in the prestigious music center Chhyanot in Dhaka. He is well known as a Radio and TV artist, and a playback artist in the film industry. He performed in many countries including India, UK, and USA. His audio cassette Aamar Praner Manush, produced in Kolkata, was a huge success in India. Page 1 Computer Literacy Program for the Underprivileged (2004 -2020) Striving amidst adversity The sixteenth year of CLP started on an enthusiastic note. Following the successful launching of two super centers [Computer Literacy Centers (CLCs) with more than ten computers] in the previ- ous year, three more super centers were to be established in schools in Sherpur, Bogura. The Con- nect Students Around the World (CSAW) program was to be extended pairing a school in Ghorasal, Bangladesh with one in Hopewell, New Jersey, USA. Distant Instruction generated avid interest among school administrations, sponsors and volunteers willing to teach. What is even more inspir- ing, DUDOK, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh signed a memorandum of under- standing to initiate a moral value Education through Entertainment pilot project, which would subsequently be rolled out to 2000 schools. Work on all fronts started well. Then COVID-19 struck. The pandemic debilitated the normal life and activities of people around the world. Bangladesh was no exception. Schools were closed down. It was no longer possible to conduct the regular CLP activities such as visiting schools for monitoring purpose, establishing new centers that require physical presence at the schools, holding computer training sessions at CLCs, and so on. CLP Annual Event for 2020 scheduled for July was postponed. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” After the initial turmoil, the long-distance instruc- tion for gifted and talented students in the CLP-affiliated school Uddipan Badar-Shamsu Bidyani- ketan at Chitali, Bagerhat resumed. Dnet, the implementation partner of CLP in Bangladesh, got involved in Bangladesh Government’s initiative to design new education approaches for address- ing the COVID-19 challenges. Dnet next started online meetings with CLP-affiliated schools for discussing and developing approaches to continue CLP activities during COVID-19 and beyond. Some of the schools requested Dnet to organize online training for their capacity building so that they can conduct online classes. Twenty-five teachers from five institutions where eleven new CLCs and SCRs are to be established are now receiving training on computer fundamentals, digital pedagogy, conducting Smart Class Room (SCR) sessions effectively, developing own contents for SCRs, and how to train students on basic computer operation and use of key Microsoft office software. The next task is conducting a refreshers’ training for the project teachers of CLP’s 79 supported schools. All the aforementioned training segments will be included in the refreshers’ training. As the country is opening up, we will pursue our center establishment, hardware replacement and technical support activities, so that the teachers can use computers for preparing digital contents. Some of the hardware were acquired before the pandemic and would be sent out to schools as soon as the situation permits. DNet is also planning to introduce the so-called “Tele-education” aimed at providing instruction over mobile phone by volunteer teachers, each of them being responsible for a group of students. Finally, CLP is moving ahead with a definite plan to hold its 2020 Annual Event virtually on October 3, 2020 with participants and audience drawn from the US, Bangladesh, and other parts of the world. While these efforts are no substitutes for regular face-to-face interactions, until normal conditions return or “new normal” is settled on, they keep the little lamps of learning, however flickering, light- ed. We thank you, our valued donors and sponsors, for supporting us throughout our journey, so far. We seek your continued generosity to help us maintain the CLCs and SCRs that you helped establish. We like to dream of a digitally connected, productive and prosperous Bangladesh. Come, dream with us. From virtual to real, through computers to prosperity, we will empower the underprivileged youths of Bangladesh to enter the realm of hope by crossing the digital divide Page 2 Map of CLC Inside cover and SCR locations Annual Event Page 1 Program Highlights Page 2 Page 3 2020 Table CLP Message of Contents Page 5 Page 8 Distinguished Speakers Still We Strive Page 8 CLP Activities in Bangladesh During COVID-19 Page 10 COVID-19 Interrupted My CLP Magazine, 2020 Attempt to Start a CSAW Project Cover Design: Ashraful Huq Page 11 Page 13 My Experience A Visit to Suapur in Long Distance Nannar High Teaching School CLC and SCR Page 15 CLCs and SCRs and Sponsors Page 28 Page 29 Donation Patrons of Pledge Form Computer Literacy Program Corporate Sponsors Page 37 and Donors Page 3 Page 4 Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal obtained his Bachelors in Physics, Masters in Theoretical Physics from Dhaka University and Ph. D in Experimental Physics from University of Wash- ington, Seattle. He did his post-doctoral work at Caltech and worked as a research scientist at Bell Communications Research, New Jersey, USA. He returned to Bangladesh in 1994 and joined Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet as a Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He retired from the university in 2019 after working for almost 25 years. Dr. Iqbal was a pioneer in the development of Bangla computerization in the country. He set up a local area network with fiber optic backbone at SUST, the first of its kind in a public university in Bangladesh. He was instrumental in providing computer education and the Internet to the students and teachers of this university. In nineties he introduced mandatory computer courses for every student of SUST. In the year 2009 he introduced registration of university admission using cell telephone for the first time in Bangladesh which opened a new horizon in digital activities of Bangladesh. He and his team were awarded various national and international awards for this remarkable achievement. He also lead the team to develop “Pipilika” the first Bangla Search engine. He was awarded HEQEP (Higher Edu- cation Quality Enhancement Project) twice, once for Total Computerization of SUST, which made SUST the most ITC enabled university of the country. Right now he is leading the second HEQEP project for Industry-University collaboration on Bangla computerization. Md. Zafar Iqbal is a prolific writer, the author of more than 220 books on science, mathemat- ics, science fiction and novels. His books earned him numerous awards including the pres- tigious national Bangla Academy Award.