Shamim Patwary and his quest to provide educative Aid

Edu@id is an educational institution that provides academic help outside of school or college.

History
He had been teaching at a similar organisation for about a decade when he saw that their
practices were unhealthy. He decided to right the wrongs and opened his own institution at the
end of last year.

The Interview
I had an interview with Mr.Shamim who is in his late 20s. I asked about his business and his
organisation, learned why he is still going on.

1. Why did you decide to do this?

Ans: I thought there was wrong doing in the other organisation and I did not want to be part of it.
I wanted to still cling to my dream of educating children. Bangladesh is a country where
education is in short supply. In a lot of schools and colleges the teachers are not qualified or
have alarmingly outdated knowledge. On top of that the pay isn’t good either. So I try to provide
what they don’t get in their schools or colleges.
2. Why should students come here rather than stay at home and study?
Ans: Most students are not meritorious they will procrastinate and end up neglecting their
studies, if they stay here they are under a constant studious environment with teachers in their
reach to help them with whatever they need.
3. How does your organisation work?
Ans: Students come here and attend classes of an hour on each subject and they also complete
the reading they need to in order to keep up with their syllabus. We have subject teachers and
guide teachers. Subject teachers have the responsibility of making sure the students can do and
know what they need to. Meanwhile guide teachers need to monitor individual performance.
4. What papers did you need to use to open this organisation?
Ans: None, In Bangladesh, the government eill refuse to improve the quality of education yet try
to stop those who try to do something about it. Yet we do our best to survive and do something
for the children. In the process many people also earn a living.
5. What would you say is different about your organisation?
Ans: We genuinely care about a students wellbeing, we see ourselves as parents and we are all
bound by that common selfless interest in the betterment of the students. A lot kf the time the
formal institutions that are supposed to provide this attention tend to treat these children like
livestock. Meanwhile here, we talk to the students. We know them personally and therefore
there is a human connection. It is something that is needed very much when you are trying to
educate someone.
Observation
Most of the things Mr. Shamim says is true, students do feel more connected and improve
gradually agter they join the institution. It is interesting to see that what the government
condemns may actually help the students. On the other hand, they get little to no time to
themselves and that can be mentally degrading. They are often pushed amd worked beyond
their limits which can be an unhealthy practice. On the other hand if the adolescents are let
loose they may just turn to doing as they please and that will create another problem.

Conclusion
In Bangladesh almost no business has formal and legal papers. This is why most of the revenue
earned is informal. Mr. Shamim Patwary may not have had papers but the relevant documents
and their descriptions are attached with this assignment. Having said that, it is important to point
out that for a real business in Bangladesh, papers may be irrelevant altogether, sometimes even
detrimental to the future of the business. This draws on a much bigger problem.

As far as the topic of coaching centers goes, one really needs to understand the present real life
situation and try to understand WHY people trust these organisations. Surely no parent would
pay extra if their child can already meet their expectations studying at home. Why are schools
colleges and studying at home not working? That is the bigger question. Until then the rationale
of the existence of these institutions is questionable.