Every year all foreign staff at LAMB, including at the school, apply for work permits from the Government of Bangladesh to work here. This year the work permits have been delayed as the government is looking into why we are all here.
The officials who have visited us from the local police station have been very helpful and have helped us as we seek to answer the queries from the government. Over the last couple of weeks we have received some of our work permits and give thanks for those.
Please pray for the remaining work permits.
22 March 2010
04 March 2010
Government liaison
It's been a hectic day...
Today started early, an application needed to be ready for departure at nine. I won't bore you with details about government registration details but this one has to do with the ministry of education - or at least the regional offices thereof knowing about the school.
We left right at nine and made it to Dinajpur where a friendly government official told us that it didn't make sense to start the process now since the matter would be moved to a different district from July.
During our talk we also asked for advice about the new standardised tests which the government administer and with getting books which the government distributes. He told us that Sunday was the deadline for requests for these. A little calculation of time - deducting the next two days because they are our weekend, left us with today for getting all the papers ready.
We went back to LAMB and except for a stop to pick up three people injured in an accident and getting them to the hospital went straight to our local education office. When we arrived there at about one the new municipality education officer gave us until two to submit lists of all students in each grade, their parents' names and their religion. A kind lady in the same office pointed out that this was about an hour away.
Back at the school we cancelled lunch break for all teachers who can type in Bangla and got to work. I left LAMB at three fifteen and was able to submit the papers - they kindly pointed out we had made a mistake, which I was able to correct on the spot. They then proceeded to offer us some of the school books we need for this year and asked me to come get them on Sunday.
I arrived back at LAMB at exactly four for almost three hours of parent teacher conferences.
I am grateful for the staff who all pitched in to help type the names in Bangla, to those who couldn't and so were asked to cover classes, to one who brought me hamburgers in the afternoon, to the finance people who got the banking information late yesterday afternoon so we could make the trip to Dinajpur, to the driver and our PR coordinator who came along on the trip. I am also thankful to the government officials who were so forthcoming with help and information today.
Most of all I am thankful to God who planned it so that we made the trip; had we not gone we would not have known about the deadline and missed it once again.
(In previous years we have been able to purchase books legally. The government has made it illegal to print and sell these particular school books because the free books weren't making it to the students.)
I am thankful to God for protecting us on the way.
Please pray especially for one of the injured people we brought to the hospital; she is stable but in a critical condition with possible internal injuries.
Today started early, an application needed to be ready for departure at nine. I won't bore you with details about government registration details but this one has to do with the ministry of education - or at least the regional offices thereof knowing about the school.
We left right at nine and made it to Dinajpur where a friendly government official told us that it didn't make sense to start the process now since the matter would be moved to a different district from July.
During our talk we also asked for advice about the new standardised tests which the government administer and with getting books which the government distributes. He told us that Sunday was the deadline for requests for these. A little calculation of time - deducting the next two days because they are our weekend, left us with today for getting all the papers ready.
We went back to LAMB and except for a stop to pick up three people injured in an accident and getting them to the hospital went straight to our local education office. When we arrived there at about one the new municipality education officer gave us until two to submit lists of all students in each grade, their parents' names and their religion. A kind lady in the same office pointed out that this was about an hour away.
Back at the school we cancelled lunch break for all teachers who can type in Bangla and got to work. I left LAMB at three fifteen and was able to submit the papers - they kindly pointed out we had made a mistake, which I was able to correct on the spot. They then proceeded to offer us some of the school books we need for this year and asked me to come get them on Sunday.
I arrived back at LAMB at exactly four for almost three hours of parent teacher conferences.
I am grateful for the staff who all pitched in to help type the names in Bangla, to those who couldn't and so were asked to cover classes, to one who brought me hamburgers in the afternoon, to the finance people who got the banking information late yesterday afternoon so we could make the trip to Dinajpur, to the driver and our PR coordinator who came along on the trip. I am also thankful to the government officials who were so forthcoming with help and information today.
Most of all I am thankful to God who planned it so that we made the trip; had we not gone we would not have known about the deadline and missed it once again.
(In previous years we have been able to purchase books legally. The government has made it illegal to print and sell these particular school books because the free books weren't making it to the students.)
I am thankful to God for protecting us on the way.
Please pray especially for one of the injured people we brought to the hospital; she is stable but in a critical condition with possible internal injuries.
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