There are 16 children in each of the first four grades including the preschoolers here. There are 64 children in the first four grades and 65 in the remaining eight.
We have hired two new teachers to replace some of those who have left or are leaving, we are hiring another person to help out with practical tasks; housekeeping and admin support, we have spent the summer trying to get books, stationary and furniture for all the new children and we have made some repairs. We have received a blueprint for two new rooms on top of our current science building.
We have set standards high at the school, perhaps too high? In July two teachers were given a week of training, one of them left right after that, the third teacher since last summer to leave before really beginning to carry a load at the school, there are various reasons given; I think the task of teaching the level we aim for, and that in a foreign language is daunting. Pray that we will be able to support the new staff (and the old) in growing and learning new skills.
For our students there is not doubt that high standards are what we want. Last week three students got their results from the final exams after Grade 10 (English O Levels). We are pleased to report that the results were very good. The results came out just in time for them to take their provisional mark sheets with them to their new schools, one student left for India that same evening.
This summer we have also made progress in getting government registration for the school. There are three different sets needed; Two with the Ministries of Education (One each for primary and secondary education) and one from the NGO Affairs Bureau which allows foreign supported and staffed organisations to exist in Bangladesh. Please pray for perseverance and integrity as we pursue all the necessary permissions.
God has been good to us, we are sufficiently funded for the coming school year, we will have enough teachers once they return from home assignments, and we have been given good support by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education as well as extensions for from the NGO Bureau.
We have wonderful staff at LAMB who help out by taking classes and giving us other support throughout these months while four foreign teachers are away on home assignments. It is a blessing to be a part of LAMB, a big organization, but also in many ways a big family.
