Midnight stars

When, yesterday evening, the opposition declared a countrywide shutdown for today, Thursday, the British Council, and all the students taking their exams today, were scrambling to figure out what to do.
At 10:30 PM last night, we were given confirmation that the exams would happen today, but also that the one our students are taking would start at 11:45 PM.
Please pray for the students, I think they will be awake tonight, but I wonder how they will be doing tomorrow afternoon when they have to take another test after a night without much sleep.
Also do pray for Bangladesh and for the political situation here.

While we can discuss the justification for calling a general strike when 33 opposition politicians are arrested in one day, there is hopefully no harm in taking a little pleasure in one of the common ways objections are shown. I wonder about the hunger anybody will feel after not having eaten for a full two hours...

O Level Candidates 2012

We are proud to have our 3rd group of students take their O Level Exams at the end of Grade 10. There are just four of them and their exams are scheduled to begin on Monday, 7 May 2012. They, their parents and all of us at the school have big hopes for them.

We hope they do well in their exams, we hope they get into good schools to continue their education, we hope they stay healthy throughout the month of exams and perhaps uniquely for Bangladesh, we hope the opposition will not find more to call general strikes over for the time being.

During the last two weeks we have had first three and then two days of shut-downs (hartals) in Bangladesh. They have been linked to the disappearance of a member of the main opposition party.

Our students have to travel 30 km (17 miles) to get to the exam venue in Dinajpur and will be in trouble if we can’t get them there or if the exams are cancelled. The exams are international exams, and while it might be possible to re-schedule to the next day, the British Council and Cambridge International Examinations have informed us, that if this is not possible, we will have to re-register for the next available exams in November this year or in May/June next.

We have other hopes too, for bright futures, lives that honour God, for joy, happiness and all good things.

Please pray with us for Adib, Omika, Oli and Priyana.