Christian Primary School is nurturing potential in a Bangladeshi slum

By Susan Akyeampong

Faisal, a 12 year-old boy, spent his early childhood in a rural Bangladeshi village, where his family struggled to make ends meet. When financial hardship forced them to relocate to the unfamiliar slums of Dhaka, their lives were turned upside down. In this new and challenging environment, Faisal’s uncle suggested Way of Light Primary School, a place with a strong reputation and affordable fees, and helped him enroll. This small step offered Faisal a sense of stability amidst the uncertainty of his new life.

Faisal struggled to adapt to his new school. Coming from a background where he had faced bullying and a lack of support, he was at first, mistrustful of the students and teachers around him. When he first started at the school, he regularly skipped classes and got into fights with other classmates.

With the support and encouragement of the teachers at Way of Life Primary School, Faisal gradually began to thrive. The school’s Project Director, Monayam explains, they regularly help students facing similar behavioural challenges. Over the course of a year, they witness many children flourish thanks to the stability and quality education they provide.

Our school is in the heart of a slum

“Our school is in the heart of a slum” Monayam says. “Slum children often are not in school. They spend the days playing in the streets, fighting, and even smoking. Many also collect and sell plastic to survive.”

Monayam, a Bangladeshi native and pastor, has been working with Christian organisations since 2000. In 2007, he and his wife went to the Philippines to study for a Masters in Theology.

Upon returning to serve with SIM Bangladesh, he became increasingly aware of the plight of slum children around him. He gathered a few parents from the community and asked why their children weren’t attending school.  It was simply too expensive. So, in 2013, with the help of two teachers—one believer and one non-believer—Monayam took a leap of faith and started what began as an elementary school, driven by a desire to change the lives of children living in poverty. What began that year with a single class of 30 students has grown into a primary school with 232 students.

Monayam believes that the school should be a nurturing environment, just like a mother’s care. He explains that the children truly need this support because many of them face difficult lives: “Children from the slums often experience abuse from parents, neighbours, and others in the community.”

It’s why he wants to demonstrate the love of Christ not only through the curriculum, which includes a weekly moral education class, but also through pastoral care. The school often follows up with parents when students are absent to understand their circumstances and offer support.

As a result, the school has earned a strong reputation in the community for improving the behaviour and attitudes of children just like Faisal.

Today, Faisal, a Year 4 student at Way of Light Primary School, is thriving, and his teachers are impressed by his progress. He has become one of the most polite, diligent, and helpful students in his class. His moral education classes have fostered a strong sense of empathy, motivating him to assist others in need, including his family and neighbours.

Faisal’s father is a rickshaw puller, his mother works as a domestic worker, and his older brother is employed in a garment factory. His younger sister also attends the school. While they are managing well, Faisal’s life could have been very different without Way of Light—he might have ended up working in a factory himself. Instead, school has inspired him to pursue a career as an eye doctor to help the poor, motivated by the loss of his grandfather to an eye illness that went untreated.

Way of Light is a place where children’s lives are being reshaped. By providing children like Faisal with both education and opportunities, they are instilling in them a heart for Christ and supporting their growth into responsible, compassionate young people, who will go on to make a positive impact in their communities.