DHAKA, Feb 16, 2020 (BSS) – Roksana Akter, 26, hailed from Sadar Upazila of Rangpur District, has changed her livelihood by taking technology-based training from the government recognized renowned training centre and doing job at one of the largest business group in Bangladesh, PRAN-RFL.
She had been fighting with poverty since her childhood as her eight members family lived in other’s land and her porter father and day labour mother were unable to ensure proper food and education for them.
“I am the fourth of the six daughters of my parents. From the very beginning, we have been living in other’s land. My parents were unable to send us to school due to terrible financial crisis. Despite of such limitations, I always had a keen interest on studies,” said Roksana while sharing her bitter experience with BSS about her life at the early stage.
For the keenness of education, Roksana’s parents got her admitted to a UCEP school in Rangpur Pourosova New Jummapara area in 2012 in Class-Two. She was doing well in her education, but in the year 2016 while she was in Class-Eight, Roksana’s guardians tried to convince her for getting early marriage.
Even one of her elder sisters deliberately pressurized her to get married but she remained firm against it. Roksana’s class teacher came to know about the matter and promptly informed the Child and Woman Rights Advocacy (CWRA) department about this issue. Then CWRA unit stepped up along with her class teacher to stop this unlawful marriage.
Roksana boldly faced the situation and appeared in the Junior School Certificate Examination (JSC) in 2016 and passed successfully.
After passing out, she got herself admitted in the Electrical Installation and Maintenance (EIM) trade in January-June 2017 session under UCEP Rangpur Technical School. She successfully completed the six months Technical Training course from UCEP Bangladesh and later the Job Placement team of UCEP Rangpur Region provided her with a Job at PRAN-RFL factory of the Kaliganj area under Tongi of Gazipur district.
Since then, she is working as a Technician and earning a decent salary of Taka 9,500 with free accommodation. “Now, I am able to make a significant contribution to the family’s expenses. At present I am trying to buy a land for my family. Very recently my parents took a loan from NGO for buying the land, while I am paying the monthly installments of the loan,” Roksana said.
Roksana expressed her gratitude to her class teacher and UCEP Bangladesh for all the support and opportunities.
Talking to BSS, UCEP Director Md Iqbal Hossain said UCEP Bangladesh envisages a society upholding good governance where all children and youth are able to develop their potentials in a child and youth friendly environment without any discrimination.
The non-government organization (NGO) started its journey back in 1972 by a New Zealander, Lindsay Allan Cheyne who came to Bangladesh originally to help war victims, he informed.
“UCEP Bangladesh envisages a society where all children and youth are able to develop their potentials without any discrimination. Contributing to the SDGs, it aims to ensure that about 1,40,000 children and youth avail quality education, demand based TVET and skills development which at least 50 percent will be female and five percent people with disabilities,” he added.
Recently, Iqbal said, the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), registered UCEP Mirpur Technical School, UCEP Ambagan Chattogram and UCEP Jatrabari Technical School, Saddam Market, (Matuail) Jatrabari, Dhaka.