Solar Powered Floating Schools – Bangladesh

If children cannot go to school during monsoon season because of flooding, then the school should go to them – by boat. This project came up with the idea of a solar-powered floating school. This provides maximum flexibility and can reach villagers who for logistical, social, or cultural reasons could not access a permanent institution.

Fast facts:

1,657 children aged 6-9 years, 8,858 adolescents and youth aged 12 to 25 direct beneficiaries;
7,673 parents and farmers trained on human rights, nutrition, sustainable farming, and marketing and climate change adaptations;
40,200 villagers reached through evening shows; another 33,855 are reached through other programs;
55% average increase in annual income of participating farmers.

The problem

Climate change has increased flooding in South Asia in recent years – one-third of Bangladesh floods annually during the monsoon season, but extreme floods cover up to two-thirds of the country. During monsoon season, many children are not able to attend classes, and often drop out. In addition, people in rural areas often drop out of school early to earn money for the family. And in rural areas, going to school can mean walking long distances, which leads parents to worry about the safety of their daughters.

The solution

The Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha organization operates a 56-vessel fleet of floating schools, libraries, health clinics, solar workshops, and floating training centers year-round. Another 55 boats work only in the monsoon season to provide transportation, shelter, storage, and emergency relief operations. Running for 10 years, the project also distributes clean-burning lamps to the families so their children can study at night.

The solar-powered floating school, which acts as a combination of school bus and schoolhouse, collects students from different riverside villages. When it finally docks at the last destination, onboard class are held. It has a classroom for 30 students, books, an Internet-linked computer/laptop, and other electronic resources. Students can learn how to use technology, watch educational shows, learn how to draw digital pictures, and visit educational websites. The school provides basic primary education up to fourth grade. It also introduces a river-based environmental curriculum that teaches how to protect the environment and conserve water.

Helping the planet

As a result of environmental education, farmers have reduced their use of pesticides, which decreases fish kills and saves beneficial insects. Parties involved in the project are working together to establish trees and grasses on the riverbanks, which slows soil erosion and runoff of polluted water. Illegal fishing on the river has also gone down, which protects endangered fish. In addition, solar lanterns prevent further carbon dioxide emissions.

Helping people

The project has ensured year-round schooling for children and reduced the dropout rate. Girls and young women can take full advantage of education delivered right to their doorsteps. Solar lanterns provide families with high-quality light at night for children to study and women to stitch to earn extra income.

Landless farmers have access to year-round employment opportunities, while promotion of floating farming and flood-resistant crops have ensured food and income for beneficiaries. Thousands of landless farmers no longer have to leave their villages in search of work during the monsoon season. The schools’ floating clinics also provide basic primary healthcare services to the communities.

Scaling up

The first school-boat was created in 2002. Since then, the program has received increased recognition and funding, and has thus been growing. The model can be replicated in any river-based community. Certain aspects of it, such as the solar lantern, flood adaptation, and integrated floating farming, are applicable in more diverse environments. There is strong potential for scaling up a business model to generate revenue for the floating classrooms, because the potential market for Surya-Hurricane solar lantern is estimated at 60% of the country’s rural population.