Education is the difference between a child who leaves an orphanage and a child who leaves poverty. Shelter and food keep a child alive; education is what changes the direction of their life. It is the reason we exist, and no child in our care is permitted to stay out of school.
Many of the children who come to us have already lost years of schooling. A child whose father died when they were seven may not have seen a classroom since. A child who was working to support a sick mother may have never enrolled at all. Bringing these children back into education — and keeping them there — is the central work of this program.
Enrolment and full cost coverage
Every child at BS Orphanage Foundation is enrolled in a local school or madrasa appropriate to their age, ability and background. We cover the full cost of their education, so that no child’s schooling depends on whether money is available in a given month.
That coverage includes admission fees, tuition, examination and registration fees, textbooks and workbooks, notebooks and stationery, school uniforms and shoes, school bags, and transport where the school is not within walking distance. For children sitting public examinations, we cover coaching, form fill-up fees and examination materials.
Parents in Bangladesh commonly withdraw children from school not because they reject education but because a single unexpected cost — an exam fee, a new uniform, a set of books — becomes impossible. By covering everything, we remove that failure point entirely.
Catch-up learning for children behind their grade
A child who joins us at eleven having last attended school at seven cannot simply be placed in class six. Doing so guarantees failure and humiliation, and the child drops out again within months.
We assess every child’s actual academic level on arrival, independent of their age. Children who are behind receive intensive catch-up instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic before or alongside formal enrolment, with the aim of bringing them to a level where they can genuinely follow their class. Some children need a few months of this; others need over a year. We do not rush the process, because a child placed correctly and supported properly will outperform a child placed prematurely every time.
Supervised study at the facility
School attendance alone is not enough. Children who go home to a household with no books, no quiet space and no adult able to help them will fall behind regardless of how good their school is.
We hold supervised study hours twice daily — in the morning before school and again in the evening. Study sessions take place in a dedicated space with adequate lighting and desks. In-house teachers and tutors are present to explain what children did not understand in class, check homework, and prepare children for tests and examinations.
Older children who are performing well assist younger ones. This peer tutoring helps both: younger children get individual attention, and older children reinforce their own understanding while developing responsibility and teaching ability.
Tracking progress child by child
We maintain an academic record for every child covering attendance, term results, examination performance, teacher feedback and subject-level strengths and weaknesses.
These records are reviewed regularly. A child whose attendance drops, whose marks fall, or whose teacher raises a concern is identified quickly and given additional support — extra tutoring, a health check if illness is suspected, or a conversation if something in the child’s circumstances has changed. Problems caught early are usually solvable; problems noticed at the end of the year usually are not.
Sponsors supporting a specific child receive regular updates drawn from these records, including results, progress notes and photographs where consent permits.
Higher secondary, college and university
Our responsibility does not end when a child completes secondary school. Children who perform well academically are supported through higher secondary education and, where their results and ambition justify it, into college and university.
This support covers admission costs, tuition, books, accommodation where the institution is outside our area, transport and living expenses. Students at this level are also mentored on course selection, career direction and applications — guidance that children with families receive as a matter of course and that orphaned children almost never have access to.
Higher education sponsorships are funded by individual donors who commit to a particular student for the duration of their studies. These are our most transformative sponsorships: a single graduate can lift not only themselves but the family they eventually build.
Religious and general education together
Children who attend madrasa education receive the same academic support, tracking and materials as children in general schools. We do not treat one stream as secondary to the other, and children are placed according to their aptitude, background and — where they are old enough to have one — their own preference.
Many children pursue both, combining formal schooling with Qur’anic education delivered at the facility. Our Religious & Moral Education program is designed to complement academic schooling rather than replace it.
Beyond the syllabus
Children take part in reading activities, debate and recitation, art, sports and cultural programs. National and school competitions are encouraged and supported. Basic computer literacy is introduced from an early stage, since digital skills are now a prerequisite for almost any path a child might take after school.
These activities are not extras. For children who have experienced loss, the confidence that comes from performing on a stage, winning a match or completing a piece of work in front of others does more for their development than any lesson.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to a child who has never attended school? They receive intensive catch-up instruction in basic literacy and numeracy until they can be placed in a class they can genuinely follow, regardless of how long that takes.
Are children sent to government schools or private schools? Children attend local schools and madrasas near the facility, selected on the basis of quality, distance and the individual child’s needs.
Does BS Orphanage Foundation run its own school? Children attend external schools. We provide catch-up teaching, supervised study support and tutoring in-house.
Can I sponsor one child’s education specifically? Yes. Education sponsorship covers a named child’s full academic costs, and sponsors receive regular updates on that child’s attendance, results and progress.
Do you support children through university? Yes, where results and circumstances justify it. Higher education sponsorships are funded by individual donors committing to a student for the duration of their course.
What happens if a child struggles academically? They receive additional tutoring and, where appropriate, a shift in emphasis toward vocational and skills training so they leave with a practical livelihood regardless of academic outcome.