Room to Read Bangladesh

Room to Read Bangladesh was officially established in 2008, and program operations launched one year later. Our Literacy Program encourages fluency and informs national curriculum, while our Girls’ Education Program builds upon the development of life skills to help girls graduate and negotiate key decisions.

Improving how children learn to read and write

Room to Read works directly in schools to improve literacy curricula for Grades 1 and 2 while also training and providing ongoing coaching to teachers and school librarians on how to effectively manage a library and conduct reading activities that encourage children to collaborate openly with their peers, explore different themes and topics through the lives of storybook characters and develop self-guided learning skills.

We have received widespread recognition from school leadership and parents for improving students’ academic performance, which has created opportunities to adapt its teacher training modules to be shared via the government website and reach teachers nationwide — an effort at severe risk of underfunding. Additionally, as funding allows, Room to Read is working to expand our curricula to include pre-primary education to ensure children entering Grade 1 have a strong foundation for future learning.

Increasing access to quality children’s books

To address a shortage of local-language books in Bangladesh, Room to Read trains local publishers, authors and illustrators how to develop quality books for children. Through this work, we are paving the way for a flourishing children’s book ecosystem, one that will ensure children across Bangladesh have access to quality reading materials for years to come. We're also training local governments and educators to implement libraries in every public school, making room for all children to access a diverse selection of engaging books, build strong literacy skills and nurture a lifelong love of reading.

Combatting harmful gender norms

Through our Girls’ Education Program, secondary school girls in Bangladesh are benefiting from individualized mentorship, peer-to-peer mentorship and life skills education. Key skills include leadership, resilience and critical thinking, which have proven essential in helping girls navigate challenges and key life decisions, including advocating for themselves and their peers to stay in school and graduate. As part of this work, Room to Read is working to benefit more girls in at-risk communities, including in Cox’s Bazar, a host community for 1.2 million refugees.

Partnering with the government

As we partner with new schools, district governments gain opportunities to learn and understand how — and why — our programs work. To close learning gaps in Bangladesh, we are working closely with the districts of Natore, Moulvibazar and Cox’s Bazar to integrate components of Room to Read’s model in schools district-wide.

In each region, Room to Read has established 'demonstration' schools, which are used as models of best practice to train government officials and educators to replicate effective literacy and girls’ education programs throughout the country. By engaging governments to lead this work long-term, and equipping government-level teachers to cascade trainings, Room to Read is systemically improving the quality of education in schools.