A programming workshop is organized daylong on Tuesday, September 4 at Munshiganj Public Library.
The coding workshop was the first of many to be organised by Libraries Unlimited, a BMGF funded project delivered by the British Council in partnership with the Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs that aims to modernize the libraries of Bangladesh and improve public access to information and knowledge – a key part of which involves the introduction of coding educational resources in public libraries.
The event was attended by over 150 children from ages 10 to 16from local government schools and provided the opportunity for them to learn some introductory programming using the latest in educational technology from the UK.
The workshop was assisted by a team of volunteers from Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN) The volunteers provided guidance to the students on how to use the new devices and create computer programs.
Mishal Islam, a volunteer at the event, said “it was really a memorable workshop for me and our volunteers. We hope that both the British Council and BdOSN will go a long way encouraging our enthusiastic children into programming.”
Rafia Sultana, the librarian to the Munshiganj Public Library, said “The programming workshop is a great initiative to introduce new technologies to school goers. This type of program will have a great impact in changing the common perception of libraries and publicize the library as a center for interactive learning.”
According to British Council’s Model Library and ICT Manager, Tamim Mostafa, “This workshop only marks the beginning of our push to get the children of Bangladesh interested in coding, and more workshops are already being planned for public libraries nationwide.”
Speaking of the attendance, British Council’s Technical Lead for micro:bit, Dr. Timothy Green, added “We were happy to note that over half of the participants of this event were female. We want kids to understand that coding is not something to be afraid of or is too difficult. If you’re interested – anyone can learn, and it really is an extremely useful skill to have, going forward in life.”
These views were echoed by a good number of children at the end. According to 16-year-old Tanzim Akhter Rafa, “Coming here, I’ve learned something new and really had a lot of fun. This kind of workshop was not done before and it felt really good to learn something new.”
Samia Islam Othoi, 14, also said, “I’ve felt something pleasantly different by taking part in this coding workshop. I think this workshop needs to be spread out all over Bangladesh so that students from different districts can take part in it.”