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A lively Modern Education and Training Institute (METI) handmade school in the heart of Dinajpur's Rudrapur village is recognised as 'Anandaloy', a wondrous learning place. The atmosphere of this school carries such an aesthetic and harmonious vibe along with its greenery beauty that simply adds pleasure to the eyes and fills each soul with limitless wisdom.
Here, each wall tells the tale of this school's journey, and every whisper of the wind reveals the unique treasures of knowledge. It's enhancing Dinajpur's quality of education and flourishing as the token of cultural beauty.
It is in Rudrapur village of Mangalpur union of Birol upazila of Dinajpur District. The purpose of establishing this school was to educate the people of Birol Upazila, as an educational institute was absent. It was established on 1st September of 1999. They teach from play groups to 10th-grade students.
In 1997, Anna Heringer, an architect from southern Germany, came to Bangladesh for volunteer work with a Bangladeshi NGO named Dipshikha. Dipshikha works for the deprived people of rural areas and makes awareness regarding the importance of education, social well-being, and skills development.
Dipshika first took this initiative to educate those rural people. Paul Cherwatigga, the former director of Dipshikha, appointed Anna Heringer as an architect for this project. Heringer has played a vital role in raising funds from a German NGO named - 'Shanti'. The total amount was USD 35,000.
Anna Herringer and her colleague Eike Roswag worked together and developed this design. In 2005, the construction was completed. The main attraction of this METI school is its symbolic design, which is completely environmentally friendly.
Soil, straw, sand, bamboo, rope, wood, tin, rod, brick and cement were the main ingredients during the construction of this building. Its walls are mixed mud, with damp proofing applied to the base. The building's walls are plastered with clay and sand. Palm oil and soap paste are used to plaster floors.
The building's exterior was not plastered. The first story of the structure, which is 9 feet high, has a roof covered with bamboo mats. Wood and bamboo are used in combination for two-story roofs ahead of 10 feet tall. Tin is placed on top to keep rain out. This building is a two-story, mud-built structure of 8,000 sq. ft.
Their studying style is unique and quite different from other Dinajpur schools. To develop a child's mental well-being, they practice various types of co-curricular activities. The main 4 streams on which these activities have been prepared are - knowledge, Structure formation, Skills enrichment and values.
This particular school doesn't have a luxurious chair table. Students sit on the mats on the floor, as it's also a tradition in Bangladesh. The school authority always enhances both students' knowledge and communication skills. They practice dancing, singing, acting, painting competitions, debate competitions, writing sessions and storytelling sessions. They also celebrate most of the festivals listed in Bangladesh, like Pahela Baishakh, Pahela Falgun, Independence Day, Mother Language Day, Victory Day, and so on. Right now, the school has more than 430 students.
One former student, Sanjida Akter Sima, shared her experience when she was a student there.
“When I was a student of METI school, my daily school activities included participating in PT exercise firstly, then singing the national anthem, and meditation for 1 hour. We had to share whatever we used to imagine and think about it in front of everyone. Then we joined classes.”
“At noon, after having lunch, we used to take a rest and sleep for 30 minutes. Then again, we joined classes. Some extra activities like cultural sessions, clay works, storytelling sessions, and colour sessions were arranged every month. We also participated in different science projects and hands-on practice sessions. Sometimes foreigners visited the school.”
The quality of education and the structure of the buildings are the two main things that amaze people about the METI. This handmade school project received 'Aga Khan Award' for incredible sustainable architecture in 2007. In 2009, the architect Anna Heringer received the 'Curry Stone Design Prize' for her elegant project work.
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