23 January 2013, Dhaka. On 11 January 2013, the grand finale of Deepshikha – a cultural competition for BRAC pre-primary and primary students – was held at Rabindra Sarobor in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Competitions were held in four categories – song, dance, recitation, and drawing – with 106 students participating. A series of school, branch, district, and divisional level competitions were held since March 2012, and involved thousands of children from across Bangladesh, after which these talented finalists were selected to compete in the finale. The winners of last year’s competition also performed at the grand finale event. The culminating competition was very well-attended, drawing a huge audience eager to see the performances of these gifted students.
Renowned artists from different fields including Ferdous Ara, S. I. Tutul, Laila Hasan, Shimul Mustafa, and Kanak Chapa Chakma, served as judges and selected the winners from the participants. Dr Mahabub Hossain, executive director of BRAC, and joined by other BRAC directors, distributed the prizes to the winners.
In collaboration with the popular television channel, Channel I, five video episodes on the Deepshikha programme (two on the quarter-final, two on the semi-final, and one on the grand finale) have been prepared for telecasting. On 15 January 2013, just after the broadcast of the grand finale, a talk show on Deepshikha was also telecast on Channel I, where the Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Mr MM Niazuddin, renowned novelist Selina Hossain, and director of BRAC Education Programme Dr Safiqul Islam, participated as discussants. These broadcasts were aimed popularising the concept of co-curricular arts activities amongst Bangladeshi communities.
About Deepshikha
The Deepshikha competition series was first initiated in 2011 in an effort to encourage young students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to discover their hidden talents and express their creativity. This cultural competition is the latest of BRAC’s efforts to incorporate more experiential and kinaesthetic learning into traditional education in order to promote the holistic development of its students. Co-curricular activities in BRAC schools include songs, rhymes, drama, storytelling, drawing, games, and other practical hands-on exercises. BRAC believes that these sorts of activities help to develop a child’s social, emotional, and communication skills, creating more well-rounded students who will be more likely to succeed in the future.
Looking Forward
The response from students, parents, and communities to the Deepshikha programme has been overwhelmingly positive, and has helped to build support and enthusiasm for increasing co-curricular activities in BRAC pre-primary and primary schools.
The success of Deepshikha has inspired the BRAC Education Programme (BEP) to revisit the current structure of co-curricular activities. BEP plans to modify its programme of co-curricular activities to increase the emphasis on rhythmic and kinaesthetic intelligences within the curriculum, incorporating more physical and artistic activities. Currently Deepshikha is developing master trainers (MT) on drawing, song, and dance in order to enhance the capacity of local staff and teachers in these areas, enriching these practices in BRAC schools. Thirty local resource persons (LRPs) have also been appointed as part of a pilot programme to develop expertise in song and dance amongst teachers.
The participants of the Deepshikha competition will also be tracked and supported as they continue their education so that they can further develop their special talents. Deepshikha has been working with the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts), who offered training to Deepshikha participants in song, dance, recitation, drawing, etc. at their district-level academies all over Bangladesh. Shishu Academy has now also consented to provide training to Deepshikha participants at district Shishu Academies.
Thus, the Deepshikha programme is a promising initiative to enrich BRAC’s pre-primary and primary education and to inspire and engage its students. Deepshikha kindles the inner talents of underprivileged children, nourishing them and encouraging them to pursue education goals they would never have dreamed of before.
