Nestled at the top of a five story climb through a rustic building on the side of a quiet dusty road is the busy headquarters of Light of Hope. Wali Bhuiyan, CEO and Founder, purposefully strides in and takes a seat behind the desk, clasping his hands in front of him – a man on a mission. From 2014, Light of Hope began their journey to make learning interesting, engaging and fun for children. Adhering to the social enterprise’s vision, Light of Hope launched an online platform Goofy, which comes stocked with contents such as e-books, videos, apps designed for children (ages 4- 10).
Wali states, “The incentive behind Goofy is to offer personalised teaching tools for parents and teachers.” He interjects, “Globally 100 schools are using these contents to teach, and recently we have received feedback that these books have proved instrumental with children who struggle with learning disabilities.”
The young entrepreneur gravely comments on the conformity of our education system, saying, “Each student has their own approach to education.” Keeping this in mind and staying true to their offer of personalised education, Light of Hope now operates the largest Bangladeshi brand of afterschool program Kid’s Time.
Kid’s Time hosts physical versions of the contents found on their online platform, Goofy. “There are a few skills that need to be targeted,” Wali explains, “and they are creativity and problem solving, emotional intelligence, moral values and ethics.” With activities ranging from storytelling to devising experiments with science equipment, Kid’s Time aims to, “foster a child’s curiosity and creative skills while shaping the child to be a self-sufficient learner.”
Bursting with boundless energy, the young entrepreneur does not shy away from addressing the educational gap prevalent in our primary level. Alluding to the pre-existing schooling system, Wali emphatically explains, “The current schooling system is not equipping children to be relevant in the impending fourth industrial revolution.”
Setting his sights on the future, the entrepreneur muses that our competition is in fact with the global market. Over a cup of steaming tea, Wali divulges the next step to be taken by Light of Hope, excitedly relaying, “We decided we need to start developing a futuristic school model for the primary level. Our plan is that hopefully in the next two years we will convert our after-school programs into fully functioning primary schools.”
Wali maps out the trajectory for the future endeavours of Light of Hope, his unbridled enthusiasm palpable as he ruminates, “By 2020 or 2025, say we have about 50 schools running on our advanced model, then someone else can take this and replicate it throughout the country and even outside.”
With idealism glinting in his alert eyes, Wali Bhuiyan concludes, “Education is a matter of individualistic choices. We believe that an interactive education will provide value to the society and better equip the children for the future.”
Photographs: Light of Hope