EMK Center launches “BeyondGrades” initiative in partnership with a2i
EMK Center has launched its "BeyondGrades" in partnership with Aspire to innovate (a2i) initiative of the government of Bangladesh with the students of Birshreshtha Munsi Abdur Rouf Public College (BMARPC).
Under this initiative, EMK Center is aiming to create an entrepreneurial mindset among the school students for solving pressing issues of Bangladesh through creativity, innovation, and leadership, said a press release issued by EMK Center on Saturday.
The virtual inauguration of the initiative was held on Thursday.
Representatives of the organiser EMK Center, a2i, principal of BMARPC, international advisors of BeyondGrades, student and their parents, and teachers were present during the virtual inauguration.
The program will be carried out in 7 stages and the organisers have already selected 30 students through their first stage.
The program consists of 20 classes that are designed to influence the children to develop problem-solving and leadership attitudes, the release said.
The current goal of BeyondGrades is to finish their 10 cohorts with 10 different schools to develop future entrepreneurs/intrapreneurs to impact the Bangladesh economy with 300 graduates, said Manik Mahmud, Head of Social Innovation Cluster of a2i.
In regards to the newly launched initiative, Program Lead of BeyondGrades Wahid Hossain said, "We often hear that the children are the future of the nation, I believe the children are the present of the nation. They need the right tools to develop leadership skills and this program is designed to do so."
"The life that does not have a failure, does not have growth. Those are the qualities that we want to insinuate among the students", said Asif Uddin Ahmed.
George Tsiatis, CEO & Co-Founder of The Resolution Project, who is also an advisor of BeyondGrades added, "This program is just not innovative in Bangladesh, I think it is also innovative globally".
He also said that the strength of this program is to allow the students to learn more, they can explore themselves and the world more with their curiosity and courage.
UNDP Accelerator Lab is currently working for the youth so that they get maximum opportunities to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. M M Zimran Khan, Head of Exploration, UNDP Accelerator Lab, said, "This program is quite essential in Bangladesh especially during the pandemic".
He also added that Programs like this bring a positive impact on the economy as well as the employability rate.
