Urban Education Solution

Education Program

The education program is designed to teach the citizens of urban Bangladesh about the infrastructure changes taking place. For example, they will learn about the waste water treatment plants and how this will affect their lives. It is not meant to be a lecture, but instead an open forum where knowledge is freely passed between all parties. Experts, students, and citizens of the cities will be encouraged to attend. Members of government will also be in attendance and NGO's will be responsible for mediating. It is meant as both a space for learning but also for promoting communication between all stakeholders involved.

The focus will be on sanitation in the cities, especially in the urban slums. Habits will be discussed and easy tips will be given. It is important here to use non-judgmental tones and fully understand the culture behind sanitation habits. The new public showering and compost toilet facilities will be addressed and locations given. In order for these to be successful, the users must be enthusiastic about the change. This forum will hopefully be the building block for this enthusiasm. In addition, the attendees will learn how to spread the word in their own areas of the city for those that did not attend. This will encourage word-of-mouth distribution of knowledge which will reach more of the population.

This forum will take place several times a year in all major and densely populated cities. These cities include: Dhaka, Khulna, Sylhet, Chittagong, Barisal, Rangpur, Rajshahl among others.

Incentives will be given to encourage people to attend. These incentives will be distribution of small scale, household level water treatment such as iodine drops. They will be taught how to use the treatment if they do not already have the knowledge. These education programs are important to ensure long-term integration of the other urban solutions as well as promote healthier sanitation habits.

Drawbacks and Unintended Consequences

The biggest issue facing the establishment of the education program is willingness to attend. Even though the program is there, it does not mean people will attend. The incentive structure is there to reduce this issue, but it remains nonetheless. In addition, it will be difficult advertising the education program initially so that a large majority of the population is informed. This will hopefully be reduced over time with word of mouth. Also, it is an assumption that government employees and NGOs will be willing to contribute. Discussion will need to happen on whether these individuals will be paid as well. Finally, there could be cultural ramifications in accepting the solutions presented in the program.

Time Frame

Theoretically, the education program could be designed and implemented within a year. However, attendance and beneficial impacts will take several years to be seen. This is meant to be a longer term solution in that it is meant to ease the integration of all the urban solutions over time and through generations.

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