Classroom on water: Bangladesh’s floating schools

In the flood-prone wetlands of Bangladesh, solar-powered “floating schools” are ensuring that children continue learning even when seasonal floods submerge villages and cut off roads.

Ten-year-old Safikul Islam eagerly waits each morning at the edge of his flooded village in Bhangura, western Bangladesh, for the solar-powered classroom to arrive at his doorstep. His home is located deep within Chalan Beel, a sprawling 26-square-kilometre wetland where rising waters frequently isolate communities.

Launched in 2002 by architect Mohammed Rezwan using $500 from his scholarship funds, the initiative has grown into a nationwide model operated by the non-profit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha (SSS). Today, over 100 boats serve as mobile schools, libraries, and clinics, educating more than 22,000 students. The project recently won the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy in recognition of its innovative approach.

In Chalan Beel alone, around two dozen boats serve as classrooms, visiting riverside villages six days a week. Built from local timber and equipped with benches, blackboards, bookshelves, and solar-powered lights and computers, these boats enable education to continue uninterrupted, even during severe floods.

“Currently, we have 2,240 pupils enrolled in 26 boat schools,” said Madhusudan Karmaker, a senior SSS manager. “During floods, these boats also serve as shelters for displaced families.” Classes run in three daily shifts, covering Bengali, mathematics, and general knowledge, as teachers navigate narrow waterways to collect students.

Parents like Sufia Khatun see the difference firsthand. “We never had the chance to study, but this boat lets our children dream of a better future,” she said. Teachers like Sakhina Khatun, with over a decade of experience, note that floating school initiatives have inspired similar projects in Nigeria, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

Founder Rezwan added, “Giving these children access to education and healthcare, and seeing it replicated worldwide, gives me motivation.” These floating schools, he said, never close-even in the face of flooding.