Keeping kids in school

OFP’s Bluebell School offers classes up to Year Five. Education in Bangladesh is compulsory until the end of Year Eight and the government has prioritized education of girls and women. However, it is not uncommon for students to leave school earlier either for marriage or employment, with some traveling as far as Dhaka to find jobs. Currently all the graduating students at Bluebell plan to continue their education at nearby secondary schools. OFP will help these graduates by paying any admission fees, assisting them to obtain documents, providing a stipend for textbooks and supplies and some support for tuition costs. After they complete secondary school, Bluebell graduates will also receive free tuition at OIST if they wish to study there. Contributions from international donors go directly to keeping these young people in school.

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Enhancing research ethics for BSN students

Unlike most North American undergraduate nursing programs, BSN graduation from IUBAT has always required a major research project in the final year. Over the past decade, IUBAT has further strengthened the opportunities and expectations for faculty research. Therefore, IUBAT College of Nursing coordinator Shuvashish Das Bala recently completed a training course in Research Ethics through the Centres for Medical Ethics and Global Health at the University of Oslo. The course involved seventy hours of study and covered basic tools for members of research ethics committees evaluating biomedical and health related research in different contexts.

Research ethics is an important topic for global health care and global justice, especially because of the increase in biomedical research in low- and middle-income countries. According to the course sponsors, “This increase is due to varied reasons such as lower costs for the pharmaceutical industry, more flexible or non-existent regulations and little training of research ethics committees…. This course will offer a research ethics and human rights framework concerned with the defense of the dignity, safety, and well-being of research participants.”

Shuvashish writes, “Presently I teach the Research in Nursing course for BSN students and assist graduating students with their research reports, ensuring adherence to ethical standards. Because it encouraged critical thinking, this course was incredibly enriching. Case studies from different cultures helped me develop profound understanding of the impact of ethics on human lives. In the future, I hope to join the IUBAT Research Review Committee, where I can apply the knowledge I gained from this esteemed course.”