A Discussion with Mitu, Christina, Bithi, and Moni, Students at Mirpur Agricultural Workshop and Training School, Dhaka, Bangladesh

June 22, 2014

Background: As part of the Education and Social Justice Fellowship, in June 2014 student Kendra Layton interviewed Mitu, Christina, Bithi, and Moni, students at Mirpur Agricultural Workshop and Training School (MAWTS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A Trust of Caritas, MAWTS was founded 1976 in response to a demand for technical-vocational schools after Bangladesh's war of independence again Pakistan. MAWTS offers a four-year diploma in engineering course, three-year mechanical course, and short, modular courses. MAWTS also has a unique model of training and production where students manufacture anything from tables to power tillers while gaining theoretical and practical knowledge. Mitu, Christina, Bithi, and Moni are female students who come from rural regions of Bangladesh and stay at the hostel in MAWTS. In this interview, they reflect on gendered expectations, their hopes for the future, and what they love most and least about Bangladesh.
Tell me a little bit more about yourselves.

Mitu: I am Mitu. I am 21 years old. I am in my third year of a diploma in electronics at MAWTS, and I am from Khulna Region.

Christina: I am Christina. I am 22 years old. I am in the electronics department and from Barisal.

Bithi: I am Bithi. I am 22 years old. I am in the electrical department and from Barisal.

Moni: I am 23 years old. I am in the electronics department and from Tangail.

How did you find out about MAWTS?


Christina: I found out about MAWTS from my uncle. He is director here.

Mitu: My uncle is a teacher at MAWTS in automobile technology.

Moni: I saw Caritas’ advertisement in a magazine.

Bithi: I found out about it from my cousin who works on the production side.

How did your family react to you coming to Dhaka and staying at the hostel?


Christina: They have supported me, and they are happy for me.

What is the most challenging part of being a student here?

Christina: The practical classes are difficult, but we face them.

Moni: We women are fewer in MAWTS. Some girls face problems from the opposite gender.

How so?


Moni: We have more rules than boys. We spend our free time in our room and cannot go outside without the permission of the hostel superior.

Mitu: Yes, sometimes we feel bored.

What will you do after completing the four year diploma?

Christina: We will take a good job as a diploma engineer. We will try to stay in Dhaka because our next studies will be here. We want to get a bachelor's of science [degree] in Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

What do you love most about Bangladesh? What would you change?

Bithi: I would change the political rules and some of the restrictions for women.

Moni: I would also change the politics and social rules.

Christina: We love our country so much, its culture, climate, and people. I would change the political rules and our youth. We have to improve our minds to work to change our world.  
Opens in a new window