Beyond Grades Cohort 2.0 by EMK Centre ends
After the immense success of the first cohort where students from sixth grade secured international funding for their social enterprise projects to be implemented at their respective schools, EMK Centre has now dropped the curtains to the second cohort of the innovative project Beyond Grades.
The winning team of this year's cohort pitched the idea of financial inclusion and independence of teenagers by involving national banks of the country, reads a press release issued in this regard.
For the second cohort, 31 students from Saint Joseph Higher Secondary School completed 22 virtual classes and three focused-group discussions in a span of 2.5 months.
The closing of the cohort was organised through a pitching session at the EMK Centre where the students presented their "out-of-the-box" ideas in front of the judges.
Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands First Secretary Bas Blaauw joined the session virtually.
Manik Mahmud, head of Social Innovation Cluster at a2i, and Asif Uddin Ahmed, associate professor at ULAB and acting director of the EMK Centre, also participated in the judging panel along with Blaauw.
Wahid Hossain, the lead facilitator to the cohort, said, "Kids in Bangladesh have immense potential. It is a privilege that I could aid them in their developing stage through EMK and a2i.
"In the near future, I hope Beyond Grades can serve a greater number of students nationally."
An entrepreneurial educational initiative that nurtures entrepreneurial mindset among school-going students between the age of 11-15, this project aims to build the future generation with skills that will help them solve pressing issues of Bangladesh through creativity, innovation, and leadership, added the release.
Along with EMK, Aspire to Innovate-a2i, and the Cabinet Division supported by UNDP are partners to Beyond Grades.
Interested schools who want to take Beyond Grades to their campus to enrich their students are most welcome to contact the EMK Center. The entrepreneurship team at EMK can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].