Bringing smile to two young faces

Two students of Supto Sikha Protibondhi Vidhyalaya, a school for children with special needs, have become a source of pride for Bera upazila as well as Pabna because their paintings earned a place in the prime minister's Eid greeting cards.   

The two students are going to be awarded Tk 1 lakh each from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for their work.

They are class-III students Hridoy Miah, 14, son of Sayeed Miah of Ratanganj village, and Rupa Khatun, 12, daughter of Alamin Khan of Mashumdia village.

Talking to The Daily Star, Bera Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Sobur Ali said according to a circular from the PMO, four children of the school had submitted their paintings  to the PMO before Eid-ul-Fitr.

Among the huge number of paintings  coming from across the country, the PMO selected the paintings  of Hridoy and Rupa for using those in the prime minister's Eid greeting cards, the UNO said."According to a letter from the Prime Minister's Office issued by the prime minister's assignment officer Afroza Binte Mansur (Gazi Lipi), it is confirmed that the two students will get Tk 2 lakh. Each of them will get Tk 1 lakh as the honorarium of their brilliant work," Bera UNO said.

Speaking to journalists, Miroz Hossain, Mashumdia union parishad chairman and also the founder of Supto Sikha Protibondhi Vidhyalaya, "It is a great opportunity that the paintings of the two students of the school have been used in the prime minister's Eid greeting cards. We will to go to the prime minister's office along with the students and their parents for receiving the money."

The school, which was founded in 2007, now has 280 students.

Fathers of the two students have thanked the prime minister for awarding their children.

"When my son grew as a mentally challenged boy, as a father I was frustrated. But my mentally challenged boy now brings pride for us and the people of Pabna," said Hridoy's father Sayeed Miah.