Standard Chartered donates 25 laptops to char schools

Standard Chartered Bangladesh has donated 25 decommissioned laptops to Friendship to expand digital learning opportunities for secondary school students in climate-vulnerable char regions.

The donation builds on a healthcare and education partnership launched by Standard Chartered and the social purpose organisation in December 2025, according to a press release.

The education initiative supports five schools and aims to help students living on chars continue their secondary education, develop digital skills and connect with the wider world.

Children living on sedimentary river islands, particularly in the northern districts of Kurigram and Gaibandha, face significant barriers to education. Frequent flooding, river erosion and inadequate infrastructure often disrupt schooling, contributing to lower literacy and higher dropout rates, particularly among girls.

Since the partnership began, Starlink connectivity has been established across all five schools, providing reliable internet access and facilitating digital learning.

Pedagogical and subject-specific training for teachers is continuing. Student attendance and annual pass rates have also improved, while dropout rates have gradually declined, the organisations said.

With the network infrastructure now in place, the laptops will allow students to make greater use of the connectivity, access educational materials and participate in technology-enabled learning.

Standard Chartered Bangladesh Interim Chief Executive Officer Enamul Huque said, "Over the past year, our partnership with Friendship has delivered meaningful progress in expanding digital access and improving learning outcomes for students in the northern chars.

"With reliable connectivity now established across all five schools and encouraging improvements in attendance and academic performance, the donation of these laptops marks the next phase of our commitment to helping students make the most of digital learning opportunities."

Friendship Founder and Executive Director Runa Khan said, "Placing a laptop in the hands of a child living on a remote, shifting char is not simply giving them a machine; it is opening a window to knowledge, connecting them to a world beyond the river, and giving them the confidence, dignity and hope to imagine a future larger than the circumstances into which they were born."

Standard Chartered and Friendship have worked together since 2016 to support marginalised communities through initiatives covering health, education, agriculture and the environment.

The two organisations said they remained committed to expanding access to quality secondary education and equipping young people in climate-vulnerable communities with the skills needed to build a more resilient future.