Pledge Harbor School and Sports Academy (PHSA), first English medium boarding school for boys in Bangladesh, offers primary and secondary education of international standard.
Officials said its quality education will help reduce the trend of a large number of children to go neighbouring countries for study, and simultaneously attract foreign students here, considerably saving local currency.
The largest English-medium boarding boys’ school and sports academy of the country is located on 26 acre at Singair Dighi village under Maona in Gazipur district.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the school on October 16, 2011.
The PHSA initially offers classes from III to IX but higher classes will be introduced every year and the school will eventually offer classes up to class XII in future.
The school simultaneously offers professional sports certificates to those who are interested in taking sports as their career, officials said.
“Our target is to make the PHSA one of the top class English medium schools firstly in the South Asia and thereafter throughout world,” Martin F Mai, school Director and Principal of PHSA, said.
Mr Martin expressed the vision to a group of journalists, who have recently visited the school. The school’s Vice Principal Christopher Boyle was present at the time.
About 10-15 thousand students from Bangladesh go abroad for study every year; PHSA hopes to attract them providing international standard education at home, Mr Martin said.
Some 70 boys including a foreign student have already got admission at the first session of the school with capacity of teaching maximum 1,080 students. Its teacher student ratio is 1:20.
PHSA provides a ‘holistic approach’ that addresses the intellectual, physical and social components of development.
With the motto “Discover Your Potential”, Pledge Harbor offers boys from all over the world with international standards in terms of facilities and amenities.
The school follows the Cambridge International Curriculum for grades 3-8, International General Certificate for Secondary Education (IGCSE) for grades 9-10 and is aiming to receive accreditation for the International Baccalaureate (BI) for grades 11-12.
Efficient and well-trained teachers of international recognition were recruited to ensure quality education for the students.
Other facilities include: food and lodging, medical facilities, indoor multipurpose hall, indoor gymnasium and fitness room, convention centre, sports fields for cricket and football, one outdoor hard court, labs for biology, chemistry, physics and IT, security and fire detection systems, library, teacher resource centre, swimming pool and tennis court.
Application form for admission can be collected from its corporate office at Dhanmondi in Dhaka or from website.