09 March 2009, Dhaka. World Bank Vice President for South Asia Region Ms. Isabel Guerrero and country head Mr. Xian Zhu paid a short visit to a BRAC school today and later called on the BRAC Chairperson and founder Fazle Hasan Abed.
In the morning Ms. Guerrero along with country representative Mr. Xian Zhu visited two classes in an urban cluster school, located in the capital's Badda area. Ms. Guerrero spent some time talking to the students about their education. Later Ms. Guerrero talked to some of the children's guardians and visited two of their homes.
Following the visit Isabel Guerrero stated, "I was inspired to see the bright and cheerful faces of girls and boys who are receiving holistic education in BRAC schools. The success and outreach of BRAC programmes demonstrates the high potential of Bangladesh and resilience of its people."
The school visit was followed by a meeting with BRAC's Chairperson and founder Fazle Hasan Abed at BRAC's Head office. Ms. Guerrero expressed interest in learning about the evolution of BRAC's programmes and social enterprises. They exchanged views on a number of other topics including the likely impact of the global financial crisis on the poor. Both agreed that the provision of quality education, at both primary and secondary levels, remains an important challenge for Bangladesh.
The delegation which also included other senior officials of World Bank was accompanied by BRAC Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain and Director of BRAC University Education Institute Erum Marium.
