Nursery school outside Cox's Bazar

Last week, John and I visited a one-room school house about 20 kilometers south of Cox's Bazar. The rural classroom was built for children of impoverished area fishermen, many of whom are illiterate.

The school, including all materials, the instructor, even the building, is funded by the Rotary Club of Cox's Bazar Shaikat.

It's just one of dozens of schools various Rotary clubs have constructed in rural areas across Bangladesh, especially in remote tribal areas where the government cannot afford to do it.

Our visit was unexpected, and the children's faces lit up when we walked in. Some 60 students were seated on a hardened dirt floor -- no desks -- in organized rows split by a walkway down the middle of the room. In front of them lay simple workbooks and a pencil.

A couple of students were selected to come before us and count to 10, first in Bengali, then in English. The children, ages 4 to 6, get two years of school, free of charge, our Rotarian guides tell us.

For some of the children, this may be the only formal teaching they receive.

By age 6 or 7, they're old enough to assist on the boat, which is the family's only means of income.

An education is often their best chance for a different life.

It's particularly important for the girls to continue on to primary school, because they often are kept at home to care for younger children and can pass on their knowledge. Before we left, a girl sang for us.