Founder Message
Mrs. Farhat Khan, Mrs. Shereen Ispahani & Mrs. Bilquis Iqbal Dada Directors of CGS
CGS believes in the 3 core values of Courage, Generosity and Service, based on which the houses that students belong to are named at the school. We believe this serves as a direct way of inculcating these values in our students and the CGS community. Much of our work can be seen through the lens of these values, which often inspires us to take action. In 2012, as we were contemplating ways to expand our service for those who are underprivileged in our immediate community, the idea of launching a community school was born as a way to create access to CGS facilities and resources for the children of CGS staff who could not afford to send their own children to CGS. Without any assurance of whether this idea would work, we started the journey with a clear intention and determination to find a path forward.
The CGS Community School (CS) started with a small cohort and only offering classes for younger years, with additional years added as the children moved up. While it initially started with the children of CGS staff, it has now been opened up to children from underprivileged backgrounds in the areas that CGS is operating in. It was rewarding to witness the generosity of spirit with which donors from within the CGS community and beyond, came forward to support the CS both through in-kind and monetary contributions. The CGS team and students also stepped up to volunteer their valuable time and energy to materialize the vision of the CS. We are deeply grateful for this tireless support and effort that enabled the community school to not only expand to multiple locations in Chittagong and Dhaka, but also to sustain over a decade and truly flourish by unlocking the latent talent of CS students. In a most encouraging recent development, a number of students from the CGS CS have received local scholarships to take their education forward. This is a testament to their talent, hard work and commitment towards their education. The drive of CS students to have a better life for themselves through the pursuit of education, is most rewarding to witness on their journey as learners. It also serves as clear evidence of the impact that a supportive environment can have, which has been dutifully provided by the teachers and the school leadership.
What has already been achieved is beyond what we could have envisioned when the CS was initiated and we hope to see it grow further and serve more children in the CGS community and beyond. CGS believes in the talent of all children and we have always tried to nurture, develop and unleash this talent. Living in an unequal society like Bangladesh, in the midst of an increasingly unequal world, we are trying to create access to education for those that are often left behind and underserved. For the students of the CGS CS, they are gaining access to resources that seemed out of reach and only reserved for the privileged in our society. We would like to envision a world where quality education is democratized and all children have the opportunity to pursue a path that can lead them towards realizing their full potential. We also hope that other academic institutions will come forward and replicate the model as we have experienced that it can work and it is truly exciting to imagine a world with a network of such schools across the country. Please join us to make this vision a reality.
– Mrs. Farhat Khan and Mrs. Shereen Ispahani, Directors of CGS
Mrs. Ayesha Dada, Director of CGS
At CGS Community School, my involvement has been guided by a simple but powerful belief: a classroom can become a meeting point of two worlds—one where resources are abundant and another where opportunity is scarce. Watching children from disadvantaged backgrounds thrive when given access to the same books, uniforms, and meals as their peers has been one of the most profound lessons of my career. It has shown me that equity in education is not an abstract ideal, but a lived reality when schools commit to sharing their resources.
Our journey has been strengthened through partnerships with organizations that share this vision. With the Sajida Foundation, we piloted Khan Academy mathematics classes, bringing localized, mastery‑based learning into our classrooms. This initiative enables teachers to guide students through personalized practice, supported by real‑time data and AI‑driven teaching tools. In collaboration with Inner Circle, we trained our CS teachers in the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model—the first of its kind at this level in Bangladesh. This pioneering step reflects our commitment to inclusive education, ensuring that every child, regardless of background, can learn in a supportive environment.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the founder directors of CGS and to carry forward both their vision and my mother’s legacy of compassion and excellence in education. Their example continues to inspire me to ensure that our community school remains a beacon of equity and innovation for future generations.
We believe that if this model can be scaled, it has the potential to transform how schools across Bangladesh and beyond approach equity. By sharing resources, embracing innovation, and fostering inclusion, schools can become true engines of social change. At CGS Community School, we are proud to be at the forefront of this vision, and I remain committed to ensuring that our work continues to inspire and empower communities for generations to come.
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