only son Sohag third. The two sisters read in Class III while Sofiag reads in Class 1. The school is located In their village.

Kalpana said that she was pinning all her hopes on them. Before Sohag's birth, seven years ago. she left her husband when he got married for the second time. But. because of

For a maidservant to have her children educated is more an illusion than a reality, but sometimes the unreal geta realised.

Kalpana, who works at a flat in the city, wants her children, a son and two daughters, to go to school and study at least up to Class-V so that they, when grown-up, can write to their mother.

• To translate my desire into action I have to enter Dhaka city leaving my kids behind", said 32 years old Kalpana. The * children are now being looked after by their grandmother in the village of Charkumra under Kotwall thana of Fa-ridpur district.

It's not the government plan to raise the literacy rate in the country, which Inspires her to send her children ,to school, but a wild desire to have her son and daughters ' educated.

Though through media campaign she is aware of the slogan of the government 'education for all by 2000,"she knows nothing about the ministers and policy-makers addressing the public meetings and announcing the government's steps to free people from the curse of illiteracy.

T depend on my Initiatives for my Mds' education', informed Sabiha Karim alias Kalpana. Considering the edge of competitiveness provided by coaching, she also kept a tutor for her children,

Rekha is her first child. Tusho second and

her children she still has to maintain relations with the husband.

Two hundred and fifty taka, her own income, is too small to bear the expense of living and education. So Kalpana forced her husband to give her on an average Tk 350 per month. Her broth-ers-in-law and husband's bosses at his office have helped her a lot

"I want nothing from life but to educate my children", said Sabiha. She does not know how long It will be possible for her children to go to school, but she is not unnecessarily afraid of the future. She will think later how she will face life then.

Kalpana has known enough of life's misery. She had seen In her childhood how Kumar river washed away their houses,

their lands and everything. The landless family had move from door to door for a long time. Then a relative, giving a shelter, took pity on them. Even after twenty-two years there's no house which really belongs to her. Her tryst with destiny cannot after all be worse If her children get education.