Education powered by solar energy, fuelled by curiosity

It took a long boat ride, then journey by a bamboo raft, and hours of walking on steep hill paths to bring a single tall and big box to a remote school in Rangamati hill district under the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Inside the box was something the children had only heard and whispered about. “A big TV!” larger than anything they had ever seen, solar-powered Multimedia Classroom (MMC) facility.

When it finally reached the school and was set up, the wait proved worthwhile. As the first images flickered onto the screen, the classroom filled with gasps and laughter. Children leaned forward in wonder; their faces lit not just by the glow of the projector but by sheer excitement. For students in this remote corner of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), it was a moment that felt nothing short of magical. 

In Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban, 570 solar-powered classrooms have been installed under the Ecosystems Restoration and Resilient Development in the CHT (ERRD-CHT) Project, led by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, supported by the Embassy of Canda and implemented by Hill district Councils. By harnessing solar energy, the project ensures lessons can continue despite unreliable electricity and reduces dependence on the grid. Not only general schools, but also madrasas, orphanages, and schools for children with disabilities will benefit from this initiative.

Powered entirely by solar energy, the system is both eco-friendly and sustainable. Education specialists believe the initiative will not only lower dropout rates and boost classroom attendance but also spark students’ enthusiasm for learning. Above all, it will help bridge the gap giving children from remote and underserved communities equal access to modern education.

For twelve-year-old Moyna, a student of standard six, the experience is a revelation. “Before, I could only read the names of birds in books,” she says. “Now I can see them moving in the sky.”

Teachers are noticing a profound difference. Geography lessons once confined to static maps now come alive on screens, with rivers, mountains, and borders unfolding in vivid detail. “Students remember more, ask more questions, and stay engaged longer,” one teacher explained. “It has completely changed the atmosphere of the classroom and now students hardly miss attending school.”

Parents see the impact as well. For families in the hills, education is the single bridge to opportunity. “My daughter comes home telling me about planets and computers,” said Rokeya Begum, a mother in Bandarban. “It makes me believe her future will be brighter than mine.”

In the first phase, 40 educational institutions across 10 upazilas of the district have received the equipment. Eventually, a total of 141 institutions will be covered.

In classrooms once limited to chalk and paper, multimedia screens are opening new worlds for the children of the hills. Each lesson sparks questions, experiments, and conversations that never happened before. For Moyna and her classmates, learning has become an adventure. They are no longer passive recipients of knowledge but explorers, eager to see, touch, and understand the world around them.

Across the CHT, Global Affairs Canada supported UNDP’s work in Women and Girls Empowerment through Inclusive Education in CHT is reducing inequalities by bringing quality learning to children in remote and hard-to-reach areas. By introducing technology in classrooms, training teachers in pedagogy and gender-responsive teaching techniques and ensuring schools in remote areas have sustainable energy, these efforts are giving students the tools to dream bigger and aim higher. They are not only expanding access but also sparking curiosity in young minds.

Powered by the sun, these classrooms are lighting up young minds in the hills, one lesson at a time.