Cox’s Bazar stakeholders discuss stronger partnerships between schools, municipality teams and student clubs to improve sustainable waste management practices under SWITCH Project.
Cox’s Bazar Municipality and Climate Innovation & Leadership Clubs (CILCs) held a coordination meeting on Thursday to improve collaboration on waste management and environmental activities in educational institutions.
MAGIC Initiative organised the meeting with support from BRAC under the SWITCH Project (Sustainable Waste Improvement: Transforming Community Habits) at the Zila Parishad Hall Room in Cox’s Bazar.
Representatives from Cox’s Bazar Municipality, educational institutions, CILC clubs, municipal waste management teams, teachers and students attended the meeting.
Representatives from 10 model institutions participating in the SWITCH Project took part in the discussions, which focused on improving communication between educational institutions and municipal teams, strengthening waste collection and disposal systems, promoting waste segregation at source and supporting student-led environmental initiatives.
Participants shared experiences from their institutions and discussed challenges related to waste disposal, collection, monitoring and coordination with municipal authorities.
Mohammad Golam Mostofa, District Education Officer of Cox’s Bazar, said students can play an important role in developing responsible environmental practices.
Gulshan Akter, District Primary Education Officer of Cox’s Bazar, stressed the importance of integrating environmental responsibility into educational institutions.
Abdur Rahim, Sanitary Inspector of Cox’s Bazar Municipality, emphasised the need for stronger coordination between educational institutions and municipal teams to improve waste collection and management.
Md Ruhul Amin Khan, Assistant Director of the Department of Environment in Cox’s Bazar, highlighted the importance of collective responsibility and youth participation in environmental action.
Other participants, including Dr Emdadul Hoque Mamun, Mondira Pal and Firoz Ahmed, Ward Supervisor of Cox’s Bazar Municipality, also discussed awareness-building, teacher engagement, student leadership and effective communication.
The meeting identified several priorities for the next nine months of SWITCH Project implementation, including regular communication between CILC clubs and municipal teams, improved waste collection coordination, source segregation, routine monitoring and greater institutional ownership of waste management activities.
CILC student representatives also shared their experiences and challenges in implementing waste management activities in their respective institutions.
The meeting concluded with a commitment from participating institutions and stakeholders to strengthen coordination and promote more effective waste management practices in educational institutions across Cox’s Bazar.
Under the SWITCH Project, MAGIC Initiative with support from BRAC is working to promote youth leadership, institutional engagement and practical action on sustainable waste management.
