DBBL awards scholarships to poor meritorious students

Rafiqul Islam is one of six children of a poor labourer in the northern district of Kurigram. His family had lost everything for his mother's treatment who was suffering from a terminal disease.

But, a determined Rafiqul continued his studies and worked as a salesman in a local dispensary at the same time. His hard work paid off and he passed Dakhil examination securing GPA-5 in 2012.

However, it became very difficult for him to continue studying and working at the dispensary.

"During the toughest time of my life, I applied for the Dutch-Bangla Bank scholarship and they [bank authorities] did not deny me," said Rafiqul. He passed HSC examinations with golden GPA-5 in 2014.

When his higher education was uncertain, Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited once again extended its helpful hand towards the meritorious but poor student. Rafiqul was able to become a law student at Jagannath University.        

"Had I not received the scholarship, today's law student Rafiqul would have been a salesman of the local dispensary," he said in his speech to hundreds of students like him.

Rafiqul was thanking the private bank at the scholarship awards ceremony of DBBL at Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium in the capital's Mirpur yesterday.

At its 10th phase yesterday, DBBL gave scholarships to 4,100 students who passed HSC exams in 2014 and are studying at graduate level in universities and colleges across the country.

A total of 20,495 students are currently receiving DBBL scholarships. At the graduate level, a student gets Tk 2,500 monthly. In addition, they get Tk 6,000 per year for buying books and clothes.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the scholarship will make it easier for the 4,100 students to fulfill their dreams.

 Law Minister Anisul Huq said though a visible change has been made in country's education section through many initiatives taken by the government, still many meritorious students in rural areas are deprived of higher education.

DBBL, seeing the matter, tried to help them, he said.

Sayem Ahmed, chairman of board of directors of DBBL, said the bank has been working as an associate of the government for the development of the country.

He said 90 percent of the scholarship awardees are students coming from rural areas and at least 50 percent are female.

Gerben de Jong, ambassador of the Netherlands to Bangladesh, and KS Tabrez, managing director at DBBL, among others, spoke.