400 talented people are getting one-time and monthly scholarships to fulfill their dreams

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Youngsters from all over the country gathered under one roof with bright dreams. Some of them are taking the first step in fulfilling their dreams of higher education, while others came to tell the story of building their own future. 80 students and 20 alumni selected through BRAC’s talent development initiative were held at BCDM, Savar.

Yesterday Tuesday (May 12) BRAC held a special event titled ‘Medha Vikash Sanjak 2026: Future Bangladesh in the Light of Merit’.

BRAC stands by those meritorious students whose family income is below 20 thousand rupees per month. So their dream of higher education should not be hindered due to financial reasons. In the academic year 2025-26, 6 thousand 161 students applied for merit development scholarships. Out of these 400 students have been selected through intensive scrutiny.

Executive Director of BRAC Asif Saleh and Director of Education, Skill Development and Migration Program Safi Rahman Khan spoke on the occasion. BRAC Chief People and Culture Officer Mautusi Kabir along with academicians, representatives of various educational institutions and students were present on the occasion.

BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh begins with this simple fact: the world is not equal for all. He said, ‘He who is born with opportunity, his path is smooth. And who is deprived, there are obstacles in his way at every step. BRAC stands in the face of that obstacle and gives people the tools, not just to survive, but to move forward on their own terms.’

But Asif Saleh thinks this journey does not end here. Asif Saleh has a hope for those who are getting this opportunity today – that in the coming days they should be sympathetic and stand next to the other deprived. He specially called upon the old alumni of Meridabikash to accompany the newcomers in their journey.

Besides, Asif Saleh emphasized on human values. He said, once the vision of compassion is awakened, it cannot be put back to sleep. Asif Saleh believes, ‘A humane world will be built only when each of us is humane from our own place.’

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Safi Rahman Khan, director of BRAC’s education, skill development and immigration program, said, “Initially, we gave scholarships to 150 people, which has now increased to 400 people. Our goal is to take it closer to 1,200 people. The talent, hard work and sacrifice of the youth is amazing. Your struggle and positive mindset is admirable. We hope you will cooperate with each other through this talent development network. The BRAC family will work harder to fulfill your dreams.

This time, 60 of the students selected for scholarship through merit development initiative are students of 26 government medical colleges. Among which there are leading institutions like Dhaka Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mymensingh Medical College. There are 45 students of public universities including Dhaka University and Rajshahi University. 17 students from top engineering universities like BUET and KUET, 15 students from science and technology universities and 13 students from agricultural universities were selected.

At the college level, 250 students have been selected from 106 public and private colleges, where special emphasis has been given to the promotion of women’s education. 206 out of 400 scholarship recipients are female students, which is 51 percent of the total scholarship recipients. And 60 percent of the students who received scholarships at the college level are female students.

Selected students under the merit development initiative will get a one-time scholarship of up to 20 thousand taka and up to 8 thousand taka monthly, which will help them to focus fully on their studies by removing their financial worries. Through this initiative, BRAC is committed to building a skilled and compassionate generation, who will play an important role in the development of Bangladesh in the future.

This year’s Merida Vikash Sanjang event was filled with stories of perseverance, ambition and success. The event brought together new and veteran scholarship recipients, whose path is not just based on merit; Instead of moving forward beyond the obstacles of financial adversity. The event created a range of youth inspiration, connections and collective possibilities.