Alpana Akter, the daughter of a van driver who aced the MBBS entrance exam at Mymensingh Medical College, will not have to burden her father with funding her education as she chases her dream of becoming a doctor.
Aslam Jewel, chairman of her upazila parishad in Baliadangi, has stepped forward to take the responsibility of putting her through medical school.
The upazila chairman, also general secretary of Baliadangi upazila Jubo League, announced this after visiting Alpana’s home on Monday night. He also handed over some initial financial assistance to Alpana’s father Aftabar Rahman.
Aslam Jewel on Tuesday told UNB: “We are proud of Alpana as she has got a chance in the medical college. As a representative of the people, I took responsibility for her study. I will bear all the expenses of her medical college study.”
Alpana, a resident of Dharia Belsara village in Baliadangi upazila, said she wants to pursue her dream without putting any further pressure on her father, who is struggling to make ends meet for the family. “Already, he has done a lot for me and my siblings,” she added.
It is true. Aftabar, the father, may be near the end of his tether now, but his is a story of admirable parenthood, for the way he has prioritised education for his three children.
“First, I sold a portion of my farmland to bear the admission expenses of my son, who got a chance to study at Dhaka University. Later, I had to sell the rest of the land to fund his studies. Now, I have nothing but a homestead,” he said.
His son Munna is a fourth-year student of Dhaka University’s Bangla department.
“I still have to send him Tk 4,000 a month,” Aftabur discloses, which is probably more to do with living expenses even as a student in the capital.
The youngest sibling, another daughter, is a student of Class XII.
“Alpana has made a penniless father proud. But now I am helpless, and not in a position to fund her opportunity to pursue medical education at Mymensingh Medical College from my meagre income,”Aftabar laments.
It now falls on society, amid all the increases in per capita income, etc, to step forward and complement the efforts of parents such as Aftabur.
The effort they have expended till now must not go in vain.