From RMG worker to valedictorian

Five years ago, Sadeka Begum had reached a crossroads. Looking to avoid early marriage, she left her remote village and came to Dhaka, and took up work at at an RMG factory as a floor worker.

Today, she is graduating from the Asian University of Women (AUW) as a valedictorian. She passed her bachelors degree with major in economics and minor in development studies.

"I never thought I will be a university graduate. I grew up in a village in a low-income community," Sadeka said at the graduation ceremony yesterday. "It's more than a dream come true."

For someone who found it hard to even afford school education, Sadeka now has audacious plans for her masters degree.

"I am applying to University of Cambridge to study development studies," a beaming Sadeka said during her speech at the virtual ceremony.

Sadeka is also a co-founder of 'Dreams for Street Children Foundation' and is currently working as an intern for a UN body at Cox's Bazar. She said now that her own dreams are coming to life, she is trying to help others with theirs.

Sadeka got this opportunity through a scholarship programme. After sitting through an entrance exam, she was selected and admitted at the university under a special arrangement of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

There are currently 70 RMG workers studying at the university, four of whom have graduated this year, said Rubana Huq, president of BGMEA.

Owners of respective factories continue to pay the student-workers' their salaries, while they are also supported by patrons of the university, she added.

The other graduates this year are Sathy Halder, Yeasmin Akter Urmy and Shahnaz Ara Begum. While Sathy has already joined Mohammadi Group as welfare officer, others are applying for work. They have been interviewed by finance corporations IPDC and IDLC as well, she said.

Before her current stint at Mohammadi Group, Sathy joined the same company five years ago as a quality inspector, with an higher secondary certificate to show.

"I can hardly express myself today. After all these years of struggle, I can finally call myself a graduate," an elated Sathy said.

"Looking forward, I want to complete my masters in either economics or finance from a public university inside Bangladesh. My dream is to then work as a banker," Sathy said.

Speaking at the virtual programme, Education Minister Dipu Moni said, "You have exemplified that mere limitations cannot stop one from fulfilling their dreams."