'Education transformed our lives'

The three Bangladeshi students from the Asian University for Women — Afroza Alam, left, Mowmita Basak, center, and Nishat Raihana — participate in a meeting at the Korea Exim Bank in Yeouido, Seoul, where they are doing a summer internship. / Courtesy of Korea Exim Bank

By Kim Da-ye

Several years ago, three Bangladeshi women, Mowmita Basak, 23, Afroza Alam, 22, Nishat Raihana, 21, were living lives very different from the ones they have today.

They were either studying at or preparing to get into local colleges. Educated in Bengali, they barely spoke English. After graduating from college, they were most likely to get married. Except Basak, none had travelled abroad.

The girls are now among the global talent pool. This summer, they are interning in Seoul at Korea Exim Bank, the state-owned institution financing Korea’s exports and imports, and are involved in the bank’s overseas projects. The internship is one of many steps they will take to achieve grander goals of their lives ― making differences in their communities and the country.

They all attribute their transformation to education. Basak just graduated from and Alam and Raihana study at the Asian University for Women (AUW), a women-only liberal arts college in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The school provides a uniquely international environment ― the Western curriculum plus the student body consisting of women from developing countries in Asia.

The three women’s biggest assets from AUW have been language skills and ability to think critically. Students at AUW are required to spend a year at the “access academy” that prepares them for Western-style education taught in English. The three Bangladeshis speak English fluently and articulately.

“We no longer think superficially. Critical thinking is very important at AUW. Teachers were pushing us so much to think critically,” said Basak. “After that one year, a huge transformation happened to us.”

In addition, they learned what they wouldn’t be able to from any other kind of institution while studying and living with people from different countries and cultures.

“When I entered a class, there were 14 students from 14 countries. I wondered, ‘How am I going to speak to and interact with them?’ After that time passed, we became such good friends. It’s a sisterhood,” said Alam.

Many students at AUW come from regions of conflict. They experienced wars and conflicts secondhand through stories from their Palestinian, Sri Lankan and Afghanistan classmates. The stories only strengthened their determination to serve their communities.

“We get to know political, economic perspectives of different nationalities. A Tamil classmate and a Sinhalese at the beginning did not talk to each other. They now think together about building up peace and moving beyond conflict,” said Alam.

Their intellectual, cultural transformation is changing people around them, beginning with their families.

“My father said, ‘I see changes in you. You became more confident and highly ambitious.’ Now my family don’t talk about marriage at all. They won’t think about that for the next five years,” said Raihana.

In the case of Alam, her father died before she came to AUW and her mother takes care of her family. She didn’t let Alam make any important decision for the family, but now she trusts and respects Alam’s views and opinions.

It may be just the beginning of the journey to bring differences in their communities.

Alam used to study at a local college before coming to AUW. She said that most college students would be concerned about themselves and their futures rather than their surroundings and societies. “They don’t think about the people, the society or the environment, so they are sometimes surprised to see me. One friend asked me, ‘Is it you that I saw three years ago?’” Alam said.

Raihana, a computer science major, initially wanted to become a doctor and now plans to work in the IT industry. Her dream company for now is Samsung Electronics, but she eventually wants to contribute to improving Bangladesh’s IT infrastructure.

Basak co-founded in 2010 is a non-governmental organization called the Center for Leadership Assistance & Promotion. Her organization tries to raise awareness about various social issues including ethnic, sexual or religious minorities.

“When we came to AUW, we suffered culture shock. I was accustomed to believe all the norms in our society. I now question if a norm is ethically right. We are not stuck to the beliefs we used to have before,” Basak said.