Re-Balance: Funding Higher Education in Bangladesh

Despite the enrollment statistics increasing, there are still several major issues affecting higher education in Bangladesh. While several educational institutions in Bangladesh deliver top-quality programs, many students have reported that undergraduate-level teaching is “poor in some institutions.” This is likely caused by a shortage of experienced teachers, old-fashioned teaching styles and inadequate facilities.

Additionally, there are significant financial barriers to prospective university students. Expensive tuition fees mean that many students who come from lower-income families cannot afford to attend university for the full duration of their degree.

Consequently, while more students enroll in universities, not all of them are able to complete their studies and graduate. Fortunately, the organization Re-Balance is providing scholarship funds to nursing students at Grameen Caledonian College, to ensure that more students in Bangladesh can finish their studies and that there are more nurses entering the national workforce.

Re-Balance is a U.K.-based organization working to diminish global inequality. It seeks to do so in different ways, including educational workshops, community-based empowerment campaigns, political advocacy and more. Poppy Jaman and Jaan Madan, both leading figures in the mental health sector in the U.K., founded the organization due to their belief that global inequality on a social and environmental level has been worsening in recent years. For them, Re-Balance is a platform in which that can address these issues and work to bring social justice.

The Borgen Project spoke to one of the co-founders of Re-Balance, Poppy Jaman, about the organization’s nursing scholarship in Bangladesh. The Re-Balance Nursing scholarship is a collaboration between Re-Balance and the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After the death of her father, Jaman wanted to find a way to honor his legacy as a “community-oriented” man who often helped those less fortunate than himself. The nursing scholarship was a way to continue her father’s community work.

Additionally, her mother’s educational experiences inspired Jaman. Due to the prevalence of gender inequality in Bangladeshi society when Jaman’s mother was a teenager, she was unable to study beyond secondary school, despite having a strong desire to learn. Because of this, Jaman and her brothers set up a nursing scholarship for female nursing students alongside the “Jubada and Abdul Rahman Scholarship,” named after their parents, Jaman explained.

Furthermore, the scholarship was of utmost importance to Jaman because of her concern regarding the shortage of working nurses worldwide. She stated that the pandemic has exacerbated a worldwide shortage of nurses, which is a severe problem as “nurses are the heart of health systems.” Jaman wanted to ensure that nurses had the right support so that they can contribute toward the health of their societies.

The Story Behind Scholarships

Jaman and Re-Balance’s other founder, Jaan Madan, met with the principal of the college, Niru Shamsun Nahar, in December 2020 to discuss how they could work together to establish the scholarship, according to its website. After Grameen Caledonian College assessed Jaman’s credentials in running her own mental health charities, they established the scholarship in 2021 to fully support one student, plus an additional student each progressive academic year. The scholarship provides full financial support, including the cost of accommodation, tuition and a financial stipend to ensure that students can attend university for the entire duration of their degree.

All three of the scholarship recipients are 21. Rifat, the only one of the three students doing a four-year BSCe course, previously received financial support from her uncle. Her uncle was diagnosed with cancer and passed away before Rifat had completed her course, which meant that her education was put on hold as he was no longer able to cover her costs. The scholarship offered Rifat the ability to continue studying without putting her other family members in financial distress.

Furthermore, Saima, another scholarship recipient, passed the entrance exam for her studies but was unable to attend university as her family did not have enough money to pay her tuition fees for more than a term. When the scholarship was offered to Saima, Jaman stated that Saima and her family “couldn’t believe it was true.” For Saima’s younger sister, seeing Saima in a higher education institution and training to become a nurse has inspired her to also qualify as a nurse.

Jaman received the exam results of all three scholarship recipients several months ago, and is delighted to report that “they’re all succeeding.” Rifat told Jaman that she “studies two extra hours every day to make sure she doesn’t disappoint [Jaman and those funding the scholarship].”

The Future

Jaman explained that she would like the Re-Balance nursing scholarship to become a family project wherein her children will financially contribute to the scholarship fund. She also aspires for other people who are part of the international Bangladeshi diaspora to get involved and make meaningful changes to higher education in Bangladesh. She stated, “Us diaspora people, I feel [we]have a responsibility to hold up the ladder for those people that are in the next generation [and are]less privileged than we are. [We should] create change, so that all boats can float.”

Through their work, Jaman, her brothers and the team at Re-Balance have bettered higher education in Bangladesh. They have not only made a difference in the lives of students but they have also inspired other girls to study and given those who previously would not have been able to complete university the chance to do so.

– Mohsina Alam
Photo: Courtesy of Poppy Jaman