What is the aim or objective behind the scholarship?
Every student has a right to pursue higher education - irrespective of caste, creed or colour. Just because of financial constraints one should not give education less priority. In this university our stance is a point of pride, and that is, if a student is eligible to study, then he or she should not be deprived from completing studies here.
Therefore, people like us - who have been blessed with more money than others - should come forward and help these children, who will become the leaders of tomorrow inshallah.
What role do you think this scholarship will play in the nurturing of IUB students in their attempt to become successful global citizens?
This will help them become the future leaders of tomorrow. You can never know beforehand as to who can accomplish what with such an opportunity. The point is, every child has a potential and that potential needs to be nurtured. There are many candidates who deserve this opportunity.
Look at the students from cadet colleges. Some of them are from a background, where their parents do not have enough money to pay for a private university education. I myself have been in a cadet college. I have seen while growing up that some of these children (cadet college students) have reached very important positions - not only in Bangladesh but across the world. I can cite many examples of such personalities.
When someone has the burning desire and the ambition to do better in life, that person is more likely to succeed than, perhaps, the children who come from rich families - as they do not have the equal amount of desire because just about everything is made or prepared for them. That is why I think the emphasis should be given to those who have the hunger, and the ambition to do well.
What suggestions do you have for the recipients of this scholarship so that they can maximize this opportunity?
They should aim to go forward and achieve whatever goals they have. And they must use this opportunity for good causes; whatever those causes are, they should all be good causes. And when they manage to reach a high position, they should in turn help those who need help. They should continue this culture of giving back to the community.