Unstoppable Shipla!

Despite facing poverty and the loss of her mother, Shipla Khatun has achieved GPA-5 in her HSC examinations. This remarkable student's success has brought joy to her family members and teachers. Shipla herself is happy, but she worries about the obstacles that lie ahead in fulfilling her dream of higher education. She does not know how her aspirations for further studies will be realised.

Shipla Khatun, a student from commerce, secured GPA-5 this year in the HSC exam from Mridhapara Women's College in the Chowgacha upazila of Jessore. She had previously earned GPA-5 in her SSC exams in the commerce, along with the honor of receiving a scholarship in her JSC exams. Shipla is the youngest of four daughters of Nazrul Islam, a day laborer from Ramvadrupur village in Dhuliani union, Chowgacha Upazila.

Shipla recalls that when she was in class ten, her mother, Rashida Begum, passed away after suffering a heart attack. Due to financial hardships, her father had married off her three elder sisters long ago. After her mother’s death, Shipla felt extremely helpless. However, she never let go of her studies. She passed her SSC exams with GPA-5 from Dhuliani Sammilani Secondary School.

Shipla Khatun enrolled at Mridhapara Women’s College in Chowgacha for her HSC studies. Despite regularly traveling long distances from her village to the college, she never felt tired. On Tuesday, when she received her HSC results, Shipla became overwhelmed with emotion. She had faith that she would pass with a GPA-5, but the uncertainty of what comes next has taken away her smile. Instead, the dark cloud of worry about whether her education will end due to financial hardship looms over her.

Sharing her dreams, the brilliant student said that her current goal is to get admitted to Dhaka University. She aspires to study Accounting at Dhaka University and later sit for the BCS exam to become an administrative cadre officer. Her dream is to serve her country as a dedicated administrative officer.

Shipla said, "My father works as a labourer on others' land, and we have nothing but our homestead, which is only five decimals of land. I don't know how my dreams will come true. Due to poverty, my father married off my three elder sisters before they could fully understand life. He wants to marry me off as well. But my dream is to continue my studies, to become a successful person, to be someone of value in society."

Shipla's father, Nazrul Islam, said, "I had told my daughter a long time ago to stop her studies, but she was determined to continue. She has excelled in all her exams, bringing great results. Other families are celebrating the success of their children, but there is no celebration in my house. My daughter has passed with such a great result, yet as a father, I couldn’t even afford to buy a sweet to put in her mouth. What could be more painful for a father than this? Fulfilling her dream requires a lot of money, but I don’t know how I will make it happen. If any wealthy person from society would stand by my daughter, maybe she could reach her destination one day."

Dr. M Mostanissur Rahman, principal of Mridhapara Women’s College in Chowgacha, said, "Shipla is an exceptionally talented student. Coming from such a struggling family, we have always supported her from the college. Now she has achieved an excellent result. I wish her continued success in the future."