From Haor to Sheffield, story of Shamsul Alam of receiving 3 scholarships

The vast expanse of water in the haor made communication difficult during the monsoon. As evening fell, silence descended on the area.

Amid limited access to electricity and modern amenities, a young boy would sit with books in hand. At that time, he had no grand ambitions of securing a job at a major institution, studying at a foreign university or winning a scholarship. He simply wanted to build a path for himself through education.

That boy was Md Shamsul Alam, from Chakpara village in Changao of Madan upazila, Netrokona. His nickname is Samrat. His journey has been as remarkable as his name suggests.

Rising from a remote haor community, he studied at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), worked at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, travelled to several countries with foreign funding, served in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Public Works Cadre and, in 2024, received three prestigious scholarships in the same year, the UK Government’s Commonwealth Scholarship, the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Fellowship.

He ultimately chose the Commonwealth Scholarship. He now has a postgraduate degree from the University of Sheffield in the UK.

Shamsul Alam was born on 3 June 1991 at his maternal grandparents’ home in Chakpara, Changao, Madan upazila, Netrokona. His ancestral home is in Gobindashree village in the same upazila.

For around six months of the year, communication with this island-like village, surrounded by haors, became extremely difficult. During the monsoon, boats became one of the main means of transport. Limited access to electricity and other civic amenities also made life at night quite different.

He began his formal education at Gobindasree Government Primary School in the village. Sometimes he had to travel to school by boat, while at other times he had to walk through water to attend classes.

His family also went through difficult times. Several consecutive years of damage to the Boro rice crop caused temporary financial hardship. However, his family never compromised on their children’s education.

Shamsul, the elder of the two children of businessman Md Harun-or-Rashid and homemaker Momtaz Akter, moved with his family to the upazila headquarters, near his maternal grandparents’ home, to facilitate better educational opportunities for the children.

His parents enrolled him in Class-III at Jahangirpur Model Government Primary School.

After completing primary education there, he enrolled at Jahangirpur T Amin Pilot High School and passed his SSC examination in the science stream in 2007 with a GPA of 4.38. He then completed his HSC from Netrokona Government College in 2009 with a GPA of 5.

As he regularly ranked first in almost every examination at college, his confidence grew steadily. By then, his career goal had also become clear: he wanted to become an engineer.

His ambition to become an engineer eventually took him to Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2014.

Alongside his academic studies, he became involved in research, technology, journalism and organisational activities. He served as president of the CUET Journalists’ Association.

He was also a co-founder of Andromeda Space and Robotics Research Organisation (ASRRO), a student-led research organisation. He also served as press secretary of the Greater Mymensingh Association.

Driven by his interest in technology, he and his classmates developed several projects, including a Bangla-language instruction-based robot, a temperature-controlled electric fan and light, a digital thermometer, a fluid velocity meter and an environmental monitoring robot. These projects earned him recognition on several occasions.

In 2013, a stall showcasing projects developed by Shamsul Alam and his classmates won first place at the “Digital IT Fair” organised by the Prime Minister’s Office.

His velocity meter project was also used for practical work in the academic laboratory of CUET’s Department of Civil Engineering for many years under the supervision of Professor Ayesha Akhter.

He worked in coordination with various local and international organisations, including Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC).

In this way, the young man who had grown up in a remote haor community was now working in the international operational environment of one of the country’s largest power projects.

He learned the result of the 38th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, which had begun earlier, while he was in St Petersburg, Russia. He was recommended for appointment to the Public Works Cadre.

Meanwhile, he was reprimanded several times for repeatedly bringing various irregularities in the Rooppur project to the management’s attention.

After returning to Bangladesh and working on the Rooppur project for a few days, he decided to join the civil service.

In 2021, he joined the Public Works Cadre as an assistant engineer, beginning another important chapter in his career. At different times, he also took on additional responsibilities as sub-divisional engineer in Pirojpur and Patuakhali.

Alongside his professional responsibilities, he continued to pursue his interest in education. This time, he set his sights on higher education.

While preparing for higher education with encouragement from his wife, Shamsul Alam achieved a major success in 2024. He received offers to pursue master’s and PhD programmes at several universities abroad.

In the same year, he secured three scholarships—the UK’s Commonwealth Scholarship, the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and the Bangladesh Government’s Prime Minister’s Fellowship. He chose the Commonwealth Scholarship from the three.

He enrolled in a postgraduate programme in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. He recently earned a Master of Science in Engineering degree from the university.

For his master’s programme, he researched the development of a suitable inverter to integrate solar power efficiently into the electricity grid. The subject is important for renewable energy and the future of electricity generation.

In addition, he received recognition as an “Excellent Citizen Scientist” through a career project jointly run by the University of York and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee under a UK Government research funding programme.

Alongside his academic and professional work, he also hosts a programme called “TechTalk” on YouTube and other online platforms, focusing on engineering and technology.

For Md Shamsul Alam, his journey has never been a solitary one. He says that many people inspired, advised and supported him at different stages of his life.

In his words, “Without my parents’ prayers, sacrifices and support, I might not have had the opportunity to study at a university of engineering or serve the republic as a BCS cadre officer.”

He also particularly highlights the support of his wife, Roksana Ferdous Nigar, an assistant professor in the Department of Islamic History and Culture at Dhaka University. She is currently pursuing her PhD at a university in Leeds, UK.

Shamsul Alam told Prothom Alo, “My wife’s advice, support and encouragement made it possible for me to realise my dream of pursuing higher education.”

His maternal uncle, Md Anwarul Amin, an engineer with the Roads and Highways Department, and Md Jasim Uddin, a former engineer at the Bangladesh Power Development Board, also inspired him in various ways when he was choosing his career.

He further says that recommendation letters from teachers are required when applying for higher education and scholarships at foreign universities.

Expressing his gratitude, he says his teachers, Professor Kazi Delwar Hossain and Professor Mohammad Ahsan Ullah, provided recommendation letters with patience and sincerity.

For Shamsul Alam, who is the father of a daughter, his scholarship and degree from Sheffield therefore represent more than an academic achievement. They embody his family’s support, years of waiting and many years of hard work.

Although he has many opportunities ahead after completing his studies abroad, Bangladesh remains at the centre of Shamsul Alam’s plans. He wants to apply the knowledge and experience he has gained internationally to the country’s infrastructure, power and renewable energy sectors.

In particular, he is interested in working on renewable energy, green buildings, modern power systems and sustainable infrastructure development.

However, he has also experienced some disappointments during his career. Referring to delays in promotion caused by a case filed by several diploma engineers, he says, “After joining the BCS (Public Works) Cadre, some of those whom I found to be my juniors have received double promotions and become my bosses. Yet our batch has not received promotions despite meeting all the eligibility requirements and having vacant posts.”

In his view, when an officer receives due recognition for their qualifications and hard work, their enthusiasm and sense of responsibility towards their work also increase.

His journey began in a village surrounded by haors in Netrokona. The road ahead was marked by limitations and adversity. Then came his days at CUET, his work with technology, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, his professional experience in Russia, his life as a BCS cadre and the opportunity to receive three scholarships.

Ultimately, that journey took him to the University of Sheffield in the UK. From the haor village where his journey began, he had to navigate limited opportunities, adversity and uncertainty to reach this point.

Every step along the way has reminded him time and again that circumstances can make the journey difficult, but they cannot stop a dream.