Maria Akter dreams of becoming a Software Engineer and contribute to the country’s development. Perhaps it appears easy for anyone to dream likewise. But for few, such dreams seem unattainable. Such is the case of Maria who lost her mother during childhood. She along with her two siblings had to move to her maternal grandparents due to her father’s second marriage. Maria’s grandfather is a security guard, while her grandmother works as a maidservant. From a very early age, Maria also assisted her grandmother as a maid. Despite a profound desire for education, Maria could not study due to the precarious income of her grandparents. Maria understood that education is one of the most important child rights and she needs to study. Once, she came to know about UCEP General School and got herself admitted to A. K. Khan UCEP School, Chattogram in January 2015 in Class III without fees. Besides her work as a maidservant, she continued her studies there and passed the JSC exam in 2018. Later, she got admitted to SSC Vocational at A. K. Khan UCEP Technical School, Chattogram in Class IX in 2019. Currently, she is a student of Class X. The girl, who against all odds once only desired to study a little, now hopes to complete BSc. Engineering. Meanwhile, she does private tuition to cover her educational and personal expenses. She believes that there is no other way to establish oneself without education. Thus, she inspires children in her community to get enrolled in UCEP Bangladesh and become self-dependent.
