Four meritorious female children of Grameen Bank borrowers have won scholarships to pursue higher studies in nursing and midwifery at the prestigious Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland.
Of them, Rokeya Akter Bristy, Popi Rani Bhowmik and Satu Mondal — who are all from low-income family in rural villages — were picked up for the scholarship for studying at the Scottish university after they grabbed top three positions in their final exams at the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing in Dhaka this year
.
The fourth student, Rofiqun Nesa Tuli, was awarded special scholarship by a Bangladeshi origin CEO of a US-based multinational company,
Yunus Centre said in a statement yesterday.
The students will pursue BSc in nursing, which is a post-basic course that will give them the opportunity to study nursing at an advanced level.
The scholarship will cover their course fees, accommodation and subsistence, including travel to and from Bangladesh.
Opened in March 1, 2010, Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing is a partnership between Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland and the Grameen Healthcare Trust (GHT) and Grameen Health Care Services Ltd (GHS).
The college aims to develop nursing and midwifery standards in Bangladesh to an international level through the provision of the highest quality education and research.
The first 38 students graduated with diploma in 2013 from the college have found good nursing jobs in various hospitals and institutions in Bangladesh, according to the statement.
The four students are part of more than 50 students of Grameen families who have secured scholarships to pursue studies in various fields around the world.
Two other students — Suraiya Sharmeen and Kausar Parveen Nipa — have been selected for a scholarship to pursue Bachelor of Business in international business and marketing at Taylor University in Malaysia.
The Scottish scholarships and the Malaysian scholarships follow existing scholarship programmes, including the Khazanah Asia Scholarship Programme established in 2007.
The foundation has awarded five scholarships every year to the children of Grameen families since 2009. A total of 17 students of GB families received the scholarship so far.
Similar programmes have been established with Ewha Women University in Seoul, Korea and Asian University for Women in Chittagong especially for the children of Grameen Bank families.
Grameen Bank, which has 84 lakh members, has made it mandatory for its borrowers to send their children school.
Kaiser A. Chowdhury, MD and CEO of 
Abdul Jabbar Molla, Director of