A 55-year-old man of Gazipur has proved once again that age should be no barrier to attaining any kind of goal or success in life: at this age, he wants to get admission to the University of Dhaka to fulfill his dream.
The admission seeker is Belayet Hossain, a resident of Keua Panschim Khando under Sreepur upazila of Gazipur.
Belayet passed his Higher Secondary Examination (HSC) this year and is currently attending a university coaching centre. He will sit for the admission test of the ‘Gha’ unit on June 29, under Social Science Faculty to try and gain admission to the Department of Mass Communication of Journalism.
Without formal qualifications, Belayet has been working as the Sreepur correspondent for Daily Karatoa. Now he wants to flourish his journalism career by adding first an undergraduate and then hopefully a post-graduate degree in journalism to his resume.
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Belayet said he had prepared himself for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in 1983. However, he couldn’t sit the exam eventually due to poverty. He prepared for the SSC exam again in 1988 but the floods that year put paid to his hopes of sitting the exam. Later, he got a chance to start his career as a photojournalist.
In his personal life, he is the father of two sons and one daughter. However, his children have not shown much interest in continuing their studies. Unable to have his dreams of education fulfilled through them, Belayet at one point decided to hit the books himself.
In 2019, he passed Dakhil (equivalent to SCC) from a madrasah and then the HSC in 2021 under Technical Education Board.
His educational journey has obviously not been a straightforward one. He has endured ridicule from relatives and villagers. But Belayet paid them no heed.
“My classmates called me uncle and I would call them abbu and ammu (father and mother, affectionate terms used by elders for children). I have had a very good experience at the school and college. I hope, I will fulfill my dream one day,” said Belayet.