76 Students Graduate from US Embassy Microscholarship Program

Access Grad Ambassador Miller

76 students from Rajshahi and Chattogram successfully completed the rigorous U.S.-funded two-year Access Program, strengthening their English language, critical thinking, and leadership skills.

DHAKA, August 11, 2021 – Earlier last evening, U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller congratulated the 76 latest graduates of the U.S. State Department-funded English Access Microscholarship Program. Ambassador Miller praised the 38 young women and 38 young men from local madrasas and public schools in Rajshahi and Chattogram for their hard work in completing the program during the pandemic. “Since its inception, the Access program continues to provide students around the world with a life changing opportunity to achieve their dreams. I believe this is only the beginning of the many accomplishments you will continue to achieve throughout your lives…More importantly, I believe in you and so do your teachers, classmates, and loved ones who have supported you throughout this remarkable journey. You are the talented and bright leaders who will shape the course of Bangladesh’s future. You are the next generation of changemakers who will help us continue to make progress in solving our world’s most pressing challenges. You are extraordinary beyond measure.” he said.

The English Access Microscholarship Program is a rigorous, two-year interactive program building a foundation in English language, American culture, critical thinking, and leadership skills for 13-17-year-olds from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds, and helps them become more competitive for higher education and employment opportunities. Currently, 200 students are virtually participating in Access programs in Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chattogram. Since it began in 2004, 1,336 Bangladeshi students have successfully completed the program. Yesterday’s graduating class joins 95,000 other Access program alumni in more than 85 countries around the world.

The Access program is one of U.S. Embassy Dhaka’s many initiatives to strengthen and expand people-to-people ties and educational linkages between the United States and Bangladesh, enhance the quality of education locally, and empower Bangladeshi youth through innovative learning opportunities.

For more information about U.S. Embassy Dhaka’s English language programs, visit: https://bd.usembassy.gov/education-culture/english-language-programs/.

For information about other Embassy- and U.S. government-funded exchange opportunities for students, visit: https://bd.usembassy.gov/education-culture/student-exchange-programs/.

For English language development opportunities and learning resources, visit: https://americanenglish.state.gov/ and its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishatState.

To learn more about a new U.S. State Department-sponsored no-cost Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) courses, visit:

https://www.openenglishprograms.org/MOOC.

The Language Proficiency Center (LPC) Bangladesh was set up in August 1998, initially as a family charity with a mission to provide marginalized professionals and students an opportunity to develop their communicative English language skills and basic computer skills without charge, with a vision to empower young females and males from marginalized communities to compete and seek a better life. In 2004, The U.S. Embassy selected LPC as the sole service provider for the English Access Microscholarship Program in Bangladesh to provide foundational English language skills to students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. LPC has also implemented U.S. Department of State funded programs that include Training of Trainer (TOT) programs, Communicative English program for imams and Qawmi madrasa students in various cities of Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka, Chattogram,

Rajshahi, and Chapai Nawabganj where LPC sites are located. Many of LPC’s Resource Persons have enriched their teaching ability through the professional development opportunities provided by the U.S. Embassy. – Press release