BIT Launches Anwara Islam Scholarship for High-Achieving Female O Level Students

At a time when more Bangladeshi girls are excelling academically, a new scholarship initiative is seeking to ensure that outstanding performance is not limited by financial circumstances.

Bangladesh International Tutorial (BIT) has launched the Anwara Islam Scholarship, a fully funded scholarship for an exceptional female student seeking to pursue her A Levels. The scholarship will cover admission fees and tuition fees for the full two-year A Level programme at BIT.

The initiative is particularly significant because it brings together two important principles: Academic excellence and access to opportunity. While academic achievement remains central to the selection process, the scholarship also seeks to support a deserving student for whom financial considerations may otherwise become a barrier to pursuing a quality A Level education.

The scholarship is open to eligible female O Level students from any school, not only students of BIT. Applicants are expected to meet the academic and admission requirements of BIT, with exceptional O Level results forming an important part of the assessment. The selection process will also look at the qualities such as leadership, initiative and contribution beyond the classroom.

With the O Level results expected soon, students who believe they meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply. Importantly, applicants do not need to wait for the results to be announced before expressing their interest or preparing their applications. The opportunity is open to eligible students from across the English-medium education community.

The scholarship is named after Anwara Islam, a woman whose commitment to girls' education became part of a family legacy spanning generations. Her daughter, Ms. Lubna Choudhury, went on to establish Bangladesh International Tutorial in 1983.

The initiative has been introduced by Ms. Anika Rahman, Board Director of BIT, who is personally funding the scholarship. The daughter of Lubna Choudhury and granddaughter of Anwara Islam, Ms. Anika Rahman has taken the initiative as a way of carrying forward her grandmother's belief in the transformative power of education for women and girls.

The Anwara Islam Scholarship is also part of BIT's wider commitment to recognising and nurturing student potential. Rather than focusing solely on financial assistance, the initiative places emphasis on identifying young women with exceptional academic ability and the potential to make meaningful contributions beyond the classroom.

For students completing their O Levels, the transition to A Levels is an important academic stage. The qualification can serve as a pathway to universities in Bangladesh and abroad, making access to quality A Level education particularly valuable for students with strong academic ambitions.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to one female student and will remain valid for the duration of the A Level programme, subject to satisfactory academic performance and conduct.

The inaugural recipient of the Anwara Islam Scholarship is expected to be announced in September 2026. The deadline for registration is 30th August, 2026. For BIT, the initiative represents more than a scholarship. It is an attempt to honour the educational legacy of Anwara Islam by creating an opportunity for another young woman to pursue her ambitions and, potentially, inspire the generation that follows her.