The new cohort of 200 students has joined the rigorous U.S.-funded two-year Access Program to strengthen their English language, critical thinking, and leadership skills.
U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller congratulated them for being selected for the U.S. State Department-funded English Access Microscholarship programme.
Ambassador Miller praised 100 young women and 100 young men from local madrasas, public, and technical schools from Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chattogram for choosing to participate in this life changing program.
“Your participation in the Access Program is critical to building on our long friendship of trust and mutual respect between Bangladesh and the United States. I hope as young minds, you will design the path for next 50 years that others will follow, and you will also work on further strengthening the relationship between the two great countries.” 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 when applying for higher education and employment opportunities, the embassy said.
Since it began in 2004, 1,336 Bangladeshi students have successfully completed the program; the program has more than 100,000 alumni in 85 countries.
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.
Initially set up 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, the Language Proficiency Center (LPC) Bangladesh was established in August 1998. LPC has been implementing Department of State-funded programs since 2004 throughout Bangladesh, including in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, and Chapai Nawabganj where LPC sites are located.
