Bangladesh High Commission London confers awards to British-Bangladeshi outstanding academic achievers

London, 12 March: Bangladesh High Commission London organised a ceremony today at the Kensington Town Hall in Central London to confer awards to the British-Bangladeshi students who have achieved outstanding results in the 2015 GCSE and A Level examinations. A total of 127 students who achieved at least 10 A/A* in GCSE and 3 A/A* received crests and certificates from High Commissioner Abdul Hannan and special guests. These guests included DFID State Minister Desmond Sawyne, Under Secretary of State Baroness Verma, Lord Sheikh, Paul Scully MP, Jean Lambert MEP and eminent journalist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury.
The High Commissioner in his welcome address mentioned that for the 10th year the High Commission organised the event to recognise the academic excellence of the British-Bangladeshi students who have made Bangladesh proud and elevated the image of Bangladesh community in the UK. He hoped that these young boys and girls will lead in their respective fields in future and their success would inspire the succeeding generations of the diaspora for even better achievements. He urged the students to maintain close links with their lineage and nurture their cultural inheritance. He mentioned that under the astute leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh was well on course to become a middle-income country by 2021, in realisation of the dreams of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who led the War of Liberation to establish a prosperous Bangladesh. He viewed that a prosperous Bangladesh would be a matter of greater pride for the students and their parents. DFID State Minister Desmond Sawyne expressed his great satisfaction at the astounding academic success of British-Bangladeshi students and hoped that future leaders of the UK would come from among these students. Baroness Verma, Lord Sheikh, Paul Scully MP, Jean Lambert MEP, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Speaker of Tower Hamlet Council Abdul Mukit MBE also spoke on the occasion. Foreign and Commonwealth Office State Minister Hugo Swire, who could not attend the programme, sent a message for the occasion, which was read out. Head Teacher of East London’s Mulberry Girls’ School Dr. Vanessa Ogden in her speech profusely admired the students from Bangladesh community and their parents for their diligence towards academic excellence. A total of 18 students received awards from Mulberry School which has predominantly students from Bangladesh origin.
A cultural programme was also held to showcase the rich heritage of Bangladesh. About 500 people attended the ceremony. Apart from the awardees and their parents, the guest included leaders of the community, business, media and other dignitaries.