Dhaka, Aug 25
Many students from the Manipur come to Bangladeshi medical schools because Bangladesh is increasingly standing out as an attractive option for medical aspirants when prices for medical studies are going up in India, Asia, Europe and North America.
Not only Manipur, Bangladesh attracts large numbers of Indian students from West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka & Tripura as well. They enroll in both public and private medical colleges in Bangladesh, which offer high yet affordable standards of education.
There are more than 75 seats for international students in various government-run medical colleges in Bangladesh, while 20-25% of seats in private medical colleges are reserved for them, according to sources.
“Foreign students are increasingly interested in studying in Bangladeshi medical colleges because of the quality education and low costs,” said Dr Abul Kalam Azad, principal of Dhaka Medical College.
Speaking to the Imphal Times, several foreign students said the quality of medical studies in Bangladesh is similar to that of India, both in terms of syllabus, books, teaching methods, and duration of study.
Priya sen, a medical student from Kolkata in West Bengal who has been attending the Sikder Medical College and Hospital since 2017, said: “Indian students can get admitted easily because of the availability of seats. Bangladesh is geographically close to West Bengal, which is another advantage.”
Haobam Tombi, a student from Imphal in Manipur said, “Medical studies cost $100,000 in India, which is too expensive. But we can get the same quality of education in Bangladesh with only $30,000-$45,000.”
“Given these advantages, more than thousand Indian students come to Bangladesh for medical studies”, She added.
“Bangladeshi culture is quite familiar to Kashmiri students because of its Islamic traditions. The quality of education is also pretty good, and the cost is affordable for middle-class families,” said Fatema Tuj Jahra to Imphal Times, a student from Jammu and Kashmir who goes to Dhaka Community Medical College.
Rafiqul islam, a student form Tripura told, “India may be wealthier than us, but it cannot meet the demands of its vast population, which is why many Indian students come to Bangladesh for higher education.”
