Some Answers for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Application

Some Achievements:

• Class Prefect (2006 & 2008)

• Cambridge Excellence Award (2008)
• The Daily Star Award (2008), Chosen to represent school at the Round Square Conference in
Canada (2009)
• North South University Young Economists' Forum’s (YEF) Star Member Award (2011)
• Treasurer and Head of Academic Core of YEF - the academic club of North South University
(2012/2013)
• Team Leader for Research titled "The Real Estate Sector of Bangladesh" (2013)
• President of YEF - the academic club of North South University (2013/2014)
• Published article titled 'The Urban Economy of Bangladesh' (2012)
• Interviewed noted trade sector Economist Dr. Selim Raihan (2012)
• Published article titled 'The Economics of Weight Loss' (2013)
• Interviewed noted social business patron Dr. Abdul Hannan Chowdhury (2013)
• Director of YEF’s annual publication – Equilibrium 2013
• Editor of YEF’s tri – annual publication – The YEF Chronicle: Spring 2014

Purpose of studying this particular course:

• To gain an in-depth knowledge about the concept of sustainable development (at the
undergraduate level I only received an overview of this whole concept);
• To understand the environment as a whole and what it needs right now;
• To find out ways that the development of a country can be done in such a way so as to minimize
harm on the environment (I plan to do my dissertation on this);
• To get an understanding of the projects that have already been undertaken to develop in an
environmentally friendly way;
• To get some on the field learning so that I can take better decisions regarding the concept of
sustainable development in the future; and
• To keep my fellow idea partners at home (Bangladesh) updated about the new things I will be
learning about how to aim and sustain for a development that will sustain and improve the
environment in the long run.

Short-term and long-term plans:

Immediately after the award, I have plans to return to my home country and apply for a teaching position
at the Department of Environmental Science and Management of North South University (to get a better
understanding of the sustainable development concept from a teacher's point of view rather than a
student's). I plan to teach there for a couple of years, before engaging myself in part-time research
projects, aiming for a sustainable world, within the country for the next three/four years. In the meantime,
I will try to apply for a PhD program at the UK or Canada.

I am in love with the teaching profession and aim to dedicate my life in teaching the young minds about
something I am very passionate about - the sustainability of the Earth. Sustainable development is a
concept that needs both a practical and a theoretical approach to gain in size and impact. So, throughout
my life I aim to conduct and supervise researches relating to this and engage myself in projects, all over
the world, starting from my home country, that make developing 'sustainably' their main objective.

Why should you receive a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship?

Development is a much needed and sought after concept in each and every country of the world and
according to me, so should a healthy and sustainable environment be. The thirst for development is
understandable, but should we be so blinded by our greedy nature that we fail to see the harm that an
unplanned and non-holistic approach to development is causing to our surroundings? My aim is simple; it
is to work strategically to solve the problems the world is facing by applying the concept of sustainable
development, starting with my homeland, Bangladesh, and then expanding my attempts to other
countries.

Bangladesh is a developing country facing many hurdles in its path towards development, but being very
much behind on the development scale it has not yet contributed much to the overall environmental
degradation of the world. However, when we look towards the Bangladeshi side of it, a different story is
depicted; extensive agricultural practices have caused drastic declines in the crop fields' fertility, the
Buriganga River has turned into a marine graveyard and until recently the air of Dhaka city was thick
with harmful gases and smoke. So, does this mean we should stop our developmental practices and take
care of the environment only, or should we put the environment aside and work only to achieve
development? The answer to this question is simple - a compromise. The continuous and dynamic process
of development is essential for Bangladesh, but it is equally important to develop technologies,
production techniques and disposal systems that cause the least harm to the environment.

If I wish to work and expand these ideas, I will firstly need a better understanding of these issues at the
national and, subsequently, the international level through extensive research into the background of the
problems and their future. Later, I can use the findings as a base to conduct projects that use the concept
of sustainable development in both Bangladesh's industrial and agricultural sectors. This is where my
postgraduate degree in Environment and Development will act as a stepping stone.

At my stage in life, where I will soon have an undergraduate degree for studying Economics and
Environmental Science separately, I doubt I have enough knowledge or experience to conduct successful
researches, let alone put my ideas into actions, successfully. A better understanding of the environment
and development as a whole, via a Masters degree and later a doctorate dissertation, in the environment
and development sector, will not only help me to express my views and take more learned decisions, but
make my words more intellectually acceptable and influential to the general people and the experts and
decision makers of my country. Emphasizing on Environmental Economics, that is seeing the
environment and economy as one, not separate entities, is crucial for a sustainable future and I not only
want to spread this message, but also be a part of the teams that will be the fore-runners in building this
new, sustainable future for the world.