Computer training begun in a rented 10x15 ft shop; eight years on, a 30-person agency and a kids coding programme

Despite having the chance of a good job in Dhaka, an entrepreneur from Khagrachhari came back to his district in early 2014 with his younger brother. At first he practised homeopathy and ran a wholesale business in Unani and Ayurvedic medicine. In 2015 he rented a 10 by 15 ft shop for his chamber and medicine business and, alongside, taught English cheaply to college students in a rented house. He then rented another small shop next door, taught a few people computer basics, and formally opened a training institute. The start was not easy: computers would not run by day on low voltage, fans barely worked, there was no broadband, and Grameenphone and Teletalk modems were all they could rely on. People knew little of freelancing or web development, so he ran free seminars at schools and colleges at his own cost. In 2018 he started a digital agency so students could work hands-on; it now has a team of about 30, 20 of them his students. In late 2022 a programme of programming and English for children aged 5 to 14 drew about 60 students. In December 2022 his institution was recognised as the district's best in its category.