Man passes civil service exam after losing father and brother, facing debt
Mostafizur Rahman, from Bhurungamari Upazila in Kurigram district, has been recommended for the education cadre in the 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination. His journey is marked by profound personal tragedy and immense financial hardship. He first lost his father, and subsequently, his elder brother. Despite shouldering the responsibility of his family and a debt of 10 lakh taka, Mostafizur persevered in his BCS preparation. After failing the preliminary exams twice, he achieved success on his third attempt. He holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Rajshahi.
The family's struggles began when his elder brother, Mukul, who had gone to the Maldives in 2010, sent money home. This money was invested by their father in a fish farming business, including leasing a large pond. Mostafizur assisted his father with the fish farm after school, often guarding the remote pond at night. However, a flood destroyed all the fish and the family's aspirations. When Mukul returned in 2017 after his contract ended, he had no savings left, and the family was forced to return to their father's previous profession.
Amidst these setbacks, Mostafizur gained admission to the University of Rajshahi. Even as they faced difficulties, his father expressed pride, stating his son would become a BCS cadre. The family began to recover, but another blow struck when their father was diagnosed with liver cancer. Mostafizur and his elder brother Mukul fought to save their father, depleting their assets and taking on significant debt for his treatment. Their father passed away on May 23, 2020. Mostafizur completed his Master's in 2024, preparing for job exams while working part-time as a tutor. Tragically, just one month before the preliminary exam, his elder brother Mukul died of a stroke. With his father and brother gone, and burdened by family responsibilities and debt, Mostafizur found himself with nothing left to lose. He channeled his focus into his studies, setting aside the pressures of creditors, his mother's tears, his sister-in-law's uncertainty, and his younger brother's helplessness. This dedication led him to success, and he believes his father and brother would have been immensely proud.
This narrative highlights an individual's resilience in the face of extreme adversity, particularly the loss of primary family support and significant financial burdens. The structural challenges faced by the family, including the father's inability to complete his education due to economic hardship and the elder brother's early departure from schooling, underscore intergenerational cycles of economic precarity. Mostafizur's success through the BCS exam, a highly competitive pathway to stable public sector employment in Bangladesh, offers a potential route to economic upliftment for his family. However, the analysis must consider the systemic implications: the dependence on a single, high-stakes examination for social mobility, and the intense personal sacrifices required. Future policy considerations might explore broader support mechanisms for families experiencing sudden loss and debt, alongside diversified pathways to economic security beyond traditional elite civil service roles, ensuring greater systemic resilience against individual tragedies.
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