JOURNALIST MEET AND Q/A SESSION ORGANISED BY MACES

Journalist Meet & Q/A session organized by Maces Bangladesh on March 1st at The Daily Star Centre, was a meet and greet between journalists and representatives from the University of Nottingham and Queen Mary University of London. The session started off with an introduction from Rouham Manzoor, managing partner of Maces Bangladesh. He introduced the purpose of his company as an education consultancy in Bangladesh. He gave a brief summary of services provided to students by Maces, including assistance with university research, interview preparation and visa application. Tina Salem Manzoor founded Maces in 2007 with a vision to make her company a household name in the education sector of Bangladesh.

After the brief introduction, the program then proceeded with presentations by the two university representatives. Emma Winter, international relations manager of the South Asian region of University of Nottingham, presented an overview of her university. University of Nottingham provides full financial assistance to its students, with a mesmerizing location in the city of Nottingham with smaller campuses in Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire. Lee Wildman, the director of global office of Queen Mary University of London, presented the course facilities and benefits of the urban location of Queen Mary University. Students receive full financial assistance along with discounts in stations and restaurants around London with a valid student ID. The research facilities and  medical program of  Queen Mary are noteworthy.

The program then followed a series of questions by journalists from different print media outlets like Dhaka Tribune, The Financial Express, etc. Questions were asked regarding the alumni pool, percentage of international students, part time work, research opportunities, and entry requirements. The alumni pool of Bangladeshi students from Queen Mary is over 1000, with around 90 students currently being enrolled from Bangladesh. Nottingham boasts a pool of 40 Bangladeshi students who  are enrolled currently. Both universities require IELTS scores. Jobs are available on campus to assist international students in funding their education alongside scholarships, with 20 hours per week being the current permissible work limit.

The program was concluded with a thank you speech from Rouham Manzoor who emphasized the importance of a foreign education and its values. Interested students were advised to contact the Facebook page of Maces Bangladesh for counseling services.