Haileybury Bhaluka: Inside Bangladesh’s new international boarding school
With its 850-acre campus in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, Haileybury Bhaluka offers top-quality education, modern facilities, and a well-rounded learning experience
In August 2024, one of the UK's top boarding schools, Haileybury, opened its sprawling 850-acre campus in Bangladesh. Affiliated with Haileybury UK, the boarding school has chosen Bangladesh as its first foray into South Asia.
Located in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, the beautiful campus is just a two-hour drive from Dhaka.
Boasting a rich, successful history of providing top-notch education in both the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge curricula to school children all over the globe, Haileybury has now set its sights on the Bangladeshi market.
Haileybury Bhaluka brings with it an established 160-year legacy of producing extraordinary students who have gone onto becoming notable international public figures, such as Nobel Prize-winning author Rudyard Kipling, English cricketer Sam Billings and economist Thomas Robert Malthus.
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Impact of Haileybury
Bangladeshi students have a long history of seeking education abroad due to the greater prospects. When it comes to higher education, many students seek universities in North America and Europe due to a lack of good alternatives at home.
When it comes to school-level education, a lack of good local boarding schools has long caused many parents to send their children to boarding schools in India. But India's recent visa suspension for Bangladeshis has closed this option for now.
However, it has also created an opportunity for local boarding schools to step up and offer a better, convenient alternative at a more affordable price, according to Md Masum Uddin, Chief Operating Officer of Haileybury Bhaluka.
"The establishment of our premier institution can provide parents access to a world-class education for their children without the need to send them abroad. We offer globally recognised curricula, and comprehensive boarding services that rival international standards. Not only does this provide families with a feasible alternative, but it also contributes to significant economic savings for the country," Masum explains.
Furthermore, in the current landscape of our country, where nuclear families have started becoming the dominant norm, working parents often lead very busy lives, and cannot properly look after their children.
Haileybury employs mostly foreign teachers with excellent degrees from well-renowned institutions like Harvard and Oxford. Additionally, every teacher employed by the school, local or foreign, must achieve a teaching certificate from Harvard once they are hired, ensuring that all educators are properly qualified.
A top-notch boarding school like Haileybury offers parents the perfect route, providing their children with great education, while preparing them to become outstanding members of society.
Recognising this need, Haileybury Bhaluka stands out by offering a unique option where parents can avail a five-day boarding programme, where students live on campus five days a week, but have the option to go home on the weekends. This creates a 'best of both worlds' situation for the many families who do not want to part with their children for months at a time.
"We wanted to make it clear to both parents and children that Haileybury is not a punishment. It's a place where students can learn to live a disciplined life, but experience pleasure at the same time," states Rajgir Dewan, marketing manager at Haileybury.
State-of-the-art facilities
Built on 850 acres of land, Haileybury Bhaluka is a grand campus where students can take advantage of world-class facilities for a holistic educational experience.
In Bangladesh, one of the biggest hurdles to managing a successful boarding school is addressing parents' concerns about their children's safety in the absence of their guardians.
"First and foremost, our main goal was to ensure the safety and security of our students," said Masum. "If we did not focus on these aspects, no parent would agree to send their children to our school," he continues.
As such, Haileybury Bhaluka used the services of the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which is appointed by the UK's Department of Education to inspect British independent schools as well as British schools abroad. It is the only UK-endorsed accreditation scheme for such schools.
Haleybury Bhaluka has also employed retired army personnel to ensure a secure campus. "Although the area surrounding the campus is very safe, and everyone is our known people, we did not want to leave any stone unturned. This is why we brought in a retired army person as our chief of security," explains Md Burhan Uddin, campus manager.
Furthermore, there are full-time doctors and nurses living on campus in case of emergencies. The campus also has a treatment centre with expensive equipment like electrocardiogram (ECG) machines at their disposal. Additionally, they also employ a mental health counselor for students' needs.
Apart from security, the campus includes high-calibre facilities for students' study and play needs. It consists of 12 different science labs, specialised for Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. They also have three computer labs, a seminar room, a multipurpose hall, a music room, and a gymnasium, ensuring that students are never bored.
Students also have access to a beautiful library with spacious sitting arrangements. The students can also meet each other in a common room which houses a table-tennis board, as well as equipment to prepare instant foods like Ramen, and watch sports matches together.
Each classroom has its unique set-up, based on the wishes of individual teachers. Right outside every classroom, there is a smaller room designed for students who require one-on-one assistance from teachers. "At Haleybury, we want to develop the best students. So, we always encourage our students to ask for help outside the classroom if they need it. We designed these rooms next to the classrooms to facilitate that," states Masum.
Outside the building, there are two big fields to facilitate sports of various kinds, such as football, basketball, badminton, volleyball etc. As evidence of the considerate nature of the school, there is an extra football field, smaller in size, perfect for a 7-on7 matches, which is the norm in underground football in Bangladesh.
"We want our students to excel in all areas of life, not just academics. That's why we aimed to create an environment where they can become competitive players," says Burhan.
Alongside these, there is also a swimming pool, accessible to all students daily, within a given time-frame. The campus also has a mosque for those students who wish to pray, while providing prayer services for students of other faiths as well.
Then, there are the dorm rooms; simple, yet elegantly designed to comfortably fit two to eight students in each room. As students move on to upper grades, they have fewer roommates. Even here, the administration cares for its students' desires.
"We had assigned a group of four students to a dorm, but they had become separated from a friend and they requested that we allow five of them to stay in the same room. We accommodated their request," recalls Burhan.
A holistic experience
Haileybury Bhaluka takes its academic mission very seriously. According to Masum, it was crucial for them to take in the most talented students in their first batch, to maintain the reputation of the school. Every student must sit for an electronic exam that tests their cognitive abilities. It is a layered exam that tests their skills in English, Math, and critical thinking.
Based on this test, students are assigned a grade from 6 to 12, as well as a scholarship.
Haileybury also employs a majority foreign teachers with excellent degrees from well-renowned institutions like Harvard and Oxford. Additionally, every teacher employed by the school, local or foreign, must achieve a teaching certificate from Harvard once they are hired, ensuring that all educators are properly qualified.
Beyond just a place of study though, the aim of Haileybury is to build students who will contribute meaningfully to society, while leading virtuous lives. As such, students are provided with excellent sporting facilities where they can train every day to become more active and healthy.
It is mandatory to participate in extracurricular activities, with the faculty assigning students to specific sports, based on their talent. The active lifestyle that the students lead on campus keeps them busy and entertained, leading to better mental and physical health.
Students are also assigned meal plans based on their bodily needs, to ensure no one is partaking in unhealthy eating habits.
Furthermore, Haileybury believes in a device-free campus life. Students are not allowed to use their phones except for one hour every day. At the end of each day, students may access their personal phones to speak to their parents and others but return them before bedtime. This rule is relaxed on the weekends for those who stay back.
Haileybury started its first semester with around 60 students. At first, many students went through an adjustment period where they missed their homes and parents. However, now that they have become used to their campus, many clamour to stay back even on weekends.
Starting next semester, Haileybury Bhaluka will start taking in girls, expanding their student body, and providing an unforgettable experience for its new students.
