Haileybury Bhaluka on a mission to shape future leaders

Haileybury Bhaluka is an upcoming boarding school located in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, dedicated to providing quality English education for students from the ages of 11 to 18. It is affiliated with the Haileybury UK School.

Haileybury Bhaluka is committed to providing education of an international standard. With an 850-acre campus, the school is equipped with modern labs, a library, smart classrooms, an auditorium, a modern music school, and well-organised dormitory facilities. It also has football grounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, and other facilities for sports activities. The dining hall of the school is catered towards serving nutritional food for the students. The dorm rooms are also well furnished with adequate space and study arrangements.

Regarding the new school, Simon O'Grady, Founding Headmaster of Haileybury Bhaluka, said, "There are three things to consider for high-performing schools. First, focus on the future. Secondly, focus on skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. And thirdly, the ability to get and keep great teachers. These three things will be the essence of our success in Haileybury Bhaluka." 

The annual fee of Haileybury Bhaluka is USD 34,500, around BDT 38 lakhs. Interested applicants can apply online and have to take a cognitive test. Based on the performance in the cognitive test, scholarships are offered to potential students. The range of the scholarships can be as high as 100 percent. The school has a total of USD 15 million in funding for scholarships. 

When asked why the annual fees are so high, Simon replied that the school wants to attract only the best teachers. Emphasising having great teachers to have a great learning environment, Simon added, "The scope of our ambitions is like no other school in this region. All our teachers are going to be Harvard certified."

Last year, 61 percent of Haileybury students received opportunities to study at Ivy League and Russell Group universities like Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge. Along with academics, the school is also committed to providing adequate co-curricular activities. 

Syed Muhammed Abul Faiz, former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University, said that he decided to join Haileybury Bhaluka as an adviser because he wants to create the best school in Bangladesh which everyone can be proud of.

Notable alumni of Haileybury UK include former UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee, renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, and novelist Rudyard Kipling among others. Miran Ali, Managing Director of Bitopi Group and Vice President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), is also a former student of Haileybury UK from the class of '91.

The first batch of Haileybury Bhaluka will begin in August 2024. Enrollment is currently ongoing.