Meherunnesa Islam

1912 -

Meherunnesa Islam was born on the 6th of December 1912 in the District of Comilla. Both her parents, father Moulvi Ahmed Khan and mother Melekunnesa wanted their daughters to be educated. But the then Muslim community regarded women's education as contradictory to religious beliefs, only a religious schooling was encouraged within the confines of the home. Disregarding this Meherunnesa's parents sent her to school. In protest the member of the community condemned her parents. In 1938 Meherunnesa completed her matriculation out from Nawab Faijunnesa Girl's School, having secured the first place and entered the Eden Girls College. To get her higher education she left Dhaka to join the Victoria Institution at Calcutta. She then entered to get a B. T degree and completed her M.A. from the Dhaka University.

As a teacher she joined the Sakhawat Memorial School that Rokeya S. Hossain has set up and continued teaching there till 1947. She joined the institution in 1944. In 1946 she got married. After having left her teaching profession, she joined the government service as an Assistant School Inspector. She gradually assumed a position of high repute as she progressed from one responsibility to another. She joined the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development in the 50's as the head of the women's programme. She left for USA to get further training in 1952. She served in various institutions and agencies, government, programmes related to the upliftment of women's condition of Bangladesh. She had consultant in UNICEF, CIDA, UNDP, Ministry of Women's Affairs, FAO etc.

Meherunnesa has traveled widely representing her country in various international conferences on issues related to children, women's rights and development. She has a number of publications too.

Source: Steps Towards Development,  Issue 6, April - June 1997

Courtesy: Shameem Akhtar