Education Hero Mahbubul Hoque of Northeast India

 Mahbubul Hoque Hero

 inspirational journey: Social service through education

During an interview in his hometown in 2022,

 Mahbubul Hoque

was asked by a person, “Is the foundation you are running really for social service or for business purposes?”

To this, he replied very clearly and honestly: “If my purpose was business, I would have appointed my relatives to high positions in this foundation – in the finance department, administrative posts, registration cell, etc. But if you investigate my institutions properly, you will find that most of the people appointed here are not from my family, but educated, capable and hardworking people from India and abroad.”

He told that a classmate who was with him while studying in Aligarh Muslim University is still working with him. Sometimes he used to sleep with him in the mosque or share a bed in the room. Today the same friend is a part of this foundation.

In his words: “Our journey started with Rs. 400, and today we have many people associated with us who come not only from Aligarh but from many states of the country and are serving our organization in different positions.”

Why is the fee charged from students?

 Mahbubul Hoque 

 also said that the fee charged from students is for the salary of teachers, better infrastructure and modern facilities. He said: “I decide the fee based on their financial condition. If my aim was business, I would have worked only for profit. But my dream is to make the young generation of this country skilled and educated.”

According to him: “Even if I am not there in the future, this foundation will run because I have created a system that will keep working even without me. People like this institution because it is run with transparency and dedication.”

Beginnings of education and struggle

When asked how he got higher education from Aligarh Muslim University despite being in a poor financial condition, he said: “Along with studies, I used to do Imamat in a mosque and got ₹ 1000 monthly from that. I used to meet my expenses from that and also help the needy.”

When he reached Guwahati after completing his degree, he had only ₹80 and a laptop gifted by a friend. With this, he started his foundation. Today, the foundation is bringing about a change in the field of education not only in Assam but in the entire North-East.

Why no medical college?

He was also asked in the interview why he did not open a medical college in his home district Karimganj. To this, he clarified: “The government is already working in this direction. Opening a medical college is not easy — it requires specialist doctors and trainers, which are not available in large numbers at the moment.”

Distance from politics

In response to a question, he said that he is not involved in politics. He said: “You tell me, is there any politician who has built a single university or a big educational institution? When I can do this without getting involved in politics, I do not need to go into politics. I want to remain what I am. My aim is to uplift the society through education, not to get a political post.

Professional and refined version

During an interview in 2022, Mahbubul Haque was asked, “You were born in Karimganj district, yet why only one college there? Did you not pay enough attention to the needs of the area?”

Haque clarified with a smile:

“Badarpur is considered the hub in the Barak Valley. I did open a college in Patharkandi—my native area—but most of the other institutions were set up in Badarpur because it is geographically easy to reach from other districts and neighbouring states. We also tried several times in Patharkandi, but due to lack of suitable and adequate land, we had to move to Badarpur.”

He also added that if all the campuses were opened in Patharkandi, students from far-flung districts would have faced difficulty in commuting. Setting up the centre in Badarpur has made movement of students from other parts of Assam and states in the Northeast—especially Meghalaya—easy.

Another question in the interview was whether they wanted to open more institutes in the future. Haque answered:

“Creating excellent faculty is more important than building new buildings. We first want to raise the quality of education in existing colleges and universities to the highest level. Only when we have a strong enough faculty base will we consider expansion. If a reputed organisation shares the same vision with us, we are always open to collaboration.”

He said that he has received proposals to open new campuses from many states in the Northeast, including Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal, Tripura. However, his focus right now is on the academic excellence of existing institutions.

“I believe quality is more important than quantity. Unless I am able to provide the best skills and resources to the current students, there is no point in uncontrolled expansion. Further expansion will be decided depending on the situation and our preparation after 2030. For now, if a reliable partner wants to jointly set up an institute in Assam, we will welcome it.”

Thus, Mahbubul Haque hreo made it clear that his aim is not just to increase the number of buildings, but to create an excellent educational infrastructure—with qualified faculty available wherever and whenever required.