Just like many other parents and students across the country, 20-year-old Shihab Ahmed and his siblings spent about an hour on his phone yesterday morning, browsing the website to access the Secondary School Certificate examination results.

Finding the candidate number he was looking for, Shihab instantly called his father, Abdus Samad, with a big smile on his face.

"You did it, Baba. Your grade point is 4.25," he said with a sparkle in his voice.

Photo: Collected

Setting himself as an example of possessing indomitable willpower and dedication, Samad, a 57-year-old traffic police officer, cleared his SSC (vocational) exams yesterday.

Born in 1968 in Ashrafpur village of Rajshahi's Bagha upazila, Samad joined Chattogram Metropolitan Police in 1987 after finishing eighth grade. He had to quit studying to support his parents.

"We didn't have SSC back then. But I always wanted to study more. I enrolled on a course course at Kaya Nahunpara Technical Vocational Institute in Natore's Lalpur upazila in 2022," said Samad, who now dreams of becoming a trained and certified homeopath.

Juggling between work, studies, and family responsibilities, Samad found it difficult to attend his classes regularly for the last couple of years.

"My wife Fatema Begum always stood by me, encouraging me to study at night after work even though I was quite exhausted. My children [two sons and a daughter] also played a big part, motivating me to continue my academic journey despite the hurdles," he said.

Samad now wants to pursue a four-year diploma in homeopathy in Bogura, hoping to serve the poor and marginalised people back in his hometown.

"I will retire in about three years and will have a lot of time to spare then. This is what I plan on doing after my retirement," he said.

"We are proud of him and hope to see him in a doctor's coat soon," added Fatema.

Lauding his achievement, Suman Ranjan Sarkar, additional superintendent of Bogura traffic police, said, "Traffic police operate in two shifts, and the work is quite tedious. However, we are with Samad and hope to support him, ensuring he can attend his classes regularly."

"Samad's effort is extraordinary and deserves praise. Our department will always stand by him,' said Sudeep Kumar Chakrobarty, police superintendent in Bogura.