She laid down her life to save her students

On World Teachers' Day, as students honour their mentors with gratitude, one name carries a deeper, more poignant weight: Mahreen Chowdhury.

On July 21, after a training aircraft crashed into Milestone School's Haider Ali building and flames engulfed classrooms, Mahreen didn't run for safety -- she ran into the fire to rescue her students.

In the process, she suffered burns that claimed her life.

During her final hours at the hospital, she told her husband Mansur Helal, "They are my children too -- how could I walk away and leave them behind? Let anything happen to me, but I could never abandon my students in that burning hell."

Mahreen was rushed to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with 100 percent burns. When Mansur arrived, he found her body charred beyond recognition.

Still able to whisper, she told him, "You came? I am going to my parents now." She also reminded him that her jewellery could be sold for their children's education.

Her students remained in her thoughts until the end, Mansur told this correspondent at their Uttara home.

Mahreen often told her children that destiny would take its course, but education was non-negotiable. She insisted they study at least up to the master's level. Even on her deathbed, she repeated those words.

She took her final breath around 8:45 that night, leaving behind Mansur and their two children.

"Every day it still feels like she's at home," Mansur said. "Morning in our house meant her presence everywhere -- in her habits, her discipline."

By 6:30am she would be feeding birds on the balcony, preparing breakfast and filling lunchboxes. By 7:00am, she was ready for the three-kilometre rickshaw ride to Milestone School, returning home by late afternoon.

After graduating in English from Manarat International University in 2006, she joined Milestone the following year as a teacher of English and Social Studies. She was promoted to coordinator in 2019.

The role meant parents, colleagues and students reached out to her even late at night. At times, she took calls past midnight, offering guidance, encouragement and counselling. One such colleague was Masuka Begum, who often turned to Mahreen in moments of distress. Masuka also died in the tragedy.

"Mahreen would comfort her like an elder sister each time…. Now both of them are gone," Mansur said.

Her elder son, Aiyan, 16, is now sitting for O-levels, while her younger son, Adil, 14, is in grade nine. "To them, their mother was not just a guardian, but their friend and constant guide," he added.

Beyond teaching, Mahreen was elected president of Boglagari School and College in Nilphamari's Jaldhaka earlier this year. She had also shared her wish to enter politics, hoping to contribute directly to nation-building.

"But before that, she wanted to serve through social and educational work," Mansur said.