Bangladesh Adventist Nursing College.
Photo courtesy of Bangladesh Adventist Nursing College.
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Sandra Rumi Madhu (B.Sc. in Nursing, University of Dhaka; M.A. in Public Health and M.S.S. in Clinical Social Work) is a nursing and midwifery educator and principal of Bangladesh Adventist Nursing College. She had worked as a faculty, technical officer and senior instructor at James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, a study nurse at ICDDRB, and a pediatric nurse at Apollo Hospital. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Health Science at the University of Greenwich off-campus in Malaysia. Madhu is married to William Anupom Gomez, and they have one child.
First Published: June 7, 2022
Bangladesh Adventist Nursing College (BANC) is a Seventh-day Adventist boarding institution for nursing and midwifery education. It is operated by the Bangladesh Adventist Union Mission (BAUM) and is located in Gowalbathan, Kaliakoir, Gazipur under the zone of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is situated on 10.7 acres of land by the National West Bengal Highway, 200 meters and 35 kilometers from Dhaka, the capital city. The college started with the name Bangladesh Adventist Nursing Institute (BANI) in 2017.1 It became a college in 20212 and expanded with various courses. Currently, the college offers Bachelor of Science and Diploma degree programs in nursing and midwifery.
Developments That Led to the Establishment of the School
In 2010 Dr. Myun Ju Lee, president3 of BAUM, and other interested stakeholders dreamt of establishing a nursing college in Bangladesh. This has been a long-time dream. However, because of the financial resources needed, it has taken a long time for the dream to become a reality.4 Dr. Chong Ho Yang, president5 of the Bangladesh Adventist Seminary and College Academy (BASC) in 2013, began to pray to God with his wife for a nursing college.6
Along with Dr. Willie Lamson Prantra, vice president for financial affairs and BASC administrative committee members, they started the paperwork in 2014 and appealed to the mother division, the Southern-Asia Pacific Division (SSD), to establish a nursing college as the center of influence in Bangladesh. SSD positively sent approval for the proposal.
Founding of the School
In August 2014 the groundbreaking ceremony took place. In 2015 Dr. Chong Ho Yang communicated with Mr. Dae Hoon Ahn and his wife, Mrs. Choong Rang Lim, from South Korea about the vision of establishing a nursing college. God miraculously prepared them and prayerfully donated the seed money for constructing the nursing college building. Bangladesh also received significant funds from the 13th Sabbath offering in 2015 aside from the fund provided by the SSD for the construction of the nursing administration building. In addition, numerous donors from the United States and South Korea provided funds to establish the college.
The BANI administration building construction was completed in November 2016 along with the girls’ dormitory donated by Mr. Jason and Mrs. Hyun Sook Kim.7 The said construction was facilitated and supervised by Dr. Willie Lamson Pantra, vice-president for financial affairs of BASC,8 and Mr. Borun Roy, the accountant. More construction progressed in 2016 with the donation from Elder Leon Peek's family for adequate housing for the nursing staff and faculty building9 along with the boys’ first-floor dormitory.
BANI was approved with the affiliation of the Ministry of Health and accredited by the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC) on October 4, 201610 for a three-year diploma program and by the SSD on November 7, 2016.11 A special inauguration ceremony was held on November 12, 201612 where the General Conference (GC) president Dr. Ted N. C. Wilson, SSD president Dr. Samuel Saw, officers from SSD, BAUM, BASC, and other world-wide church members made it more blessed with their presence.
History of the School
BANI was renowned as a private residential educational institute with a beautiful, well-structured campus offering quality education. It began to hold classes in January 2017 with 32 nursing students. Dr. Eun Hee Peek, the principal,13 came to Bangladesh in May 2016 with his family as a volunteer to start the institute.14 The first appointed nursing instructor was Mr. Proshanto Rahul Baroi,15 and subsequently, the faculty members increased.
The institute started outside collaboration with different tertiary and secondary level hospitals for nursing students’ clinical placement. The first memorandum of understanding (MOU) was established with the Kumudini Medical College and Hospital, Tangail.16 As the school population grew, more floors of buildings were built to serve as dormitories for boys and girls. In 2017 additional international teachers were called from the Philippines17 to teach in the nursing institute. These teachers included Mr. Jhoriz Salvado18 and Mrs. Eva Salvado.19 The institute also hired a local female teacher named Mercy Tithy Barikder.20,21
The Bangladesh government ruled out a policy that only Bangladesh nationals should hold leadership positions in many institutions. With this, Sandra Rumi Madhu22 (B.S.N., M.S.S., M.Ph, and Ph.D. in Health Science) was appointed the first Bangladeshi principal of BANI.23 She started working with the unfinished papers of affiliation and nursing students’ registration at BNMC. Then she also expanded the MOU with other tertiary medical college hospitals24 and the Upazila Health Complex.25 There were four local Adventist nursing faculty members who were committed to training students mentally, spiritually, and physically for usefulness to the community and church.
In December 2019 the first group of 32 nursing students graduated from the institution. During the graduation ceremony, Dr. Lisa M. Beardsley-Hardy, the GC education director and chair of the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA), and Dr. Patricia S. Jones, the GC Health Ministries director, came as speakers. Similarly in 2019, the new curriculum was introduced by the government and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Bangladesh. The institute changed its semester system to a yearly academic program system. BANI earned a reputation for quality education. In the same year, the institution ranked fourth place in Bangladesh for academic excellence. The BNMC’s nursing licensure examination resulted in a 99 percent passing in its first time.
In 2020, after getting approval from the government of the Bangladesh Health Ministry, the institution changed its name from Bangladesh Adventist Nursing Institute to Bangladesh Adventist Nursing College (BANC).26 With the elevation to nursing college status, campus facilities were expanded with the construction of college classrooms, library, computer and nursing laboratories. BANC also established its mission, vision, philosophy, and core values.27
The principles centered on preparing nursing and midwifery students to provide excellent health care to patients.
The school’s physical structure also continued to progress as the building program advanced. Again, donations came from the same donors of the girls’ and boys’ dormitories resulting in the completion of the second floor. Similarly, Elder Leon Peeks family donation completed the second floor of the BANC faculty building in 2020.
Dr. Rontgen Poresh Bala,28 acting president and vice president for academic affairs in BASC,29 along with Dr. Sandra Rumi Madhu, BANC principal, appealed to BNMC and the University of Dhaka for the establishment of BANC’s different course extensions in nursing and midwifery. In November 2020 BANC was approved with the affiliation of the Ministry of Health and accredited by BNMC for three more courses. In the year 2021, it got its affiliation from the University of Dhaka for a four-year Bachelor of Science and two-year post-basic Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. New students are admitted in the subsequent years with the vision to be competent, committed health providers who will be a credit to the Seventh-day Adventist health education system, and serve the people of Bangladesh and beyond faithfully.
These are the academic offerings of BANC that have progressively advanced since its establishment. In the academic year 2016-2017 the institute started with 50 seats for the diploma in Nursing Science program.30 In the 2020-2021 academic year the nursing college started with 50 seats for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, 60 seats for the diploma in Nursing Science program, 40 seats for the diploma in Midwifery program, and 50 seats for the post-basic Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.31 Moreover, the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing is offered in four years with a six-month internship; whereas, the post-basic in Nursing is in two years. Both the diploma in Nursing Science and the diploma in Midwifery are offered in three years with six months internship.
To achieve the college's mission, it continued to seek denominational and non-denominational accreditations, such as the AAA. BANC has consistently been one of the top-performing colleges based on the 100 percent passed results of the Bangladesh government licensure examinations and yearly academic examinations. The college fully served its purpose of establishment. The principal’s annual report in 2020 mentioned, “many of the unbaptized young people who come to the schools are instructed and baptized, and thus, our schools become the center of light.”32 Moreover, the value of work education was emphasized and practiced from the school’s formative years. Students are cleaning their dormitories and surroundings, helped to plant fruit trees, and assisted in the cafeteria. Also, BANC is one of the finest and cleanest nursing colleges in Bangladesh.
Historical Role of the School
When BANI was founded, it was intended to serve the Adventist young people of Bangladesh. But over time Adventist and non-Adventist students from different parts of the country came for college education. Students were drawn by the college’s campus values manifested in the faculty
members’ and administrators’ care, support, and desire for students’ success. BANC is also active in its community. The college promotes village and community programs to improve livelihood, nutrition, and mental and community health. The goal of these programs is to improve the quality of life. In addition, the college actively supports the mission of the church in its constituencies.
College Students Welfare Club helps needy students with their emergency financial needs and serves the community with winter clothing and health fairs. During the academic short break, students are joining the outreach programs in different regions of Bangladesh to share the gospel to the country through health services. The nursing program blends theory and practice. Through its subject of community health, nursing students make friends in the community, give health education, share the Adventist health philosophy, and initiate health-related programs.33 Thus, the training of the mind, heart, and hands is emphasized and practiced throughout the college. With a reputation for competence, dedication, and integrity, the college’s graduates served as nurses and health workers in many reputed national hospitals and international non-government organizations in Bangladesh.
Fulfilling Its Mission
BANC needs continuous guidance by its mission and vision in all areas. It has to develop more readiness and willingness to render service to the people through technical skills, knowledge, and expertise. Moreover, it has to develop a Christian standard, healthy lifestyle characterized by faith, excellence, virtue, and service. It aims to exhibit the ability to share responsibilities and resources with others and recognize the virtue of respecting human rights. The faculty, students, and staff look forward to exercising their Christian character and performing their duties and responsibilities in society and the church.
Principals
Eun Hee Peek (January 2017 to October 2018); Sandra Rumi Madhu (November 2018 to Present).
Sources
Bangladesh Adventist Nursing Institute (BANI) Board Minutes, appropriate dates. BANC archives, Gowalbathan, Kaliakoir, Gazipur, the zone of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Adventist Seminary and College (BANC) ADCOM Minutes, appropriate dates. BANC archives, Gowalbathan, Kaliakoir, Gazipur, the zone of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BASC Student Handbook.
Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, 2018-2022. //www.adventistyearbook.org/.
Notes
Bangladesh Adventist Seminary and College (BANC) ADCOM Minutes 2016-444.↩
BANC ADCOM Minutes 2021-043.↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2017), 23.↩
Dr. Myun Ju Lee, interview by author.↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2017), 588.↩
Dr. Chong Ho Yang, interview by author.↩
BASC Board Minutes 2016-006.↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2019), 442.↩
BASC Board Minutes 2016-038.↩
BASC ADCOM Minutes 2016-444.↩
BASC ADCOM Minutes 2016-445.↩
BASC ADCOM Minutes 2016-391.↩
BASC Board Minutes 2016-043.↩
BASC Board Minutes 2016-044.↩
BANC ADCOM Minutes 2016-015.↩
BANI Board Minutes 2018-052.↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2019), 442-443.↩
BANI Board Minutes 2017-025.↩
BANI Board Minutes 2017-024.↩
BANI ADCOM Minutes 2017-072; BANI Board Minutes 2017-066,↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2019), 442-443.↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2021), 471.↩
BANI Board Minutes 2018-053.↩
BANI ADCOM Minutes 2021-029.↩
BANI ADCOM Minutes 2021-028.↩
BANC ADCOM Minutes 2021-043.↩
BANC Students’ Handbook.↩
BANI Board Minutes 2018-057.↩
Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (2019), 442.↩
BASC ADCOM Minutes 0216-373↩
BANC ADCOM Minutes 2021-043↩
BANI Year-End Report of 2019 and 2020.↩
BANI ADCOM Minutes 2019-074.↩