Anika Tabassum Arpa

I’m Anika Tabassum Arpa, an education researcher, teacher, and dreamer from Dhaka, Bangladesh. My life motto has always been simple: dream big, work hard, stay humble, and inspire others. This is more than a saying ; it’s how I live, learn, and lead.

I come from classrooms where I had to fight for space to speak, where questioning the system was discouraged, and where too many brilliant students were boxed into outdated molds. That personal history fuels my purpose: to make education truly accessible, inclusive, and human.
My research across Bangladesh has taken me from urban schools to flood-affected regions to refugee camps where I’ve listened, learned, and witnessed how deeply educational systems can fail the very children they’re meant to serve. I have met teachers overwhelmed by policy, undertrained in pedagogy, and fearful of technology. I’ve sat in classrooms where girls sit in silence, where students from minority communities don’t see themselves reflected in the content or even in the seating arrangements. I’ve observed how rigid hierarchies, scarcity of resources, and overreliance on testing can erase curiosity and belonging.

But I’ve also seen possibility. I’ve seen children light up during hands-on lessons, teachers eager to grow, and communities finding creative ways to reclaim learning. These moments remind me why I do what I do.

With an M.Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Technology) and B.Ed. in Science and Mathematics Education from the University of Dhaka, I now work as a researcher across education, equity, and development. I’ve contributed to national and international projects with BRAC, UNHCR, Caritas, GIZ, Save the Children, and more—exploring how curriculum, teacher training, and technology can be tools for justice, not just tools for reform. My work has been presented at international conferences, including NARST and ICECA.

Alongside research, I’ve taught in classrooms both conventional and unconventional—from public schools to a mobile school on a bus. I co-founded an online bookstore during the pandemic to support mental well-being. I find peace in sketching, writing, watching films, and reading fiction. I believe learning happens in moments of wonder, not just within the walls of a school.

As I pursue a PhD, I carry with me a vision: to build learning environments where every student regardless of gender, geography, or background—feels they belong, where teachers are empowered, and where education speaks to life, not just exams.

Van Gogh once said, “I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” I, too, dream of schools where girls don’t have to choose between their dreams and society’s rules… where minority students feel at home… where education paints a future of real inclusion, one brushstroke at a time.