Three decades of growth behind Mentors’ double IELTS win
When Mentors received two honours at the British Council IELTS Global Awards in London in 2026, the recognition highlighted its journey from a small admission preparation centre in Dhaka to a nationwide education and study-abroad service provider.
The organisation won the Highest Volume South Asia Award and the Best All-Rounder Bangladesh Award.
Mentors was founded in 1996 by Syed Khairul Hassan and Nasim Ahmed, then MBA students at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka.
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The centre initially prepared students for the institute's BBA and MBA entrance examinations, focusing on English, mathematics and analytical ability. Demand soon prompted the opening of its first branch in Mouchak.
The organisation expanded into private university admission preparation in 1998 and introduced IELTS preparation courses the following year. It added GRE preparation in 2003.
Anindya Chowdhury joined Mentors' as an instructor in 1997 and later assumed wider leadership responsibilities, eventually becoming director and chief executive officer.
IELTS preparation has since become a major part of the organisation's operations. Its services now include classroom instruction, skill-based practice, mock examinations and individual feedback.
Mentors' is also an authorised British Council IELTS registration hub. The organisation said its Country Top Performer for IELTS award in 2025 was its fourth consecutive win in the category and preceded the two honours received in London in 2026.
Alongside its test-preparation services, Mentors' Study Abroad has developed into the organisation's international education arm.
It now has partnerships with more than 200 universities and colleges in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the US. Its services range from student counselling and university applications to visa-documentation support.
Mentors' Education Limited currently operates in Chattogram, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Khulna, Moulvibazar, Nawabganj, Noakhali, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet.
The organisation has around 157 academic employees and 62 administrative staff. It is also affiliated with the American International Recruitment Council, ICEF, Pearson VUE and GED Testing Service, and operates at least six IELTS test centres nationwide.
The awards may be recent, but their foundations were laid over 30 years of responding to changing student needs and steadily expanding the services built around them.
