Since founding Summit Group in the 1990s, Muhammed Aziz Khan has overseen the company’s growth into Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure conglomerate while simultaneously developing educational initiatives throughout the country. These programs now reach approximately 9,000 disadvantaged children across Bangladesh who might otherwise lack access to formal schooling.
Summit Group operates 14 power plants with more than 2,000 megawatts capacity and built Bangladesh’s first independent power plant in 1997. The company has established schools near many of its infrastructure projects, providing educational opportunities to children in these communities.
“Education is the biggest enabler of equality in the world,” says Khan. “Therefore, we focus on how to educate the people around the power plants or around any of our facilities.”
“In most of the places, we built schools and handed them over to the local authorities so that the children can study,” he continues. “I am very pleased to say that we are teaching children in Bangladesh, disadvantaged children who otherwise would not be able to go to school. It’s another great satisfaction to be able to provide an equalizer in society.”
Programs and Implementation
Summit’s educational initiatives encompass several different programs serving varied populations. The Alor Pathshala program operates seven schools in Bangladesh, educating students between ages 6 and 16 in remote areas. This program has been running for more than 15 years, with Khan serving as a trustee of the Prothom Alo Trust that provides funding.
The company also supports the Jaago Foundation, which offers an English version curriculum in both digital and in-person classes to children from financially disadvantaged homes. This approach combines traditional education with more contemporary digital access.
For more than a decade, Summit has partnered with the Society for Education and Inclusion of the Disabled (SEID) through the SEID-Summit Community Therapy School for underprivileged children with special needs. This specialized education program provides day care and school services for children who face both economic and developmental challenges.
Summit’s educational portfolio extends to support for established institutions as well, including the Dhaka Residential Model College, Tagore University of Creative Arts, and the Proyash Institute of Special Education, one of Bangladesh’s leading special education institutions.
The company primarily targets geographic areas where government educational services are limited or non-existent, with the goal of filling gaps in the country’s educational infrastructure.
“We try to go into places where the government is not there,” says Khan. “The government has been able to bring in primary education, women’s rights, reproductive rights, but there are still pockets which are left untouched by the government. That’s where we want to go.”
Integration with Government Systems
Rather than creating completely independent educational systems, Summit often develops programs that connect with Bangladesh’s broader educational infrastructure. This approach maximizes impact by leveraging existing systems while addressing specific gaps.
The company typically constructs schools and then transfers them to local authorities, creating permanent educational infrastructure that continues operating independently after the initial investment. This built-and-transfer model has allowed Summit to establish educational resources that remain sustainable beyond the company’s direct involvement.
“The biggest corporate social responsibility we have is to provide low-cost energy infrastructure to the people of this region, especially to the people of Bangladesh,” says Ayesha Khan, managing director and CEO at Summit Power International. “That is our biggest responsibility. The business that we are doing is a socially responsible business.”
This viewpoint connects Summit’s commercial infrastructure ventures directly to Bangladesh’s developmental needs, positioning power generation and other infrastructure projects as inherently beneficial to society. The educational initiatives extend this social impact beyond the company’s core business activities.
For Muhammed Aziz Khan, these educational investments reflect a specific understanding of wealth’s purpose and business’s role in society. “The creation of wealth should not be only for personal gain and pleasure, but also for the improvement of humanity,” he says.
“Equality is a human goodness, a desire of human goodness to bring in civilizations of equality and corporate social responsibility is part of this larger expectation of humanity.”
Current Impact and Future Direction
Summit Group’s programs operate within a country of more than 170 million people occupying roughly 130,170 square kilometers, where educational access remains uneven despite government efforts.
The company is also continuing infrastructure development across South Asia, including new ventures in renewable energy and cross-border electricity, and it is maintaining its educational programs as part of its overall approach. The organization’s dual focus on infrastructure growth and educational development reflects Khan’s philosophy that business success and social responsibility are interconnected obligations.
“Human beings are there to contribute for their well being,” he says. This philosophy continues to guide Summit’s approach as the company expands its operations while maintaining its commitment to educational equity in Bangladesh.
