In 2020, when the world came to a standstill and children were confined to their homes by the COVID-19 lockdown, a young boy found himself drawn into a world far more fascinating than the four walls around him-the world of mathematics and science.
Muhammed Saifan Ali was then a Class 4 student at Premier School Dhaka. While most children were trying to adapt to online classes and the sudden disruption of their daily lives, Saifan was becoming increasingly curious about numbers, patterns and the mysteries of the physical world.
His father, Muhammed Shoeb Ali, an engineer, was working from home during the lockdown. One day, while discussing something related to geography with his son, he noticed something unusual.
Saifan was intensely interested in the mathematical aspects of the discussion.
That small moment would eventually become the beginning of an extraordinary academic journey.
“He was always attentive to his studies and loved learning,” Shoeb Ali recalls. “But during COVID-19, he became particularly interested in creative learning outside his regular studies.”
Soon, Saifan developed a fascination with trigonometry. He began exploring how mathematical concepts could be used to calculate distances and understand real-world phenomena.
For a child of his age, it was an unusual interest. But for Saifan, it was only the beginning.
The first taste of competition
Around that time, Shoeb Ali learned that the Mathematics Olympiad would be held online. Since participants could compete from home, he encouraged his son to give it a try.
Saifan cleared the preliminary round but could not qualify for the national round.
His father, however, saw the experience differently.
“I told him not to be disappointed. It was his first attempt and he had prepared without any formal preparation. I told him he would certainly do better next time.”
And he did.
The experience had already ignited something in Saifan—a growing appetite for challenging problems and intellectual competition.
The following year, he reached the national level of the Mathematics Olympiad. Although he did not finish among the top prize winners, the disappointment proved to be another turning point.
Soon, another opportunity appeared.
The Bangladesh Physics Olympiad was accepting registrations.
Shoaib decided to introduce his son to physics.
“I showed him some physics problems and noticed that he was extremely interested. He was able to grasp the concepts quite quickly,” his father says.
That year, Saifan finished fourth nationally.
It was the beginning of what would become a remarkable relationship with physics.
From then on, he repeatedly appeared among the top performers in the Bangladesh Physics Olympiad. In 2025, he secured second place nationally.
But the national stage was only a stepping stone.
Beyond the classroom
Saifan’s journey beyond the classroom began to take shape even before his international appearances. In 2022, while still a Class 8 student, he achieved a major national success by becoming the champion in the national round of the Al-Arafah Islami Bank 8th Junior Science Olympiad. The achievement further strengthened his confidence and deepened his interest in science and scientific competitions.The following year brought an even bigger opportunity.
In 2023, Saifan received an opportunity to participate in the Asian Physics Olympiad in Mongolia.
There was a complication.
He was then in Class 8, and his school examinations were taking place at the same time.
Shoeb Ali approached Premier School Dhaka and explained the opportunity to the school authorities.
The school agreed to support him.
Saifan sat for two examinations and then left for Mongolia to compete in the Asian Physics Olympiad. After returning, he resumed his school examinations.
A year later, he returned to the Asian Physics Olympiad—this time in Malaysia.
For Saifan, international competitions were no longer extraordinary events. They had become part of his learning journey.
And then came another remarkable academic decision.
After completing his O Level examinations in 2025, Saifan decided that he would complete his A Level examinations in the same year.
He had roughly four months.
For most students, completing the A Level curriculum is a lengthy process requiring extensive preparation. Saifan chose to compress that journey into just a few months.
He did it successfully, producing an impressive result.
His achievement was not simply a demonstration of academic brilliance. It reflected something deeper: an extraordinary ability to learn independently, manage time and immerse himself in a subject with remarkable intensity.
“He was never afraid of difficult problems”
Fayez Ahmed Jahangir Masud, widely known as Jahangir Sir, is the Founder General Secretary and Team Leader of the Bangladesh Physics Olympiad Committee. He has watched the country's young physicists compete on the international stage for years.
According to him, Saifan's contribution is part of a larger journey for Bangladesh's physics community.
“We started the Physics Olympiad in Bangladesh in 2011,” he says.
Since then, Bangladeshi students have competed against some of the strongest teams in the world.
The international competition is particularly demanding because it brings together students from across the globe, including countries with long-established traditions of excellence in mathematics and physics.
Bangladesh has already secured one silver medal, two bronze medals and one honourable mention at the international level.
“We competed against around 95 countries, including strong teams from China, Asia, Europe and America,” Jahangir Sir says. “These are fundamental subjects like physics and mathematics, where almost every country participates. Winning a medal there is not easy.”
For him, Bangladesh's achievements represent a major milestone.
“We have not only won silver; we have come very close to gold. There is a possibility that we can achieve a gold medal in the future. But to do that, we need greater government support.”
He also points to Saifan's contribution to the national team.
“Saifan has been performing well and has participated several times. Overall, as part of the team, he has made a good contribution.”
A school that chose to make room for talent
At Premier School Dhaka, Saifan's journey has been closely followed. Ruksana Jannat Snikdha, Chief Principal of Premier School Dhaka, describes him as an exceptionally gifted student whose curiosity deserves to be nurtured rather than restricted by conventional academic boundaries.
“Saifan is actually a genius student—an extraordinary type of student,” she says.
Saifan joined the school during the COVID-19 period and has now been associated with the institution for more than six years.
From the beginning, the school recognised that his abilities and ambitions extended beyond the conventional classroom.
The challenge, therefore, was not simply to teach him, but to create an environment where he could explore those abilities.
“We appreciated his intelligence and wanted to facilitate his enthusiasm for participating in international competitions,” Chief Principal says.
Whenever Saifan needed additional academic support, teachers and the school administration tried to accommodate him—even outside regular school hours.
“We have always supported him whenever he needed something or whenever a particular setup was required from our teachers or the school,” she says.
For the school, his success also carries another significance.
“When a child can present himself successfully on an international platform, ultimately the school is represented there as well,” Ruksana Jannat Snikdha says. “Alhamdulillah, he has continued to achieve that. We are very proud of him.”
