Education
Enrolment in Grades 6-12 in schools up 52.5% since 2009: Dipu Moni
Education Minister Dipu Moni on Tuesday informed parliament that the number of students enrolled in 6th grade to 12th grade in schools has increased appreciably by 52.5 percent since 2009 - that is over the tenure of three Awami League-led governments since that year.
Traditionally, Bangladesh and other developing countries have struggled to retain students in schools in these grades. Once students pass the fifth grade, poor parents often take them out of school and put them to work, or to look for work.
Also read: This is high time to allow PhD degrees in private universities: Dipu Moni
The education minister had no hesitation in attributing this success to the government's "pro-poor" initiatives.
She divulged the information in reply to a tabled question from treasury bench MP Mamunur Rashid Kiran.
Also read: We’ve incorporated interactive learning at primary, secondary levels to ensure quality education: Dipu Moni
Dipu Moni said that some 5,500 private educational institutions have been enlisted under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) over the three terms of the present government.
While replying to a query from AL MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury, the education minister said that there are 701 government colleges across the country, with a total of 25.58 lakh students.
Of the total number, the number of male students is 12.97 lakh and the number of female students is 12.61 lakh.
Also read: SSC exam will be held under new curriculum in 2026: Dipu Moni
ULAB hosts MSJ dept freshers' orientation and apprenticeship day for Summer 2023
The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)’s Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) has recently organized its ‘Fresher’s Orientation and Apprenticeship Day’ program for Summer 2023 semester at its permanent campus in the capital’s Mohammadpur.
The newcomers to the department were welcomed through the event and given an overview of the academics of the university, along with the skill-based apprenticeship programs for their four-year undergraduate journey.
Also read: Dhaka Flow to organize ‘Youth Wellness Festival’ at ULAB
Professor Jude William Genilo, Pro Vice Chancellor of ULAB and the Head of the Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ), delivered his welcome speech for the freshers by stating, “It's an occasion to celebrate because you entered the program that is highly recognized abroad. It's the only internationally accredited media program in Bangladesh, and because of this international reputation, we are sought by other universities seeking advice on how their programs are being run. We are the ones influencing the others in the region, not only in Bangladesh.”
Consecutively, the MSJ faculty members and the admin panel introduced themselves at the event. Senior Lecturer Nandita Tabassum Khan discussed the history and mission of the department, while Senior Lecturer Muhammad Aminuzzaman showcased an overall preview of portfolio creation.
Also read: ULAB Ranks 75th in WURI’s Global Top 100 Innovative Universities 2023
A video compilation of apprenticeship and outreach programs offered by the department was presented to educate on the practical value of these initiatives. Some of the current apprentices from each program were awarded for their diligence and commitment.
Known as the flagship department of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), the MSJ department is devoted to cultural and communication studies with a special emphasis on film, media, creative art, public relations and journalism.
Also read: ULAB DEH organizes workshop on Critical Medical Humanities in 21st Century Bangladesh
Students of 7 DU-affiliated colleges block Nilkhet intersection in Dhaka
Students of seven Dhaka University-affiliated colleges on Tuesday (June 20, 2023) blocked Nilkhet intersection to press home their 7-point demand.
They put up barricade and staged demonstrations at Nilkhet intersection around 12 pm, triggering huge traffic jam on the adjacent roads, said witnesses.
Read: IU Students protest attack on teacher, block Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway
Stopping harassment of students of seven colleges at DU register building, revising CGPA conditions for promotion to next stage and publishing results within the 90 days of examination, formation of a clear policy and authority and taking proper steps to solve teachers shortage and classroom space scarcity are among the demands of the students .
JU admission tests from Sunday
Jahangirnagar University first year admission test for the academic year 2022-2023 is going to be held tomorrow (Sunday). This year's admission test will begin with the admission test of the University's Institute of Business Administration (IBA-JU) at 9 am.Tomorrow at 10:25 am, the examination of the drama and theater department and fine arts department will be held under 'C-1' unit. On the same day, at 11:50 am, the examination of 'C' unit under Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Bangabandhu Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture will begin.
Read: British Council IELTS Prize 2023 application now open for Bangladeshi IELTS test-takers
This year, 2 lakh 49 thousand 857 applications have been submitted against 1 thousand 844 seats for admission. As such, 135 aspirants will compete against each seat in the admission test.According to the sources of the admission examination committee, this year there will be admission examinations for 34 departments and 3 institutes under 7 units.
Read: Focus on quality research: President asks universitiesAll candidates for JU admission test are given nine directions to follow in the examination hall and regarding the examination rules which are mentioned in their admit cards.
British Council IELTS Prize 2023 application now open for Bangladeshi IELTS test-takers
Applications for the British Council IELTS Prize 2023 are now open for IELTS test-takers from East and South Asian countries, including Bangladesh.
The annual competition supports IELTS test-takers with up to £5,000 towards university tuition fees in English-speaking universities.
Read: Focus on quality research: President asks universities
This year, the IELTS Prize is open to test takers living in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
It will be open to students who have applied for undergraduate or postgraduate studies locally or overseas through IELTS and will begin their course from January 2023 to March 2024.
The deadline for submitting completed applications is 15 September 2023.
Read: Recruitment Scam: IU VC’s conversation goes viral again
A total of seven winners will be selected through a competitive application process in Bangladesh to receive a cash prize to support their studies.
Applicants who wish to find out more information about the prize, the application process, and review frequently asked questions should visit https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/study-work-abroad/ielts-prize.
Focus on quality research: President asks universities
President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Thursday asked the university authorities to stop focusing on increasing number of research.
"University authorities should ensure the quality of research apart from increasing the numbers," the President said.
He said this while a four-member delegation of the Dhaka University led by its Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr. Md Akhtaruzzaman paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban.
President's press secretary Joynal Abedin briefed the reporters after the meeting.
Steps must also be taken in this regard, he also said.
The Chancellor advised the universities to focus more on research activities to explore time-befitting knowledge and keep pace with the competitive world.
Thanking the university authorities for making Dhaka University free of session-jam, President Shahabuddin said, "The incumbent government's continuity and political stability have contributed positively to this regard."
The President said the country is now moving fast on the path of development and progress where new innovations in knowledge and science are mandatory.
During the meeting, the Vice-Chancellor apprised the President of the academic development and activities of the university.
Dr. Akhtaruzzaman said, "The session congestion caused by the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic has already been cleared by rescheduling examinations and class schedules under the Loss and Recovery Plan."
Secretaries concerned to the President were also present during the meeting.
War crimes accused dies at DMCH
A war crimes accused died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Thursday.
The deceased was Nizamul Haque Miah ,76, of Sadhuhati village in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj district.
War criminal Abdus Subhan dies at DMCH
Subash Chandra Bala, deputy district magistrate of Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj), said Nizamul Haque, an accused in a case over crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971, was taken to DMCH after he fell sick in the prison.
Also read: Incarcerated war criminal dies at DMCH
Prison guards including jail guard Md Solaiman Pradhan took him to the emergency department of DMCH at 6:08 am where the duty doctor declared him dead, said DMCH Police Outpost Inspector Bachchu Mia.
Also read: War crimes convict dies at DMCH
The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy, he said.
Recruitment Scam: IU VC’s conversation goes viral again
An audio clip containing a conversation between the Islamic University vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam and an unidentified person involving recruitment of drivers at the university went viral on social media Facebook on Tuesday night.
A total of 14 audio clips containing conversations between the vice-chancellor and different people went viral on social media from February 16 to June 13 this year.
The audio clip shared from a Facebook account Darbesh Salam on Tuesday, the VC was heard saying to a person addressing him as Nazrul that the university administration would circulate an advertisement of recruiting drivers at the university very soon.
The VC also told the person to ask his candidate to apply for both the driver and helper posts so that the appointment of the candidate could not be missed.
Read: Islamic University won't join combined admission test system
Some senior teachers said that the conversations of the vice-chancellor went viral on social media one after another but the government, the Ministry of Education and UGC did not take any decision regarding the leaked audio conversations.
They, in a press conference held on April 3, sought prime minister’s intervention regarding the leaked audio conversations, said IU Awami League-backed teachers’ alliance Shapla Forum’s general secretary Professor M Mahbubar Rahman.
The vice-chancellor tarnished the image of the university by adopting unfair means of recruiting teachers and drivers at the university, he added.
IUTA general secretary Professor Tapon Kumar Godder said that they sent written documents to the prime minister, the president, the education minister and the chairman of the University Grants Commission in this connection.
They should look into the matter, he added.
IU vice-chancellor Shaikh Abdus Salam said that he had nothing to say regarding the leaked audio conversations. “May Allah bless the person who leaked his conversations,” he said.
Read: 42 Islamic University students win Science and Technology Fellowship
On Monday, the written examinations for recruiting three engineers at the university were held after three audio clips containing vice-chancellor’s mobile conversations about recruitments went viral.
IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan filed a general diary with the Islamic University police station after an audio clip containing conversation between the VC and a jobseeker of IU’s Mass Communication and Journalism Department had gone viral on February 17.
The Islamic University Teachers’ Association and the Awami League-backed teachers’ alliance Shapla Forum submitted a written petition to the vice-chancellor requesting him to explain his audio conversations leaked on February 18.
Later, the university administration postponed the recruitment boards of five departments.
Read more: Islamic University celebrates 43rd founding anniversary Tuesday
DU student goes missing while taking bath in Gorai River
A fourth-year pharmacy student of Dhaka University went missing while taking bath at the Gorai River in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia district on Monday.
The student was identified as Tanvir, 23, fourth-year student of pharmacy department of Dhaka University and resident of Barguna district.
Read: DU Business unit admission results published
The incident took place at Koya Gorai railway bridge area of Kumarkhali on Kushtia-Rajbari railway line around 4:45pm on Monday. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saidul Islam visited the spot. Tanvir is a resident of Barguna district.
According to fire service and Kumarkhali police station sources, 13 students of pharmacy department of Dhaka University went to visit various places of Meherpur and Kushtia. The incident took place while three of them went to Gorai River to take bath and Tanvir drowned.
On information, Kumarkhali fire service personnel immediately started the rescue operation.
Read: MoU signed to promote Bangladesh's cross-border trade capacity in agro-processed food products
Mohsin Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kumarkhali Police Station, said among thirteen, twelve are okay now. He acknowledged Tanvir is still missing.
Efforts are on to rescue him, the OC said.
Agrani Bank official suspended over assaulting IU teacher
The Agrani Bank authorities suspended one of its officials temporarily on charges of assaulting M Mostafizur Rahman, a professor of Al-Hadith and Islamic Studies department of Islamic University in Kushtia over previous enmity.
Read: IU Students protest attack on teacher, block Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway
The suspended, M Shohel Mahmud, was the principal officer of Kushtia Chaurhash Agrani Bank branch.
A press release, signed by the bank deputy-general manager M Mahbubur Rahman, was issued in this regard on Thursday night.
According to the press release, the students of the Al-Hadith and Islamic Studies department on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the bank demanding punishment of Shohel. Later, the bank authorities suspended Shohel Mahmud from his job temporarily for tarnishing the image of the bank by assaulting IU Al-Hadith and Islamic Studies department Professor M Mostafizur Rahman physically who was also the general secretary of the university teachers’ Association.
Read: IU student's MBA, BBA certificates cancelled
Agrani Bank deputy general-manager M Mahbubur Rahman said that they suspended Shohel for violating the bank’s rules and regulations.
On Wednesday morning, Shohel swooped on Mostafiz while the latter was walking on the road over their previous enmity.
Shohel, at one stage, beat up Mostafiz with a bamboo stick of land that left him injured on the spot. Later, other people rescued Mostafiz from the spot and took him to Kushtia General Hospital for treatment.
A group of students of the Al-Hadith and Islamic Studies department staged a demonstration on the campus in Kushtia on Thursday protesting at an attack on the professor.
Read: Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman gets bail in DSA case
The students later blockaded the Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway demanding immediate arrest of Kushtia Chaurhash Agrani Bank official M Shohel Mahmud.
IUTA and the teachers of the Al-Hadith department, in separate protest releases, also demanded immediate punishment of the bank official who carried out an attack on Professor M Mostafizur Rahman.