Education
UGC approves Tk 10,444.04 crore budget for 51 public universities in 2022-23
The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday approved a budget of Tk 10,444.04 crore for 51 public universities of the country for 2022-23 fiscal year.
The commission approved the budget at its 162th meeting held virtually with UGC Chairman (Additional) Professor Dr Dil Afroza in the chair.
In the total budget of Tk 10,515.71 crore, UGC will get Tk 71.67 Crore, UGC said in a press release .
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In the main budget for the universities, the size of the revenue budget is Tk 6,023.60 crore while the development budget is Tk 4,420.44 crore for 40 projects.
In fiscal 2022-23, the allotted budget for the public universities has increased Tk 937.80 crore from the previous year.
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In this fiscal, Dhaka University will get the highest revenue budget of Tk 864.94 crore while Sheikh Hasina Medical University, Khulna will get lowest Tk 3.83 crore.
In the main budget Tk 150 crore has been allotted for research under UGC and public University which is Tk 32 crore more than the previous year.
DU scraps trust fund in late Holiday editor’s name
Dhaka University authority has scrapped a recently formed trust fund in the name of AZM Enayetullah Khan, the late editor of the weekly 'Holiday' magazine after facing extreme criticism.
The university authorities has declared that there will be no effectiveness and acceptance of the trust fund anymore as Enayetullah Khan was alleged of leaking confidential information of war during liberation war and humiliated Bangabandhu in his writings.
DU vice chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman said, "Establishing a fund in the name of such a person is contradictory to the ideology and values of the university."
Rashed Khan Menon, brother of Enayetullah Khan and also the president of Bangladesh Workers Party, launched this fund to be established at Dhaka University's Mass Communication and Journalism Department.
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“But after being informed about some of Enayetullah's previous activities, we decided to scrap the trust fund," the VC added.
On 10 May, Nasreen Zaman, daughter AZM Enayetullah Khan, formally handed over a cheque of Tk 2.5 million to DU treasurer Prof. Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed to set up the 'Enayetullah Khan Memorial Trust Fund' in the presence of Rashed Khan Menon, DU Registrar Prabir Kumar Sarker, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Zia Rahman, and Chairman of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism Dr. Abul Mansur Ahmed at vice chancellor's lounge
After the establishment of the fund, some news media reported about the unethical activities of Enayetullah Khan, and then VC ordered to scrap the fund.
DU pro VC (administration) Mohammad Samad said, “After the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu and his family members, an article written by Niaz Zaman, titled 'The Majors killed the serpent and most of its eggs except the daughters who were abroad' was published at Enayetullah Khan's edited newsweekly 'Holiday'”
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"I was shocked that a trust fund was set up at Dhaka University, the birthplace of independence in the name of that journalist whose newsweekly addressed Bangabandhu as a serpent," he added.
BBS, BFTI sign deal for launching PGD program in international trade
BRAC Business School (BBS) and Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) have signed an agreement for launching a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) programme in international trade and business.
Md. Obaidul Azam, Director of BFTI, and Dr. Sang Lee, Dean of BRAC Business School signed and exchanged the agreement confirming the initiation of the six-month-long PGD programme on Wednesday, said a press release.
The program is expected to launch the first cohort in July 2022.
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The agreement has been signed in continuation of a signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the respective heads of the institutions, Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University, Dr. Vincent Chang, and CEO of Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute, Dr. Md. Jafar Uddin.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Senior Secretary of Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of BRAC University Tamara Hasan Abed, and other important officials from the Commerce Ministry, BFTI and BRAC University were present on the occasion.
The two institutions had jointly developed the curriculum for the diploma program to fulfill the demand for up-skilling professionals engaging in international trade activities.
As Bangladesh prepares to graduate from its LDC status, international trade sectors are expected to face both challenges and opportunities in the competitive international marketplace.
The upcoming PGD program is designed to close the gap between international standards and Bangladesh’s current practices in international trade activities.
Read: HSC exams to be held with shortened syllabus, question paper
The diploma will deliver knowledge and skills to individuals working in, or planning to work in the foreign trade sector and enhance their professional skills needed to navigate the market for securing improved opportunities for the industries in Bangladesh.
In addition to the launching of the post-graduation diploma program, the two parties agreed to cooperate on research and the designing of other educational programs that will support industries and professionals in the international trade sector, mentioned the press release.
HSC exams to be held with shortened syllabus, question paper
This year's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams are likely to start on August 22 with curtailed syllabus and fewer marks than usual.
Students will have two hours to write the exams – 20 minutes for multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 1 hour and 40 minutes for creative questions (CQs).
This year's exams will kick off with the Bangla first paper followed by Bangla second paper.
The schedule, signed by Professor SM Amirul Islam, convener of the board's Examination Regulatory Committee and controller of examinations of Dhaka Education Board, was released Sunday.
Typically, students would take a 3-hour test for 100 marks. However, taking stock of the learning losses students suffered during the pandemic, the syllabi and exams have been shortened.
However, even though students will sit for tests with fewer marks – 45 to 55 – their final mark will be converted out of 100 during the evaluation.
Usually, HSC exams take place in April. The pandemic has forced the government to depart from the usual schedule.
In 2021, following the resumption of in-person classes, HSC candidates sat for tests in December on only three optional subjects with a shortened syllabus and fewer marks than usual.
HSC exams were not held in 2020 due to the pandemic; students were evaluated based on their results in previous public exams.
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SSC exams to begin on June 19
The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations will begin on June 19 based on a shortened syllabus.
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education unveiled the schedules for the public examination on Wednesday.
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The SSC exams, including the practical ones, will end on July 20.
SSC examinees will have a total of two hours to write -- 20 minutes for MCQ and 1 hour and 40 minutes for CQ.
On February 20, National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) re-revised the syllabuses of Bangla second, English first and second papers of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) after more editing.
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According to notifications issued by the Secondary and Higher Education Division, Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examination will begin on August 22.
As per the government's academic calendar, SSC exams begin from February 1 and HSC from April 1 every year. However, these exams were not held as per schedule in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
30 locally made weapons found on Ctg University campus
Chittagong University authorities claimed to have found at least 30 locally made weapons on the campus on Tuesday.
University police outpost inspector Mizanur Rahman said that some daily wagers were the first to spot the weapons while digging up the ground on the campus for laying a water pipeline between F Rahman Hall and Alaul Hall buildings in the afternoon.
“On information, we, along with the proctorial team, rushed to the spot and took the weapons into custody. All were old and rusty,” Mizanur said.
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Dr Shahidul Islam, acting proctor, CU, said, they had handed over all the weapons to Hathazari police station.
Earlier too, the university authorities, along with police, had recovered various locally made weapons from the campus.
Alper-Doger index lists KUET Prof Alamgir
Prof Muhammed Alamgir of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) has been ranked among the world’s best researchers in Alper-Doger (AD) Scientific Index-2022.
The civil engineering department professor is also a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
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AD Scientific Index has recently been published based on citations and other indices of more than nine lakh scientists and researchers of 15,430 universities in 216 countries, the UGC said on Tuesday.
Prof Alamgir, the former vice-chancellor of KUET, bagged the first position in his parent university, sixth in Bangladesh, and 708th among the scientists of Asia on civil engineering.
Besides, he achieved fourth and 100th positions in KUET and Bangladesh, respectively, in the engineering and technology category.
AD Scientific Index analysed ‘Sold Waste and Fecal Sludge Management’, ‘Climate Change’, and ‘Geo-environmental Engineering’ research topics of Prof Alamgir to rank him.
A total of 2,000 top Bangladeshi scientists and researchers from different universities got a place in the ranking.
AD Scientific Index publishes rankings based on researchers' Google Scholar's research profile for the past five years based on the h-index, i-10 index, and citation score.
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Currently, Prof Alamgir is coordinating with the International Waste Working Group in South Asia, a Europe-based waste management institute.
Besides, he has been presiding over the WasteSafe International Conference since 2009 in Khulna, held every two years.
Students in distress as RU closes dorms for Eid
With Rajshahi University authorities deciding to keep the residential halls closed during the Eid vacation from April 27 to May 7, many students are in troubled waters.
These students told UNB that the decision to keep the residential halls closed has left them in shock, given the fact that many of them belong to far-away places and just can't afford to travel to their homes for such a short vacation.
Partho Sarothy, a student of RU’s theatre department, said the university authorities must not take such "drastic steps" during festivals like Eid.
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“My final exams are slated for May 15. The halls are closed till May 8. It may not be possible for me to complete my revision within just seven days of returning to the hall," said Partho, who stays in Suhrawardy hall.
Delwar Hossain, a master’s student of the applied chemistry and chemical engineering department, said, "I wanted to stay on the campus during the festival to prepare for this year's BCS examination. But the authorities have made my life miserable to some extent."
Professor Sultan Ul Islam Tipu, pro-vice-chancellor of the university, said, “Earlier, we never received any complaints from the students about the closure of halls during the Eid vacation. Hope to take into account the demands of the students next year."
Read: 471 teachers recommended for recruitment in govt-aided pvt schools
Fortunately, some major public universities, including Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Begum Rokeya University, Sher E Bangla Agricultural University, and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, will keep their dormitories open during the Eid vacation.
471 teachers recommended for recruitment in govt-aided pvt schools
The Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) has recommended the appointment of 471 teachers in government-aided private schools across Bangladesh.
According to an NTRCA notification issued Monday night, as many as 591 candidates were initially selected under the Secondary Education Sector Investment Programme (CESIP).
Of them, 471 candidates have submitted their verification roll (V-Roll) form for police verification. And these candidates have been recommended for recruitment.
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If the remaining 120 candidates submit the VR form by May 12, their names will also be recommended for appointment. Otherwise, their primary selection will be cancelled, as per the notification signed by NTRCA chairman Enamul Quader Khan.
The managing committee will appoint the candidates who have been recommended for appointment.
GBA awards 49 biochemists
Graduate Biochemist Association (GBA) has awarded a total of 49 biochemists, molecular biologists from different universities of the country for their voluntary service during Covid-19 pandemic.
The volunteers were awarded with crests and certificates at a reception programme held today ath Kamaluddin Ahmed Lecture Gallery of Dhaka University's Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department, chaired by GBA President Professor Dr Hossain Uddin Shekhar.
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Besides, six people who trained up frontline healthcare volunteers and 16 others for their voluntary contribution were honored at the function arranged by GBA.
Besides GBA awarded 22 voluntary contributors who had put great efforts to train frontline healthcare volunteers during pandemic period.
The biochemists and molecular biologists assisted the medical staff and technicians in various ways including biosafety, biosecurity, sample collection, sample processing, diagnosing, and identifying Covid 19 through RT-PCR test at different hospitals across the country.
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Independence Award winning scientist and former Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department of University of Dhaka, Dr. Haseena Khan, former Vice Chancellor of Comilla University also Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department, Dr. Emran Kabir Chowdhury, chairman of the department Professor Yearul Kabir and other graduated students joined the programme.