Planning Minister M A Mannan on Friday said the government is considering bringing a complete change in the education system of the country.

“The government is thinking of changing the country’s education system completely.  The world is dependent on technology today. Science-based education system will be established, “he said.

He made the remarks while speaking at the annual sports competition at Sunamganj Government College.

If needed, the number of colleges and universities will be increased, the Minister said adding that a Science and Technology University will be established in Sunamganj.

Already the work of establishing a Medical College has been started and an agriculture-based institution will be established, he added.

Sunamganj Government College Principal Nilima Chanda presided over the programme where Sunamganj-4 MP Pir Fazlur Rahman Misbah were, among others,  present.

Vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) Nurul Haque Nur on Wednesday said students will welcome former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, not its current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Bangladesh during the ‘Mujib Borsho’.

“Bangabandhu was not the leader of any particular party but of freedom-loving general people of Bangladesh as well as the world. So, we won’t allow a communal leader like Modi to tarnish Bangabandhu’s image,” he said.

The Ducsu vice-president was addressing a rally organised by Bangladesh General Students’ Rights Protection Council at the foot of anti-terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture of the DU campus protecting violence in Indian capital New Delhi.

He, however, they will welcome former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and other dignitaries who were invited to join the birth centenary celebrations of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “But we along with students of the country will resist Modi from entering the country by any means.”

Nur alleged that Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activists want to destroy harmony in India and minority Muslims have become their first target. “This won’t remain limited to India only but will also affect entire South Asia.”

Later, leaders and activists of the council brought out a protest procession which paraded several streets on the campus.

Meanwhile, Progressive Students’ Alliance, a platform of left-leaning student organisations, also took out a protest rally condemning violence in New Delhi, India that left at least 27 people dead.

In the face of opposition by a number of universities to the integrated admission test, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has now proposed a cluster admission test system in public universities.

It made the proposal at a meeting with vice-chancellors of the country’s public universities on Wednesday.

UGC Chairman Dr Kazi Shahidullah introduced the system where all the existing public universities will be divided into four clusters.

Seven agricultural universities will be in one cluster while 11 science and technology universities in another, three engineering universities in the other one and nine general universities in the last one.

However, three specialised universities and textile universities will be allowed to decide which group they want to join.

Addressing a press briefing after the meeting, Dr Kazi Shahidullah said they have gone for the new admission model following the rejection of the unified admission test system by some universities.

“Five universities have expressed reluctance to join the proposed uniform admission test. Without the logistic support of these five universities, it’ll be impossible to take the test that way. As a result, it has been decided to take the admission test in clusters,” he said.

The UGC chairman mentioned that the public universities vice-chancellors have initially lent their support to the proposed cluster admission test system.

VCs of 35 public universities and representatives of two other were present at the meeting.

However, VCs of Dhaka University (DU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Rajshahi University (RU) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) were absent.

Prof Shahidullah said a technical committee, led by UGC Member Dr Dil Afroza Begum, will be formed by the 2nd week of March which will determine the lead university for the proposed cluster admission test system.

He expressed the hope that all the existing public universities will join the cluster admission system. “DU, JU, RU, CU and Buet will be welcomed if they participate in the cluster admission test system.”

On January 23, the UGC decided to introduce a uniform entry test in all public universities across the country from the academic year 2020-21, aiming to reduce the plight of the admission-seekers and their guardians.

However, Buet, DU, Chittagong University (CU), RU and JU decided not to join the integrated admission system.

On February 10, Dhaka University Central Student Union (Ducsu) suggested the university authorities not to join the combined admission test system.

A total of 82,422 students have got scholarships in the Primary Education Completion (PEC) examination held in 2019.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain announced this at a press conference at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Of the total recipients, 33,000 got scholarships under the talent pool while 49,422 under the general category.

The list of scholarship recipients is available on the website of the Department of Primary Education: www.dpe.gov.bd.

The state minister said the scholarship was introduced to flourish talents among students and prevent dropout.

Those who got scholarships under the talent pool will receive Tk 300 per month while those under the general category Tk 225 per month. They will get the scholarships for three years from Class-VI to Class-VIII, he added.

A total of 2,553,267 students took part in the PEC examination that began on November 17 last and over 95 percent students came out successful in the test.

A total of eight students from different faculties of Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia will get the Prime Minister Gold Medal for their outstanding academic results on Wednesday.

University Grants Commission (UGC) has selected the students on the basis of their academic results, sources at IU registrar office said on Tuesday.     

The selected students were Zakaria Rahman of Dawah and Islamic studies department, Jahidul Islam of Arabic Language and Literature department, Laboni Akter of Law department, Alamgir Hossain of Economics department, Shahabub Alam of Finance and Banking department, Shariar Murshed of Statistics department, Emran Hossain Bhuiyan of Information and Communication Technology department and Naznin Akter of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology department.

IU acting registrar SM Abdul Latif told UNB that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the medals to the students at her office on Wednesday.