students
SUST stalemate: Students’ virtual meeting with minister brings no solution yet
Although there was an hour-long virtual meeting between Education Minister Dipu Moni and protesting students of SUST early Sunday, no solution is in sight yet to break the long standoff on the campus.
After the meeting, the students who are on a hunger strike since Wednesday demanding resignation of Vice Chancellor Fariduddin Ahmed remained stuck to their previous decision not to break the fast until he steps down, representatives of the dissenting students told UNB.
They claimed that no discussion was held at the meeting over the VC’s removal or sending him on leave.
The students said they want to continue the discussion but they will not break the fast. They will brief reporters this afternoon, if everything goes well, they added.
Dipu Moni suggested the students submit their demands in a written form and then she will go for the next step.
READ: SUST unrest: Resolution a Zoom call away?
The virtual meeting was held in presence of a delegation from Awami League, led by its central organising secretary Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel.
Briefing reporters at 2:30 am after the meeting, Shafiul Alam said 23 of the students have already fallen sick and the number will rise further if they continue it.
The minister assured the students of resolving the crisis and requested them to end the hunger strike as she is ready to hear their problems, Alam said.
Shahriar Abedin, Apurbo, Mir Rana, Sabbir, Umar Faruk, Yasir Sarkar, among others, joined the meeting on behalf of the students.
On Saturday, the minister held a meeting with a delegation of teachers from SUST at her residence at 6:05pm when she urged the dissenting students to sit with her for talks to resolve the current standoff.
Earlier in the day, the students brought out a symbolic coffin procession on the campus. Around 8pm, they lit candles at Golchattar as part of their protests.
Meanwhile, 17 of the 24 students – already on hunger strike since Wednesday afternoon – were hospitalised.
READ: 17 students still at hospitals as SUST unrest continues
On Friday, Education Minister Dipu Moni talked to the students and said she wants a solution to the crisis as soon as possible.
On Monday, the students wrote an open letter to President Abdul Hamid, chancellor of the university, demanding the immediate removal of VC Farid Uddin Ahmed.
The students also turned down the notice of shutting down the university for an indefinite period and the directive to leave their dormitories.
Currently, the students are staying on the campus.
SUST was supposed to shut down following a clash on the campus between police and the protesting students on January 16. The students were asked to leave the dormitories by 12pm the next day.
24 SUST students go on hunger strike
Twenty-four students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) went on hunger strike unto death on Wednesday demanding the Vice-Chancellor’s resignation while some teachers staged protests against the students’ ‘indecent remarks’ about the VC
The students begun the hunger strike around 3pm in front of the residence of the VC as he didn’t not step down today as per their ultimatum.
READ: SUST students threaten fast-unto-death if V-C doesn't resign
The students said they will continue their hunger strike until the VC resigns.
Earlier on Tuesday night, the students set a deadline for the vice-chancellor to resign by 12 pm. They threatened that they will resort to hunger strike unto death if he doesn’t step down by the deadline.
Torch procession held at RU in solidarity with students of SUST
Leaders and activists of left leaning political organisations of Rajshahi University have staged a torch procession protesting the attack on the students at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).
The procession started from 'Amtala' behind the central library of the university on Monday at 7.30 pm. Later, at the end of a tour of the campus, a demonstration was held at the 'Zoha Chattar' of the university.
Leaders and activists expressed their full support to all the demands of SUST students including resignation of the Vice-Chancellor Fariduddin Ahmed.
Addressing the demonstration, Md. Shakil, joint convenor of 'Biplobi Chhatra Maitri' of the university said the students of SUST were attacked by police without hearing their logical demands.
"Many student were seriously injured. I strongly condemn such a heinous attack. I also fully support their demands," Shakil said.
READ: SUST: Students reject closure notice, declare VC 'unwanted' on campus
Shakila Khatun, president of Chhatra Union's RU branc, said: "The university is a place for free thought. But in SUST, the students who were agitating for logical demands have been attacked. This is not an isolated incident, This is the same picture across the country. A movement starts with a logical demand, and then the police force and student wing of the ruling party attacks them."
Besides, Ridom Shahriar, convenor of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front's RU unit, and Fuad Ratul, the organising secretary of the same organisations, also addressed the protest rally. Among them, many leaders and activists of the Left Alliance were present in the program.
READ: ‘Police action’ on SUST students: Protest rallies held at DU
Earlier on that day, students from different departments formed a human chain in front 'Shaheed Buddhijibi Smritifalak' of the university protesting the same issue.
Bagerhat's shining success in vaccinating students
Students in Bagerhat have raced ahead of most members of their cohorts in other parts of the country, when it comes to getting vaccinated against COVID-19. This has put them in a strong position to fully resume in-person schooling with pre-pandemic schedules ahead of most other districts, given the government's mandate that only the students who are vaccinated could attend schools.
Driven by this challenge, all the students aged 12-17 in 9 upazilas of Bagerhat, have successfully completed their first doses of the vaccine. They are now up for the second dose.
Already this week, long queues of students were seen forming during a visit to the Bagerhat Sadar Hospital - all belonging to the same group, lining up now for their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Read: All students to be vaccinated by Jan 31: Dipu Moni
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Azizur Rahman said, "We have successfully brought all students aged 12-17 under the vaccination programme. Now efforts are being made to bring all students aged above 18 under vaccination by January."
Bagerhat District Education Officer Kamruzzaman said that a list of students above 18 in the district have been made. According to it, in Bagerhat district there are 33,112 students above 18. Of them 29,531 got their first dose. Remaining 3,531 have registered through the app.
Both the parents and the teachers are happy that the district administration managed to bring all the students under vaccination. They have highly praised the efforts made to make the students aware of the importance of vaccinating.
Bagehat Civil Surgeon Dr Jalal Uddin said, our target was to vaccinate a total of 1,36,651 students aged 12-17 but we have administered the first dose vaccine to 1,41,308 students within this age range. This took the vaccination rate in the district to 103 per cent. The additional 4,657 students were dropouts.
Students received vaccines in 14 booths in 9 upazilas of the district; they came to the centers with enthusiasm and received the vaccines, Dr Jalal Uddin said.
So far, 11,669 students have received the second dose of vaccine, he added.
Four, including 3 students killed in Dinajpur road crashes
Three friends were killed when a speeding truck rammed into the motorcycle they riding after admission into school at Birganj upazila in Dinajpur on Sunday, a fire service official said.
The deceased were identified as Sahadat, 15, son of Afsar Ali, Shahriar Shuvo, 15, son of Jahangir Hossain, and Muzahid Hossain, 14, son of Sukkur Ali. All the deceased were from Makrai village of Birganj upazila.
Read:Expatriate, 2 others killed in Barishal road crash
The three were out on joyride after completing admission process into their respective classes at Kabi Nazrul High School in Birganj.
The accident occurred on Dinajpur-Panchagarh road. Sahadat and Shuvo died on the spot. Muzahid was rushed to Birganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead, confirmed Meraz Ali, an officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Birganj.
Read:2 killed in Sunamganj road crash
In a separate accident also on Sunday vegetable trader Md Rajib Uddin, of Uttar Katla village in Birampur, was killed when his vehicle overturned after being hit by an army vehicle at Doel intersection in Birampur, confirmed Sumon Kumar Mohonto, officer-in-charge of Birampur Police Station.
Students should acquire skill in technology to face future challenges: Dipu
Education Minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday urged the students to be skilled in technology to meet the challenges of the coming days. “Technology has both good and bad sides and we should be technology friendly and skilled following the demand of the future. We have to make our students acquainted with technology,” she said.
Read: Secondary school admissions: Lottery system for all classes, says Dipu Moni Dipu was talking to reporters after attending the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected union parishad members. Mentioning that the academic activities have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, she said the government has a plan to recoup the losses caused by the pandemic in the education sector.
MBSTU: Notice asking married students to vacate female dorm withdrawn
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) authorities have withdrawn a notice for female married students to vacate their halls of residence.
After the students demanded cancellation of the notice, provost of Alema Khatun Bhashani Hall Dr Roksana Haque Rimi withdrew it.
According to the university sources, Alema Khatun Bhashani Hall has 248 seats. After the lockdown was eased and the varsity reopened, more students than ever before applied for seats at the dorm. On December 11 the provost issued a notice asking the married students to leave the dorm within January 30.
READ: 52 MBSTU teachers withdraw resignation; 5 BCL leaders suspended
As the notice created confusion and uncertainty among the students, another notice on Monday evening was issued.
Vice-chancellor (VC) Dr ARM Solaiman said according to the varsity laws it is restricted for married students to stay at the dorms but considering various facts this law is no more in use.
The previous notice was given in accordance to the law but as the resident students reacted over the notice, it was withdrawn, the VC said.
READ: 52 MBSTU teachers resign from admin posts
Students may lose around $17 trillion in lifetime earnings for Covid learning loss: Report
Students now risks losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or about 14 percent of today’s global GDP, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures, according to a new report published today by the World Bank, UNESCO, and UNICEF.
The new projection reveals that the impact is more severe than previously thought, and far exceeds the $10 trillion estimates released in 2020.
In addition, The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery report shows that in low- and middle-income countries, the share of children living in Learning Poverty – already 53 percent before the pandemic – could potentially reach 70 percent given the long school closures and the ineffectiveness of remote learning to ensure full learning continuity during school closures.
Read: Project launched to help children overcome COVID-19 learning loss
“The COVID-19 crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt,” said Jaime Saavedra, World Bank Global Director for Education. “Now, 21 months later, schools remain closed for millions of children, and others may never return to school. The loss of learning that many children are experiencing is morally unacceptable. And the potential increase of Learning Poverty might have a devastating impact on future productivity, earnings, and well-being for this generation of children and youth, their families, and the world’s economies.”
Simulations estimating that school closures resulted in significant learning losses are now being corroborated by real data.
For example, regional evidence from Brazil, Pakistan, rural India, South Africa, and Mexico, among others, show substantial losses in math and reading.
Analysis shows that in some countries, on average, learning losses are roughly proportional to the length of the closures.
However, there was great heterogeneity across countries and by subject, students’ socioeconomic status, gender, and grade level.
For example, results from two states in Mexico show significant learning losses in reading and in math for students aged 10-15. The estimated learning losses were greater in math than reading, and affected younger learners, students from low-income backgrounds, as well as girls disproportionately.
Barring a few exceptions, the general trends from emerging evidence around the world align with the findings from Mexico, suggesting that the crisis has exacerbated inequities in education
“The COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools across the world, disrupting education for 1.6 billion students at its peak, and exacerbated the gender divide. In some countries, we’re seeing greater learning losses among girls and an increase in their risk of facing child labor, gender-based violence, early marriage, and pregnancy. To stem the scars on this generation, we must reopen schools and keep them open, target outreach to return learners to school, and accelerate learning recovery," said UNICEF Director of Education Robert Jenkins.
Read:Hasina urges UNESCO to declare online and remote learning as public good
The report highlights that, to date, less than 3 percent of governments’ stimulus packages have been allocated to education. Much more funding will be needed for immediate learning recovery.
The report also notes that while nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives differed – in most cases, they offered, at best, a rather partial substitute for in-person instruction.
More than 200 million learners live in low- and lower middle-income countries that are unprepared to deploy remote learning during emergency school closures.
Road safety: Students takes out symbolic ‘coffin procession’ at Shahbagh
The students, now on a movement seeking safer roads, brought out a symbolic ‘coffin procession’ at Shahbagh in the capital on Sunday, demanding justice for road accident victims.
The students brought out the procession around 1pm to press home their nine-point demand, including the issuance of a notification regarding half bus fare for students across the country.
Students from different educational institutions in the capital took part in the procession.
Read:Students take to streets again with 11-point demand
Earlier in the morning, the protesters started a sit-in at Shahbagh with a coffin. Another group of protesters brought out another procession from the Public Library carrying only banners.
Students in all metropolitan cities to enjoy half fare: Bus owners
After capital Dhaka, students in all other metropolitan cities, including Chattogram, will enjoy half fare while travelling in public transport with effect from December 11. Secretary General of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Khandaker Enayetullah came up with the announcement while speaking at a press briefing at Chattogram Press Club on Sunday. The students will enjoy the half fare from 7 am to 8 pm and they have to show their identity cards to avail of this opportunity.
Read: Half bus fares for students in Dhaka metropolitan area from Wednesday However, it will not be applicable on government and weekly holidays and other holidays of educational institutions, said Khandaker. But a 50% discount will not be applicable outside cities, he added. “We’ve taken the decision to allow half fare for the students in public buses in all the cities following the demand of the students and we hope now they will go back to their respective institutions,” he added. In the face of student protests, Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association on November 30 decided that all the students in Dhaka Metropolitan area will get a 50% discount from December 1.