education
Section of BUET students demand action against extremist threats and cyber bullying
Some students from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) are calling for urgent action following a distressing cycle of death threats and cyberbullying allegedly by members of the Islami Chhatra Shibir and extremist groups. These threats have targeted students vocal about the group's incitement to violence and ideological brainwashing, they said.
They referred to arrests of 24 BUET students affiliated with Islami Chhatra Shibir for allegedly planning subversive activities. Despite the charges, these students continue to attend classes and reside in the university dormitories, raising concerns among their peers, the students said.
Hizbut campaigns in BUET to shun western values: Campus sources
While speaking to media at Shaheed Minar on the campus, the affected students detailed the ongoing harassment they face, including social media vilification and direct death threats.
The situation has escalated with the discovery of CCTV footage showing the distribution of leaflets from an outlawed terrorist organisation on campus, purportedly attempting to recruit students for "crusades against Western nations."
BUET dissolves its campus journalists' club
In response to the threats, the students have sought protective measures from the university authorities to prevent further intimidation. They also expressed fear of eviction from their dormitories, a concern they have formally reported to the university administration.
The press briefing follows a statement from the Sector Commanders Forum, deploring what they described as an alarming spike in efforts by Jamaat-e-Islami and its student arm Islami Chhatra Shibir to glorify war criminals and undermine war crimes through social media targeting university students.
Right activists denounce vilification of ex-BUET students by FB page linked to war criminal Mir Quasem's family
The content notably targeted former BUET students who faced violent attacks in 2013 including student leaders Tonmoy Ahmed and Arif Raihan Dip. These attacks, linked to the same radical groups, resulted in the death of Dip and severe injuries to Ahmed after a hate campaign accused them of being "enemies of Islam."
DU CSE alumni forms new committee
The Computer Science and Engineering Department Alumni Association (CSEDUAA) of Dhaka University has formed a new committee for the next two years.
Kazi Mohammad Mahabubul Haque of the MSC 1st batch was elected as the President, while Md Faisal Hossain of BSC 11th has been elected as General Secretary.
Other office bearers include: Vice-President-1 Muhammad Abdul Bari, Vice-President-2 Md Akhtaruzzaman, Treasurer Dr. Md. Azam Hossain, Joint Secretary Jewel Rana, Organizing Secretary Md. Farhad Alam Bhuiyan, Office Secretary Md. Tahjib Ul Islam, Cultural Secretary Md. Rubel Pasha, Bibliography and Intellectual Publication Secretary Kazi Safayet Mahmud Avi, Sports Secretary Md Abed Hossain, Publicity and Public Relations Secretary Md Khairul Bashar, Branding and Graphic Design Secretary Abdullah Ibn Masud, and Executive Members Md. Abu Nader Al Moqaddes, Md. Miraj Uddin Khan, Nahid Hasan, Helal Hejazi, Anjum Riyashat, Shahriar Bin Amin, Md. Shafiqul Islam, and Rahat Hussain.
The annual general meeting of the organization was held recently.
Dhaka University's Dean of Engineering and Technology Faculty, Hafiz Md Hasan Babu, and current Chairman of the department, Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak, were present at the meeting.
Secondary schools, colleges of several districts to remain closed tomorrow
Classes of secondary schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutions of several districts will remain closed due to the ongoing heat wave.
Secondary educational institutions of all districts of Khulna and Rajshahi divisions; Dhaka, Tangail, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, Kurigram, Dinajpur, Patuakhali districts will remain closed on 30th April, reads a press release of the Ministry of Education.
HC orders keeping all schools, colleges shut till Thursday
The High Court on Monday asked the authorities concerned to keep primary and secondary level educational institutions except those with air conditioner closed until Thursday due to extreme heat.
The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the suo moto order.
The educational institutions which have air conditioners, universities, A and O level exams and public examinations will remain out of the purview of the order.
Md Manir Uddin, a Supreme Court lawyer, drew the attention of the court about the news of death and sickness of people including teachers and students after the reopening of the educational institutions amid the heat alert across the country.
Classes at all primary, secondary schools and colleges resumed on Sunday after Eid-ul-Fitr holidays and its subsequent extension due to heat wave.
Schools and colleges were scheduled to reopen on April 21 after the end of Eid holidays but the closure was extended till April 27 due to sweltering heat.
IU postpones three recruitment boards
The authorities of Islamic University in Kushtia postponed three recruitment boards formed for hiring staff for the marketing department, vice-chancellor office and fine arts department of the university.
A press release, signed by IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan, was issued in this regard on Saturday night.
The postponement came a couple of weeks after the investigation committee formed by the University Grants Commission found evidence of corruption and irregularities committed by the Islamic University vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam.
The university administration led by the VC Shaikh Abdus Salam called the viva-voce boards for the posts of computer operators at the marketing department, vice-chancellor office and fine arts department of the university.
The recruitment boards scheduled to be held on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were postponed due to unavoidable reasons and the date and time for the boards would be informed later, IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan told on Sunday.
Many Awami League alliance progressive teacher associations’ teachers said that the recruitment boards held under IU vice-chancellor Shaikh Abdus Salam were questionable as several audio clips of conversations between him and a job seeker went viral on social media before the boards.
The VC took the decision to hold different recruitment boards of the university hurriedly despite the probe body formed by the UGC found the corruption and irregularities of him true.
The UGC and the education ministry should look into the matter, they said.
The VC had no right to share any recruitment related information with anyone outside as the head of the recruitment boards of the university, they added.
A UGC member said that the process of submitting the investigation reports to the ministry of education was under way. The ministry concerned would take steps against him very soon, he added.
Earlier on February 19, 2023, the authorities of Islamic University postponed the recruitment process of its three departments following the audio leak.
On November 1, 2023, the University Grants Commission formed a three-member probe body headed by its member Professor M Abu Taher to look into the allegations of corruption and irregularities brought against the Islamic University vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abus Salam.
The probe body, however, went to the university and started its investigation on January 22 this year.
Earlier, a total of 14 audio clips, containing conversations between IU VC and different people, went viral on social media from February 16 to June 13 last year.
Colleges under National University to resume classes from Sunday amid heat wave
Academic activities at all colleges under National University (NU) will resume from Sunday a week after those were shut due to scorching heat in the country.
This information was confirmed in a notice signed by Director of Public Relations Department of the NU Md Ataur Rahman on Saturday.
Earlier on April 20, the NU authority in a notice said that academic activities would remain suspended until further notice.
Before that, the Ministry of Education decided to keep all schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country closed from April 21 to 27.
However, educational institutions at primary and secondary-levels will also reopen from Sunday.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the county continues to experience a heat wave for the past few days.
Guidelines issued for primary schools reopening tomorrow amid heatwave
As the country grapples with an intense heatwave, the government has announced the reopening of primary school academic activities starting Sunday, April 28.
The Primary and Mass Education Ministry, through a notification signed by Senior Information Officer Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin, outlined the operational adjustments to accommodate the sweltering conditions.
School hours will be limited to the cooler morning hours, from 8:00 am to 11:30 am. For schools operating in two shifts, the first shift will run from 8:00 am to 9:30 am and the second from 9:45 am to 11:30 am.
Cuet students’ road safety movement postponed, to resume classes
Despite these changes, pre-primary level classes will remain closed until further notice, and daily school assemblies will be suspended to avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
The decision follows a similar action taken for secondary level schools and colleges, which are set to reopen on the same day, April 28.
The resumption comes after an extended closure initially planned until April 27 due to the prolonged hot weather following the Eid holidays. Outdoor activities and those requiring sun exposure at these institutions will continue to be limited.
To make up for educational disruptions caused by the heatwave and other interruptions, classes will also be conducted on Saturdays until further notice, according to the ministry's notification.
Secondary schools, colleges to reopen April 28 amid heat wave
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecasted that the current heatwave conditions, which recorded a high of 42.7 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga on Friday, may persist for another 72 hours starting Thursday morning. The government's proactive measures aim to balance educational needs with health and safety concerns during this challenging climate period.
Hizbut campaigns in BUET to shun western values: Campus sources
A new CCTV footage has emerged showing two youths disseminating what appeared leaflets on BUET campus containing messages of banned militant outfit Hizbut Taharir reportedly asking students to abandon all western values and join crusade against westerners, according to campus sources.
The footage came to light within weeks after a group of students held a press conference following repeated death threats online and over the phone because they became vocal over clandestine activities of these "extremist groups" focused on the campus.
These students held the press conference following an email campaign sent on behalf of Hizbut in several phases, throughout March, where they asked students to take part in the fight to run the country in light of Khilafat and described BCL as the biggest enemy.
Dated February 19, 2024, the nearly 3- minute footage shows both youths with one carrying a bag walked through a narrow alley between rows of classrooms housed in civil engineering building.
Moments later, the duo turned around, with one stayed ahead to keep a tight vigil and the other brought out leaflets from his bag and passed those beneath the classroom doors locked back then, leaving for students to read messages once they appear in classrooms.
These students also asked the respective authorities to investigate how such outfits got hold of email accounts of students.
In addition to email campaign and leaflet distribution video, several students acknowledged that in past they found posters of Hizbut plastered on walls surrounding BUET.
Several students confirmed receiving the email and presence of posters that featured a QR code with messages from Hizbut.
Facebook pages affiliated with lobbyists and lawyers hired by family of Jamaat-e-Islami backed notorious war criminals were found spreading disinformation against those vocal against student front of Jamaat: Islami Chhatra Shibir, according campus sources who wished anonymity.
Actively took part in carrying out genocide in 1971, Shibir, renamed from Chhatara Sangha and reborn in 1977, began acting with a long-term main objective to establish Islamic society countering secular spirit of the country.
Self-style killing mission and cutting tendons of students who they deem rival are reported trademark of Shibir.
The outfit ranked as the third most active no state armed group in the work according to a U.S. based defence think tank IHS Jane’s global Terrorism and Insurgency index.
Earlier, in last June, as many as 24 students of BUET, activists and leaders of shibir were caught while plotting conspiracy against state in a remote haor area.
Local Jamaat leaders back then reportedly confirmed media over allegiance of detainees with Shibir. Even a former central president of Shibir in an interview boasted of having a large network of students on BUET campus.
The active presence of Shibir and other extremists on BUET came to the fore during war crimes trial back in 2013 when two students in a span of five months were brutally attacked reportedly for their stance for war crimes trial and extremist politics.
One student Arif Raihan Dip, hacked on the dormitory by a fellow student who ascribed that vicious ideologue in broad daylight, died of his wounds and another Tonmoy Ahmed, left to die after stabbed brutally by Shibir activists but survived the battle for life, now living with scars of horrific machete attack.
However, on social media an orchestrated attempt was underway to undermine the gravity of the crime by raising some unnecessary questions like why channels that on air the entire video did not add voice over.
A reality check reveals all the six channels that posted the video clearly attributed to the simple fact: cctv footage captures moments of distribution of leaflets in a covert manner.
A senior journalist who worked with a foreign outlet said “attempt to raise question over why so many channels telecast the same footage by multiple channels clearly runs out of fact and a deliberate act that can only help the cause of these extremist groups and the building is located on BUET. Running the same cctv footage is not problematic”.
On a recent post, Tonmoy pointed out “discussion on the activities of these outfits on BUET campus long remained a taboo coupled with a denial mood from respective segments added as advantage to these outfits.
DMP Deputy Commissioner (media and public relations) Faruk Hossain told media “ it is important to get full cooperation from students and teachers over activities of such extremist groups on the campus to ensure no student fall prey to these vicious group’s brainwashing. Unless there is cooperation from all quarters, it is difficult to check such activities”.
Cuet students’ road safety movement postponed, to resume classes
The ongoing road safety movement by Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) students has been postponed following a bilateral meeting between the university administration and the students on Thursday night.
The vehicular movement on busy Chattogram-Rangamati’s Kaptai Road resumed around 11:30pm after the protesting students left it.
Moreover, the students decided to return to their academic activities deferring their movement.
In a statement signed by the university’s Registrar (additional duty) Prof Dr Sheikh Mohammad Humayun Kabir on Thursday night said that a decision will be made in the syndicate meeting to be held on Friday to reconsider the closure of academic activities.
However, the students will be allowed to stay in the dormitories till then, it read.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, the Cuet was declared closed for an indefinite period as students burst into protests demanding road safety after the deaths of two fellows in a fatal road accident on April 22.
Besides, the male students were asked to vacate dormitories by 5pm on Thursday and the female students by 9am on Friday.
Two Cuet students—Shanto Saha, a 3rd year student and Tawfiq Hasan, a 2nd year student of Civil engineering department, died when a bus of ‘Shah Amanat’ paribahan hit a motorbike on Chattogram-Kaptai road at Zianagar in Rangunia upazila on Monday.
As soon as the news spread, some Cuet students vandalised three buses and set one more on fire on that day.
The students took to the streets boycotting classes and examinations and continued their protests till Wednesday blocking the Chattogram-Kaptai road by setting fire on logs and tyres to press home their 9 point demand for safe road.
They demanded arrest of the bus driver and his assistant and their exemplary punishment.
The other demands include providing compensation to the deceased and bearing the medical expenses of the student injured in the accident, establishment of modern treatment centre with all facilities on the campus, proving ambulances with modern equipment, stopping movement of all local buses including Shah Amanat and AB Travels on the road, examining liscences of the buses and CNG-run auto-rickshaws that ply the road , making the Student Welfare Council under accountable and forming students representative group.
Bus driver Md Tazul Islam was arrested from the Kotwali area of Chattogram city on Wednesday afternoon.
Secondary schools, colleges to reopen April 28 amid heat wave
Secondary schools and colleges which were closed due to heat wave condition will reopen across the country on April 28 (Sunday) although the sweltering heat is unlikely to abate soon.
However, daily assemblies at these institutions will remain suspended until the heat wave becomes tolerable, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Education on Thursday.
Schools, colleges to remain closed till Apr 27 due to heat wave
Besides, other activities at these educational institutions which are done outside the classrooms or requires sun exposure will remain limited .
The notice also said classes will be held on Saturdays until further notice to compensation the education losses caused by the closure of the educational institutions due to heat wave and other reasons.
Heat wave: Assembly at all govt primary schools suspended
The schools and colleges were schedule to open on April 21 after the end of Eid holidays but the closure was extended till April 27 due to sweltering heat across the country caused by heat wave.
According to a bulletin of Bangladesh Metrological Department, the ongoing heat wave may persist for 72 hours starting Thursday morning.
Schools with less than 50 students to be merged with nearby schools
The highest temperature of the country was recoded at 41.6 degree Celsius at Mongla in Khulna on Wednesday.