United News of Bangladesh

Newly appointed Education Adviser Chowdhury R Abrar on Wednesday said he dreams of a system where students can envision their futures within Bangladesh. “Many have asked me what kind of education system I envision as the education adviser. My answer is that I dream of an education system where our students can see their futures right here, within our own country,” he said at the Education Ministry's meeting room on Wednesday after taking on his new role. “The honorable Chief Adviser has given me this responsibility which is a major challenge,” he added. Prof CR Abrar takes oath as adviser He quoted the Chief Adviser who had told him that the journey ahead will not be easy.  “Education is a vast world. We have all grown up using the taxpayers' money, and therefore, we have responsibility people,” said CR Abrar. Abbar continued, “I dream of a future where our students can lead the world without leaving the country. I know this may not happen overnight, but we want to lay a strong foundation for this vision.” Outgoing Education Adviser, Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud  raised concerns about the past education commissions. He said five or six education commissions were formed in the past and questioned whether they had solved any of the existing problems. “Can we solve problems just by forming a commission with a few people? It takes time to understand the issues at hand. We need a forward-thinking commission.” Prof CR Abrar to take oath as adviser He also emphasized the importance of having trained teachers to implement curriculum improvements and said without proper training, the reforms would be ineffective. “It takes time for an education system to deteriorate, and our education system is chaotic and disorganised,” Dr. Mahmud said.  

Education Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud has made it clear that there is no plan to declare Titumir College an independent university. “An expert committee is working to bring (DU-affiliated) seven colleges under a separate university…the UGC Chairman is leading that committee, Titumir College is one of those colleges,” he said on Sunday. The adviser, who is also in charge of the Planning Ministry, said this while responding to a question after the weekly Ecnec meeting held at NEC conference room. Fixed college-to-university timeline for Titumir unjustified: Education Ministry He mentioned that the seven colleges do not want to be under Dhaka University while the Dhaka University also does not want these seven colleges…this is logical,” he added. The Planning Adviser said there is no problem in demanding a university or waging a student movement. “But the students have to sit for the examination one day, if they do not concentrate on their studies and sit for examinations at this stage of age, they will not be able to do anything in the future.” He mentioned that the general students of Titumir College told him and wrote to him saying that they wanted to sit for classes and examinations. “There should be no hindrance for their academic activities.” The adviser asked the agitating students to throw such programmes that would not create hassles for the mass people. “It is not logical to press home their demands announcing a deadline, we will not take such a decision.” Titumir College students block roads at Mohakhali He also categorically expressed the government's firm stance that the interim government does not have the power to accept this type of demand. “We came here to ensure the transformation of a well governed democratic system in the country, as well as adopt some small reforms towards that,” he said. In response to a question, the Education Adviser clarified that the statement in the press release, which mentioned that the government is giving special consideration to the matter of Titumir College, was not written by him. “The Secretary might have edited that they could do that, maybe it is for diplomacy, or do not know (regarding this matter),” he said. He also expressed his irritation for a huge number of unnecessary public universities in the country. “There are 55 public universities right now, half of them established in the last seven years.” Press Secretary urges Titumir College students to remain calm amid protests Students of Government Titumir College have been agitating on the road for the last couple of days demanding that the college be turned into a university.

Education Adviser Prof Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud has said that there are major complaints of financial transactions in the MPO registration of private teachers. “If necessary, recruitment and MPO registration will be done together through the Non-Government Teachers Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA),” he said. Speaking during an exchange of views with the Education Reporters Association, Bangladesh (ERAB) at the planning ministry on Wednesday, he emphasised the government’s commitment to streamlining the process and ensuring transparency. The adviser dismissed the possibility of forming an education reform commission at this stage, citing the sector’s current disarray. “First, the chaos in the education sector must be addressed and corruption eradicated to establish good governance,” he said. He proposed the formation of an ‘Education Sector Advisory Council’ comprising eminent educationists once stability is restored. He revealed plans to hold universities accountable for their admission processes, particularly those outside the cluster system. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has been tasked with reviewing financial records to assess the costs and earnings of universities in and out of the cluster. Don’t know when all students will get textbooks: Education Adviser The adviser reiterated his commitment to curbing corruption in education administration. “Corruption in education administration cannot be resolved overnight. We will issue warnings first and if evidence is found, strict actions will be taken to set an example,” he said. The adviser pointed to historical policy errors, including the conversion of reputable colleges into university colleges in 1972, as contributing to the decline in education standards. He criticised the proliferation of National University-affiliated colleges, which he argued have exacerbated unemployment among graduates. “In developed countries, 70 percent of students pursue technical education. Here, the focus on honours and master’s degrees is producing unemployed graduates,” he said, urging a shift towards technical and vocational training. EFT system eliminates inconvenience of MPO-enlisted teachers: Education Adviser Highlighting the plight of Ebtedayi Madrasa teachers, he described their salaries as unfair compared to those in nationalised primary schools. “The salary for Ebtedayi Madrasa teachers is only Tk 1,500, while head teachers earn Tk 3,000. Their grievances are valid, but instead of resorting to hunger strikes, we need time to prioritise and address their concerns effectively,” he added. ERAB President Faruque Hossain, General Secretary Solamain Salman and other association leaders were present during the discussion.

Education Adviser Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud has said that the long-standing hassle and inconvenience faced by MPO-enlisted teachers and employees of private educational institutions under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education have been resolved. "This has been achieved through the introduction of the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system, which directly transfers salaries, retirement and welfare benefits to their bank accounts," he said. The adviser was speaking today at an event organised by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka. Dhaka's ties with Delhi won’t get stuck on single issue: Foreign Adviser Earlier, he inaugurated the online EFT-based transfer of MPO funds for teachers and staff. He also unveiled the online version of textbooks for the 2025 academic year on the NCTB website. The Education Adviser said, "Out of 523 books, we had to make corrections and additions to 431. Additionally, this year we opted to print the books domestically instead of outsourcing them abroad. As a result, it took some additional time." “We hope to ensure that all educational institutions receive the books within January,” he said. Bilquis Jahan Rimi, Additional Secretary, Budget-1 and National Programme Director of the Strengthening Public Financial Management Programme to Enable Service Delivery (SPFMS), made a presentation of EFT, while the session was presided over by Professor A B M Rezaul Karim, Director General of DSHE. "This initiative will eliminate delays, save time, and ensure financial transparency and accountability in the payment process," Bilquis Jahan Rimi said. Education Adviser warns of conspiracies in textbook distribution Future plans include integrating iBAS++ with the Madrasa and Technical Education Directorates and creating Personal Ledger (PL) accounts for public universities to facilitate salary payments via the EFT system. For the 2024-25 fiscal year, a budget allocation of TK 13,495.16 crore has been made for the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education. Of this, TK 4,329.97 crore has been allocated for private colleges and BDT 9,165.19 crore for schools. Additionally, TK 5,073.58 crore and TK 450 crore have been allocated to the Madrasa Education Directorate and the Technical Education Directorate, respectively. Currently, there are 19,847 MPO-listed institutions in the country, with a total of 398,068 MPO-listed teachers and staff. These include: 2,828 colleges with 68,949 MPO-listed teachers and 28,257 staff; 17,478 schools with 211,443 MPO-listed teachers and 89,419 staff; 8,229 madrasas with 138,559 MPO-listed teachers and 42,134 staff; and 2,282 technical education institutions with 16,557 MPO-listed teachers and 5,564 staff.

All index-holding teachers working in private educational institutions will soon have the opportunity for transfers, said Education Adviser Professor Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud on Wednesday. The adviser also said that private institution teachers will receive "good news" in the near future. He added that the government is working on implementing a universal transfer system to address vacancies in the private education sector. Adviser Bashir calls for innovation in textile sector to face post-LDC challenges “We are currently working on a system to facilitate transfers for private teachers. We had a discussion with experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET); they said that it is possible to carry out the transfers,” the adviser mentioned. Addressing the delay in issuing a transfer notification, the education adviser said, “It is a complex task to bring over 5,00,000 teachers and employees into the scope of the transfer system.” “We are working on this matter and we have received inputs from the expert committee,” he added.