Education Minister Dipu Moni on Thursday said some of the newly established public universities do not have their own campus yet. She also said that professors of the old universities do not want to go to new universities. The Education Minister said this while speaking at the passage of Mujibnagar University, Meherpur Bill, 2023 in Parliament. Stating that there are 53 public universities in the country, the Education Minister said that the most recently established universities have no place of their own so far. “The construction work has not begun. Apart from that, there are some completely new ones. There is no professor rank except vice-chancellor and treasurer.” She said that no one with the rank of professor from the old university wants to go to the new university. “Lecturers are appointed as teachers there, it will take another 15 years for them to become professors. But it is not that research opportunities have been created in the new universities. We have to accept that reality.” Dipu Moni admitted that research in all universities is not the same. She said that the standards and interest in research are not the same in all universities. “University is not for practising knowledge, but for creating knowledge. The way to create that knowledge is research.” She said that the government has opened honours indiscriminately due to the interest of public representatives. “If the students are not of honours standard the teacher may not be of honours standard either. But we have opened honours courses,” she said. In the discussion of public opinion, the Education Minister said that she is working to increase efficiency. “70 percent of our higher education students go to national universities in 2,257 colleges across the country.” Participating in the discussion on public opinion, Jatiya Party MP Shamim Haider Patwari demanded the establishment of an expatriate university.He said that eight to 10 lakh people go abroad every year. Read more: New curriculum books may contain mistakes: Dipu Moni “What has the education system provided for them? Didn't do anything. Didn't even teach them the language.” “Passport and immigration knowledge is not given. We need expatriate universities. Where the sons and daughters of expatriates will study? And they will get the knowledge of what they will do abroad.” Patwari claimed that no research has been done on how much manpower is needed in a sector of the country. “We have not done any global research. How many lorry drivers are needed all over the world, how many nurses are needed, even how many are needed in our country.” Claiming that European Union is interested in talent partnership with Bangladesh, he said: “We should go for talent partnership. If we don't do this and create only graduates, they will wander around the world as unemployed.” He said that education was, is and will be the backbone of the nation. A country that has no resources such as oil and gas people are the wealth of that country. “Educating them and making them skilled is wealth. From there we are giving more focus to bricks, stones while considering bridges, culverts as the backbone of the nation. Education and skills should be the backbone of the nation.” Jatiya Party’s Pir Fazlur Rahman said that the tenure of the 11th parliament is coming to an end. The education minister repeatedly told the parliament that she would appeal against the decision to exclude Members of Parliament from the post of president of higher secondary colleges. “Appeals will be made, hearings will be held, listening to that the whole term of this Parliament is coming to an end.”      

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) held a scholarship award ceremony Wednesday at its permanent campus in the capital's Mohammadpur. Crests and certificates were given to 163 students who received scholarships of Tk95 lakh in total. Professor Biswajit Chanda, a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), joined the ceremony as the chief guest and Omar Faruque, director of the Private University Division of UGC, as special guest. Biswajit encouraged ULAB to have its eyes set on becoming a globally renowned university like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Harvard. ULAB Vice-Chancellor Professor Imran Rahman delivered the welcome address and Professor Dr Shamsad Mortuza gave the vote of thanks. ULAB Treasurer Professor Milan Kumar Bhattacharjee, Registrar Lieutenant Colonel Md Foyzul Islam (retired), faculty members, and administrative officials were also present.  Also read: ULAB Moves Up in WURI’s Global Top 100 Innovative Universities

The Teacher-Student Centre, popularly known as TSC on the Dhaka University (DU) campus, was established in 1961. It is set to be renovated keeping its old structure as part of the university’s birth centenary celebrations in 2021. The University authority primarily approved the new design provided by The Public Works Department (PWD) of the government but the construction work will start after Prime Minister’s approval. Before that, PWD proposed to rebuild TSC entirely, which sparked debate and anger among students, teachers and alumni. Later, the authorities instructed PWD to form a new design keeping its old structure. After several meetings, both stakeholders signed off on the new design. Also read: TSC reconstruction: DU authorities seek opinion from teachers, students Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 2 last year said a plan to modernize Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), TSC and Shahbagh’s Public Library. "Dhaka University is our university and we want to build TSC in a modern way," said the PM on that day. She also said that she had already directed the authorities concerned to prepare its design in a proper manner. What will the new TSC complex look like? According to the new draft design, TSC’s present structure will not be demolished. A 10-storied new building will be constructed where the swimming pool is now located.    “The new facility will be built and incorporated with the existing structure. It will include rehearsal rooms for cultural activities, rooms with modern facilities for TSC-based socio-cultural groups, indoor games room, separate cafeteria, two auditorium, gymnasium, teachers’ lounge, two basements for vehicle parking, and more,” said Acting Director Syed Ali Akbar. Read 5-storey building tilts in Chattogram: Residents evacuated He said the entrance of the new building would be from the west of TSC. The construction work will be started from the back where now the swimming pool is situated. “Our engineering section is not involved with the designing or construction work, moreover the PWD will do as per the prime minister’s instruction,” he continued.  Mir Manzurur Rahman, Chief Architect, Department of Architecture, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, said, “We did a draft design following DU’s requisition. We cover almost all of the requisition including two auditoriums, a lecture theater, a gymnasium and some office space and others. We insert these requisitions into 10 storied building and Dhaka University is happy with our design.” “Old existing structures will not be rebuilt. We will just renovate existing structures as per necessity,” he added. The TSC director provided a requisition list to the university's engineering department, which was subsequently submitted to PWD on October 18 last year by the DU authorities. The acting chief engineer of DU Abul Kalam Sikder said, “PWD will provide the new design to the prime minister and if she approves the design, they will start construction work." DU pro vice-chancellor (administration) Prof Muhammad Samad said, “This design is acceptable. It will be handed over to prime minister though PWD and final work will start if the PM approves the design.” Prof Samad hoped that construction work would begin soon under the direct concern of the prime minister. Also read: Bangabandhu’s historic photo kept at TSC Mohiuddin Mahi, a third-year student of Mass Communication and Journalism said, TSC is the social and cultural hub of our campus which was built when the varsity had a small number of students. “However, it has never been reconstructed again although the number of students and teachers has been increasing every year. So, this is a great initiative indeed but the authorities have to be sincere enough so that none of its tradition or aesthetic beauties get destroyed,” he added.  Echoing Mahi, Salman Siddique, president of Socialist students’ front said, "Yes, there is a need to improve some aspects of TSC. We do not oppose modernization of TSC either. But authority have to be more sincere so that none of tradition and beauties get destroyed.” But there are lots of problems including accommodation crisis authority should pay heed first, he said. Read Construction work on Dhaka airport’s new terminal likely to begin in Dec  TSC at a glimpse The TSC is an invaluable part of Bangladesh’s cultural heritage and among the modern architectural landmarks of the country.  The Greek legendary architect, planner and theoretician Constantinos Apostolos Doxiadis (1913-1975) designed TSC during the early 1960s and later the TSC building was built as part of the so-called Decade of Development (between 1958 and 1968) of the then Pakistani regime. The structure exemplifies a modernist architectural sensitivity toward spatial needs for tropical climatic conditions. It blends local parameters of space-making -- particularly the indoor-outdoor continuum and generation of space around courtyards -- with international-style visual expression of building forms. TSC's dome-shaped structure is considered an iconic landmark in Dhaka city. It has been home to countless students who show up between or after classes for a cup of tea with friends, and holds immense nostalgic value for them on top of being a historically significant site. There were several attempts to renovate the structure earlier, but they were stopped subsequently. One of them was to demolish the swimming pool next to the TSC and build a nine-storey building. The initiative of renovation by keeping the original structure intact, however, did not see the light of day. Read PM orders proper renovation of shabby rail bridges