United News of Bangladesh

The Ministry of Education has dissolved the 10-member coordination committee formed to revise and amend all textbooks prepared and printed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB). The ministry issued an office order to this end on Saturday, signed by the Secondary and Higher Education Division Senior Assistant Secretary. Earlier on September 15, the Ministry of Education formed the committee, headed by Dr KM Kabirul Islam, additional secretary of the ministry.

The Department of Pharmacy at East West University (EWU) has recently celebrated World Pharmacists Day, in alignment with the global pharmacy community. On September 25, the university celebrated the day with the theme for this year: “Pharmacists: Meeting Global Health Needs.” The event began with a rally, featuring participation from Professor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin, Chief Adviser of EWU; Professor Dr Shams Rahman, Vice-Chancellor; and Professor Md Amirul Islam, Chairperson of the Department of Pharmacy, along with all faculty members and students. Department students carried colourful banners and festoons in this rally highlighting pharmacists' crucial role worldwide. Following this, the department arranged a seminar where the keynote speaker was Abdus Salam, Senior Director of R&D at Radiant Pharmaceuticals Ltd, who presented insightful discussions on ‘Meeting Global Health Needs Starts from Pharma R&D,’ emphasising Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical research and development in alignment with global standards. The seminar was attended by Professor Dr Mohammad Ashik Mosaddik, Pro Vice-Chancellor, EWU, who led participants to take an oath to reaffirm their commitment to contributing to the betterment of humankind through their work as future pharmacists.

The residential halls for male students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) will reopen on October 8, said acting registrar Syed Salim Md. Abdul Qadir on Thursday. The decision was taken at an emergency syndicate meeting of the university on Wednesday afternoon. The acting registrar said, "Students will be able to move into the residential halls between October 8 and 15, and classes and exams will start from October 20. However, departments are required to complete all exam activities by November 19." Classes and exams at the university have remained suspended since May 26 due to the Eid-ul-Azha and summer vacations. The suspension was further prolonged by a teachers’ strike over a pension scheme. After student unrest, the campus remained without administrative oversight, preventing the resumption of classes. Additionally, on August 26, local residents evicted male students from the residential halls, accusing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) members of occupying the halls. The male students have not been able to return to their halls since then. However, the residential halls for female students have remained open as usual.

The government has approved the publishing the results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations. A process is on to publish the HSC results by October, Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar, Chairman of Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board told UNB on Wednesday. The Education Ministry took decision to evaluate the copies of those subjects the students appeared for the examinations this year. Besides, subject mapping method will be used for other subjects based on the SSC results. However, the date of publishing  the results has not been finalised yet. The HSC and equivalent exams began across the country on June 30. A total of 14,50,790 students from nine General Education Boards, Madrasha Board and Technical Board appeared for the exams from 9,463 educational institutions at 2,275 centres. After eight days of exams, all exams scheduled for July 18 were postponed due to the situation created amid the quota reform movement. After that, the government postponed the exams three more times. Finally, after postponing all the exams, a new schedule was published starting from August 11. According to that, the written exams were supposed to end by September 8. On August 24, the Ministry of Education decided to cancel all the remaining HSC exams. This decision came in response to demands from some students who stormed the  secretariat on that day.

A four-member US delegation led by Stephen F. Ibelli, Public Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy in Dhaka, met with Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan on Wednesday. The discussions centered on strengthening joint academic and research programs, increasing scholarship opportunities, and promoting student exchanges between DU and US universities, according to a press release. Other members of the delegation included Scott Hartmann, Raihana Sultana, and Jonatha Gomes from the embassy. DU officials present included Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Dr. Mamun Ahmed, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Dr. Sayema Haque Bidisha, and Treasurer Prof. Dr. M. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. During the meeting, they explored opportunities for enhancing ongoing collaborative academic and research initiatives between the University of Dhaka and various US institutions. They also addressed bilateral issues, such as establishing an American Corner at DU, enhancing the Fulbright scholarship program, and developing entrepreneurship and English language skills programs to bolster the employability of DU students. The participants emphasized the importance of exchanging faculty and students between DU and US universities, as well as sharing data and information between the American Center and Dhaka University. DU VC Prof. Niaz requested financial support and collaboration from the delegation to construct a new residential hall for female students at DU. The delegation assured the VC that they would consider the request positively.

Prof. Dr Kazi Rafiqul Islam, a faculty member at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), has been appointed as the ninth Vice Chancellor (VC) of Patuakhali University of Science and Technology (PUST). The Ministry of Education issued a gazette notification regarding this appointment, signed by Deputy Secretary Rokhsana Begum on Wednesday. Rafiqul completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and Master of Science (MS) in Pharmacology at BAU in 1994 and 1998, respectively. He joined the same department as a lecturer on September 27, 2002. He completed his PhD at Kagawa University in Japan and obtained a post-doctoral degree in Pharmacology in 2014. He has published over 100 research papers both domestically and internationally and was promoted to the position of professor on July 7, 2016. Notably, he actively participated in the recent student-led movement that led to the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5. When contacted, the newly appointed VC stated that he has received his appointment letter and will join the position very soon.

Professor Nakib M Nasrullah, law faculty member of Dhaka University, has taken charge as the new vice-chancellor of Islamic University in Kushtia on Tuesday. President Mohammed Shahabuddin, also the chancellor of the university, appointed him as the VC on September 23 for a four-year term. IU's Theology and Islamic Studies faculty dean Professor ABM Siddiqur Rahman Ashrafi, acting registrar HM Ali Hasan, among others, were present on the occasion. . While addressing, the new VC sought cooperation from all to work for the improvement of the university’s ranking in the international arena and maintain transparency and accountability in all sectors. Later, the VC placed a floral wreath at the university’s central memorial monument at around 5pm.    

Professor Nakib M Nasrullah, dean at law faculty of Dhaka University, has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor of Islamic University in Kushtia. The government on Monday appointed him to the post for the next four years. A gazette notification, signed by Md Shahinur Islam, deputy secretary at the Secondary and Higher Secondary Division of the Ministry of Education, was issued in this regard. Prof Nakib M Nasrullah was appointed upon approval by the President and Chancellor of the university following Section-10 of Islamic University Act-1980.

Fifteen students from Aichi Medical College, a private institution in the capital, say they are grappling with an uncertain future due to ongoing irregularities and alleged corruption by college authorities. Despite being established some years ago, the college has yet to secure approval from the Ministry of Health, leaving students in limbo, they say. At a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club on Sunday, the students voiced their concerns, accusing the college of obstructing their attempts to transfer to other institutions. Although the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recently issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) for student migration, the students claim the college is creating roadblocks to the process. In a written statement, Israt Jahan, one of the affected students, revealed that they have been boycotting all academic activities since June 2023 in protest. According to her, the college authorities admitted by August 28 that they were unable to secure the necessary ministry approval. “The authorities said they had no objections to our migration but have since become indifferent,” she added. Students have submitted the required documents for migration to the Ministry of Health, yet the college is allegedly delaying the process. Another student highlighted that the college had failed to comply with conditions imposed in 2017 under the Private Medical College Establishment and Management Policy-2011 (amended). As a result, the Ministry temporarily halted the MBBS course from the 2017-18 academic year. While the college challenged the suspension in court and resumed enrolling students in 2018-19, those students have neither been registered by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) nor recognized by the DGHS. Students further alleged that some faculty members are offering incentives to persuade them to remain at the college, despite its unresolved status. Frustration among the students is growing as they feel their academic lives are slipping away due to the college's mismanagement. Many come from middle-class families and are determined to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors, which they say requires uninterrupted study. The students have urgently called on the Directorate General of Health Services and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to intervene and ensure a smooth migration process, safeguarding their academic futures.

Classes at Dhaka University (DU) resumed on Sunday after more than three months of closure due to unrest centering student-led movement. The campus including Arts building, Social Science Faculty premises, Madhur Canteen, TSC regained its familiar look with the gathering of students since morning. Students expressed their relief and joy after returning to classes after a long break. However, the academic activities of the first year students are scheduled to begin on September 30.