United News of Bangladesh

Professor Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir Chowdhury has been appointed as the treasurer of Jagannath University (JnU) for the next four years. The Education Ministry issued a circular in this regard on Tuesday. According to the circular, Professor Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir Chowdhury has been appointed as the treasurer of the university according to Section 12(1) of the Jagannath University Act 2005. Read: Professor Dr Mohammad Ashik Mosaddik joins EWU as new Pro-VC He will perform the duties of the treasurer as per subsections 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Section 12 of the Jagannath University Act 2005.Dr. Humayun is the Professor of the Department of Marketing at Jagannath University. He previously served as Dean of the Business Faculty of Jagannath University and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of South East University.

Professor Dr Ashik Mosaddik joined as the new Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the East West University (EWU) on Monday. President Mohammed Shahabuddin, the Chancellor of the University, appointed him for the next four years. Professor Mosaddik previously served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Varendra University, Rajshahi. He was a first-batch student of the Department of Pharmacy at Rajshahi University (RU), where he completed his Bachelor's in 1993 and Master's in 1994. Read: Vested groups spreading falsehood about new curriculum: Dipu Moni   Afterwards, Mosaddik joined the Department of Pharmacy of Rajshahi University as a lecturer in 1998. He received his PhD from Southern Cross University, Australia. Later, he completed his postdoctoral research in South Korea from 2008 to 2010. Meanwhile, he served as the Chairman of the Department of Pharmacy at BRAC University from 2011-2012. Besides, he was a Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia from 2017 to 2019. Read: DU BCL thanks Sheikh Hasina for metro station at TSC  In 2011, he received the 'Young Scientist Gold Medal' for his research contribution from 'Developing Countries and Bangladesh Science Academy'. Prof Mosaddik has already published over 150 research articles in international journals as an expert in 'Natural Products' and 'Nano Medicine'.  Globally renowned publishers Elsevier  Science and Academic Press published his three books. Read: Prof Sadeka Halim becomes new VC of Jagannath University  Recognised as one of the world's top 2% scientists consecutively from 2020 to 2023 by Stanford University and Elsevier Science, Prof Mosaddik is also serving as the Chairman of the Pharmacy Affairs Committee in Bangladesh Accreditation Council.

Prof Dr Harun-ur-Rashid, former vice-chancellor of National University, has been appointed as 'Bangabandhu Chair' of National University (NU). The appointment decision was made at the 252nd syndicate meeting of the university on Saturday, said a press release. The 'Bangabandhu Chair' position has been introduced for the first time in the National University, it said. Vested groups spreading falsehood about new curriculum: Dipu Moni  Dr Rashid completed his BA (Hons) and MA in Political Science Department from Dhaka University and obtained PhD degree from London University in 1983 with Commonwealth Scholarship. He did post-doctoral research at the University of London, Uppsala University in Sweden and Ryukoku University in Japan. He started teaching as a lecturer in the Political Science Department of Chittagong University in 1979. Later he joined the Political Science Department of Dhaka University. Bangladesh offers quality education at affordable cost Dr. Rashid won the 'Bangla Academy Literary Award-2021' for his research on Bangabandhu. In 2016, he was awarded the Best Book Gold Medal by Bangladesh University Grants Commission for Best Publications. Dr. Rashid has written 19 original research books so far. His 100 research articles have been published in journals at home and abroad. He recently served as 'Bangabandhu Professorial Fellow' at the Bangladesh Chair of the South Asian Institute at Heidelberg University, Germany. DU BCL thanks Sheikh Hasina for metro station at TSC He was also selected for the "Bangladesh Chair: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Professorial Fellowship" at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University, Germany.

Education Minister Dipu Moni has claimed that misinformation is being spread about the new curriculum by people and groups with vested interests. “Various things, including videos, are being spread through social media that are not part of the curriculum or our training. Misinformation about the new curriculum is being widely circulated,” she said. She made these remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the distribution programme of selected books (except textbooks) among secondary-level students at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in the capital on Sunday. Read: Students will be assessed based on their skills in the new curriculum: Dipu Moni “There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the new curriculum, and this is due to the fear of losing personal or group interests. Some individuals and groups are running propaganda against the curriculum. And now it's election time. The provocations of political opponents have been added to this situation,”she said.  Addressing the parents, the education minister said, “For a long time, parents were too preoccupied with how many marks their children got, whether they got a GPA-5, whether they came first, second, or third, or whether their child got more marks than other children. The current curriculum has been developed to remove this mentality and create a spirit of cooperation among students. Some parents have doubts about these changes. They are being exploited by this group.” Read: Future megaprojects to focus on education, health: Dipu Moni  “I would say to the parents – look, look at your children. If your child is in seventh grade, has his behavior changed? Don't focus on how many marks he/she got; focus on whether he/she is learning. Be patient,” she said.  Dipu Moni also said, more than 800 experts from the country were involved in formulating the new curriculum.  “Everyone is involved in one way or another. It was sent to various ministries. People's opinions and suggestions were taken on the website, discussed in parliamentary committees, and finally presented to the Prime Minister, who approved it with some suggestions. We are saying, all the books are experimental editions, and we did not say there is no need for refinement or revision. We believe there is room for improvement in these books.I am taking everyone's advice for that,” she added. Read: US visa policy won't affect students going abroad for studies: Dipu Moni

Bangladesh Embassy in Yangon organized the first ever “Bangladesh Education Fair” on Sunday in Yangon with great enthusiasm and fervor. Bangladesh Ambassador to Myanmar Dr Md Monwar Hossain inaugurated the fair in the morning in presence of a large number of students seeking higher education opportunities abroad. Reputed public and private universities of Bangladesh namely Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University (BSMRAU), American International University Bangladesh (AIUB), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) and North South University (NSU) of Bangladesh participated in the fair. The Embassy also organized a seminar titled “Affordable & Quality Education for all” at the same venue, said the Embassy in a media release. Ambassador Monwar Hossain in his opening remarks highlighted Bangladesh as one of the fastest growing economies in South Asia and said that it is on the right track to be a middle-income country by 2031 and a developed country by 2041. He mentioned that this vision warrants a mission of developing its human resources. To fulfill this vision the present government has been encouraging tertiary level private education in the country. The Ambassador mentioned that these higher education institutions are offering various quality undergraduate and post-graduate courses at an affordable price. This education fair will not only boost Bangladesh-Myanmar bilateral relations but also strengthen people-to-people contact. He mentioned that the fair will open up new opportunities for the Myanmar students. Ambassador thanked all the participating universities from Bangladesh and appreciated the inquisitive students of Myanmar for actively participating in the fair. The participating universities made presentations highlighting available courses as well as their facilities. Following the presentation, the visiting students and guests asked different questions to the representatives of the Universities enquiring about courses and admission requirements. Myanmar students, representatives of the Yangon based higher educational institutes, academicians, parents and people from relevant fields attended the fair. Nay Oke, President of the Private Schools-Colleges-Universities Association of Myanmar also spoke on the occasion and offered collaboration between their association and Bangladeshi universities. Bangladesh Embassy in Myanmar has taken a new public diplomacy initiative titled “Campus Connect” with a view to making outreach to various educational institutions, museums and cultural entities in Myanmar and to facilitate collaborations and longstanding partnerships between the identical institutions of the two countries. On the eve of the fair, the Embassy hosted a dinner which was attended by 5 Rectors of Yangon based public universities, Nay Oke, VC of North South University, representatives of the participating universities, Thant Kyaw, Chairman of Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (MISIS) and Embassy officials.   

Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL)'s Dhaka University unit expressed their gratitude and thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for constructing the Metro Rail station beside the university's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC). A day-long thanksgiving program, titled ‘Metro at TSC: Thank you Sheikh Hasina’, was organised on the premises of the  Anti Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture under the banner of general students. DU BCL General Secretary Tanbir Hasan Saikat inaugurated the program at 10:30 am on Saturday. ‘We believe that the Metrorail will alleviate the transportation challenges faced by Dhaka University students,’ said DU BCL GS Saikat. Graduate Programs in the US: Guide for Bangladeshi Students

 The 205th birth anniversary of Russian novelist, poet and playwright Ivan Turgenev was celebrated by the Russian House in Dhaka. A literary program was recently organized in the main auditorium of Dhaka College, a historic educational institution in Bangladesh with a proud heritage, to mark the anniversary.  The program included a colorful presentation about Turgenev's life and literature, several recitations presented by Bangladeshi universities and Russian Language Course Students from his poems and a short play of the literary work "First Love". Dhaka College Principal Professor Mohammed Youssuf in his welcome speech, thanked the Russian House Director, Mr. Pavel Dvoychenkov for organizing the program at Dhaka College and promised to organize more programs in the future. He also gratefully recalled the humanitarian assistance and contribution of the Soviet Union and Russia in Bangladesh's liberation war and post-war education and overall development of Bangladesh. Pavel Dvoychenkov, director of the Russian House (formerly the Russian Cultural Centre), paid tribute to Ivan Turgenev in his speech and presented detailed information of his life and literary works and his valuable contribution to Russian and world literature. He invited all the students present at the event to avail of the scholarship opportunities for higher studies in Russia and to enroll in Russian language courses at Russian House to enrich their knowledge of Russia's rich education, literature and culture. At the end of the event all the participants received certificates and souvenirs. The whole program was enjoyed by the teachers and students of the college with great interest and hoped to organize such programs on famous Russian literary personalities like Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Leo Tolstoy and others to enhance their knowledge of Russian literature.

Professor Dr. Syeda Sultana Razia of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) was awarded the prestigious 2023 The Hague Award at OPCW annual Conferece of the State Parties. Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias and Ambassador Henk van der Kwast, on behalf of the Dutch Government, jointly handed over the Award to her at the inauguration of the 28th Session of the Conference of States Parties (CSP 28). Also read: Prof M Harunur Rashid receives Abu Rushd Literary Award The other co-recipients were Spiez Laboratory (Switzerland) and Hubert K. Foy, Director of African Centre for Science and International Security. Since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, OPCW has been judging and awarding individuals/institutions from around the world in recognition of their distinctive works relating to the objectives of the Convention. She is the first Bangladeshi to receive this award. Also read: Romania confers "National Order For Merit" award to Enayetullah Khan

Professor Dr. Sadeka Halim has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Jagannath University. She is the 6th Vice-Chancellor and first woman VC of the university. The Ministry of Education has issued a gadget notification in this regard on Thursday. Read: DU’s white panel boycotts DUTA election According to the circular, Dr. Sadeka Halim will stay as the VC of the university for the next four years. She was appointed after the position of the VC at Jagannath University became vacant following the demise of former vice chancellor Imdadul Hoque due to cancer. Read: Chinese Government Scholarship 2024: Empowering Bangladeshi Students Professor Sadeka Halim holds the distinction of being the country's first female information commissioner and has been a member of the National Education Policy Formulation Committee-2010. She began her teaching career at Dhaka University in 1988 and earned her PhD from McGill University in Canada.  

BNP-backed  white panel teachers of Dhaka University have boycotted the upcoming Dhaka University Teachers Association Election (DUTA) election. They declared the decision at press conference held at Dhaka University Club on Thursday. Also read: Pro-AL Blue Panel sweeps DUTA polls Prof. Mohammad Lutfor Rahman, convener of white panel, read out a press release on behalf of the panel. He said, “ Considering the current political situation in the county, we are boycotting the upcoming DUTA election which will be held on November 12. We know that most of the running DUTA executives, except two, are implementing thr agenda of the fascist government. They are not doing anything for the students, teachers or the nation.” Prof. ABM Obaidur  Rahman said, "Dhaka University Teachers  Association has now turned into a government party. Polls candidates force new teachers (lecturers)  to seal vote for them and provide the evidences with pictures. The association technically restricts promotiona of teachers who have different  ideals and beliefs.” Also read: DUTA election: AL leaning 'Blue Panel' wins all but one EC posts "Earlier, we protested using different means but this time we have no other choice except boycotting the election as we believe that it is impossible to change the ongoing situation of the university without changing national situation,” he added.