United News of Bangladesh

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.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman (Additional ) Professor Dr Muhammad Alamgir said that the admission test for public universities will be held in a cluster system instead of the previously planned single entry system in the upcoming academic year 2023–24. He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a meeting with stakeholders as part of the implementation of UGC's integrity strategy action plan for the financial year 2023-2024 on Wednesday. Also read: UGC won’t grant exemptions for irregularities in private or public universities Professor Alamgir said, "The UGC took the initiative to introduce  a single entry exam for all public universities. A committee was formed in this regard, and after detailed discussion, an ordinance was also drafted." “However, due to unavoidable reasons, it has not been not possible to arrange a single admission test for the upcoming academic year.Therefore, like last year, the admission test will be held in a cluster system in the upcoming academic year. " Earlier, the UGC directed all public universities to enrol students through a single admission test under the government’s authority from the next academic year. Also read: UGC asks universities to follow financial regulations properly The University Grants Commission said such a single test will reduce the hassle of admissions seekers and cut time and cost. In the meeting, the UGC chairman urged the universities, including Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) -- who are outside of the cluster system, to be included in the cluster this year. The chairman said that the commission is now planning to determine what subjects will be taught in which university and the number of students in different universities, considering the domestic and international context. He said the main objective of UGC is to maintain quality in higher education, ensure a suitable environment for research, and allocate necessary fund. Also read: Single admission test for universities from next year: Dipu Moni

US Embassy Dhaka’s EducationUSA center hosted a meet-up between American undergraduate students and their Bangladeshi counterparts at the new EMK Center on Gulshan Avenue. The 13 American economics students traveled to Dhaka from Carleton College, one of the top ten liberal arts colleges in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report. Carleton students met with Bangladeshi students from several local institutions, including Scholastica, Aga Khan Academy, the University of Dhaka, and Jahangirnagar University to exchange ideas and foster a deeper understanding of U.S. higher education, said the US Embassy on Tuesday. The session also included a presentation on how the U.S. government supports economic growth in Bangladesh. For the past decade, the number of Bangladeshi students pursuing higher studies in the United States have increased by more than 300%.  According to the 2023 Open Doors Report, the number of Bangladeshi students in the United States reached an all-time high (13,563) in the 2022-2023 academic year.  EducationUSA centers across Bangladesh offer free virtual and in-person advising for Bangladeshi students and scholars about the U.S. higher education application process.  Sessions include information on different types of academic programs, funding and scholarship opportunities, and U.S. government-sponsored academic and professional exchange programs.   

Digital lottery was held on Tuesday for admission to government and private secondary schools across the country. Education Minister Dipu Moni inaugurated the lottery programme at International Mother Language Institute at Segunbagicha as per he chief guest. The lottery results for the admission for 2024 academic year( from class I to IX) were published today. Addressing the event, Dipu Moni said “An equal opportunity has been created for students through the digital lottery system.” 42 educational institutions see zero pass rate in HSC, equivalent exams Talking about the educational elements, the education minister said no one will be allowed to use costly educational elements and the authorities concerned should not create pressure on the guardians. The students and guardians can know the results through SMS and website http gsa.teletalk.com.bd. If anyone wants to know the results through mobile phone he/she has to write CSA (sapce) Result and send it to 16222 after using the user ID. The admission process to enroll students in3,846 government and private secondary schools opened on October 28. EducationUSA Bangladesh hosts US Education Fair at the EMK Center There are 11,22,94 seats and some 8,73,792 applications were found against the seats. Besides, there are 1,18,101 seats in 658 government schools and some 5,63,013 applications were submitted. As a result, five students are contesting each seat. Meanwhile, the number of private schools are 3,188 and 10,3993 seats are available in those schools.So far, 3,10,779 students applied for the vacant seats.