United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Education Expo 2023, is set to take place for the first time at the International Bangabandhu Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital on June 5.  The fair, open to all, aims to provide students seeking higher education, both locally and abroad, with a comprehensive platform to gather all necessary information under one roof.  With the participation of universities from across the country and abroad, the expo promises a myriad of opportunities, including the chance to secure scholarships up to 100 percent. Additionally, over 60 universities, polytechnic institutes, and various educational institutions will showcase their research, publications, and innovations. The day-long event will commence at 9 am and continue until 8 pm, featuring not only opening and closing ceremonies but also a series of seminars and panel discussions.  These sessions will include public lectures on subject selection for higher education, with the presence of esteemed education officials, renowned academicians, and notable celebrities. The Education Reporters Association (ERAB) is organizing this monumental education expo. Mir Mohammad Jasim, President of ERAB, stated, "ERAB is an organization comprising education reporters, officially registered with the Government of Bangladesh last year. We are hosting this expo as part of our commitment to students.”  Registration for the expo has already started, and students can sign up by visiting the official website at www.bangladesheducationexpo.com. By registering, students will be automatically entered into a lottery with various attractive prizes at stake, such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.  However, the organisers said the expo itself is open to all, regardless of registration status.  Currently, approximately 60,000 students have completed their registration.  

The Rajshahi University authorities have  filed multiple cases against 16 people including a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader on charge of fraud in Rajshahi University admission test 2022-23. Registrar Professor Abdus Salam filed the cases on behalf of the university authorities with Motihar and Chandrima police stations in the city. Additional Commissioner of  Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Vijay Kumar Basak confirmed this on Wednesday morning. Among them, Chhatra League leader, government BCS official, students of Rajshahi University and Dhaka University have been arrested. The accused are Hasibul Islam Shanto, deputy secretary of RU Chhatra League and joint-general secretary of Natore District Chhatra League,  Enamul Haque, student of Dhaka University’s  Islamic Studies Department, Md. Swapan Hossain, a 2018-19 academic year student of Rajshahi University’s Department of Public Administration, Sheikh Abu Hanif, Assistant Social Service Officer of Gournadi Upazila in Barishal.  Tanveer Ahmed, Kawsar Ali Vidyut, Md. Mainul Islam, Md. Abdur Rakib, Md. Israfil Hossain, Zahid Al Hasan Siam, Rupam Sarkar and Sheikh Abu Hanif. The names of the remaining four have not yet been released. Among them, Hasibul, Sheikh Abu Hanif, Enamul Haque and Swapan have been arrested. According to the case statement, Md. Israfil Hossain appeared in the exam as a proxy candidate for Zahid Al Hasan Siam in exchange of Tk 70,000. He was arrested from room 424 of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose Academic Building of the university. Hasibul Islam Shanto hired Enamul Haque for Tk 50,000. He gave proxy on behalf of main candidate Tanveer Ahmed. Sheikh Abu Hanif was arrested Rabindranath Tagore Academic Building of the university. He appeared for the original candidate Rupam Sarkar. Regarding the arrest of the BCL leader, Faisal Ahmed Runu, general secretary of the BCL RU unit said, "We came to know about the matter sometime ago. If he is involved in this incident, organizational action will be taken against him." Professor Abdus Salam, registrar of the university said, "We have filed a case on behalf of the university administration. Now the matter will be investigated by law enforcement agencies and action will be taken." Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar Basak said, "We have interrogated those who were detained yesterday. According to the information given by them, we have arrested one person. But he is not the original culprit. Hopefully we will be able to arrest him soon. At the same time, those involved in the  fraud will also be arrested."      

A girl who burned all of her academic certificates on a Facebook Live in frustration at not getting a job on May 23, Mukta Sultana, has been offered a job by State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak. Noticing the matter through Bianna Television, the minister contacted Mukta Sultana, 27, and requested her to come to his office. After discussing  with her, on Monday the state minister handed over an appointment letter to Mukta on behalf of the Prime Minister for the post of 'Content Development and Social Communication Officer' in the "Establishment of Secured Email for Government and Digital Literacy Center" project under the Information and Communication Technology Department. Getting the appointment letter, Mukta said, "I got my job because of the sympathy of State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak. I am grateful to him.” Palak said, “We are providing assistance in various ways including training from the ICT department so that the talented youth of the country do not get frustrated and can move forward with confidence. He said no educated youth will be unemployed in Bangladesh if proper education is taken.” “If you can prepare yourself by harnessing the talent of youth and the power of technology, you will not have to go after the job. Rather, it will create employment opportunities,” the state minister said. Ranjit Kumar, Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council and Engr. Mohammad Saiful Alam Khan, Project Director of "Establishment of Secured Email for Government and Digital Literacy Center" project, were present on the occasion.

Students of 2026 batch will appear for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations under new curriculum, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Monday.“The new curriculum will be implemented fully in secondary level by 2025 and the students of 2026 batch will appear for their SSC exam under the new curriculum,” she said while talking to reporters after inaugurating Smart Education Festival-2023 at the auditorium of the International Mother Language Institute.The new curriculum was introduced in Grade-I under primary level while Grades- VI and VII of secondary level in 2023 and the students of Grades VIII and IX will be enrolled under the new curriculum in 2024. The new curriculum will be introduced in Grade X in 2025, she added.“Already the evaluation has started from this year,” said Dipu. Also read: Memorisation won’t suffice to tackle future challenges: Dipu MoniThe Department of Secondary and Higher Education organized the 'Smart Education Festival' to mark the beginning of the strategy of smart education to implement the new curriculum in a bid to build a smart Bangladesh.Twenty smart education activities will be displayed in the festival with the participation of people from all walks of life in ten seminars.Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel was present there.  

The authorities concerned expelled a Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinee for taking home the written test portion of agricultural studies after the exam in Alamdanga upazila of Chuadanga on Sunday. Also, two teachers, who were assigned as invigilators at the Exam Hall of Alamdanga Govt. Degree College, were fired for their negligence in performing duty. Ashraful Hoque and Habibur Rahman are assistant teachers of local Kumari Union High School respectively.   The rescheduled exam for agricultural education was held on Sunday as earlier the exam was deferred due to the Cyclone Mocha. Examinee Al Amin didn’t submit his written test’s papers to the invigilators after the exam and took it home. As the count of the papers didn’t match, later the invigilators detected  Al Amin’s papers were  missing. Biplob Kumar Nath, officer-in-charge of Alamdanga police station, said they in association with Hall Super Moniruzzaman recovered the written exam’s papers from the student’s house on Sunday afternoon. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Rony Alam Nur confirmed this incident saying that the student and the teachers were expelled on separate grounds.

The Appellate Division on Monday stayed the High Court order that had suspended the effectiveness of a notice of Dhaka University’s Bangla Department asking its female students' to keep their ears and faces visible during examinations and presentations. A three-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Md. Nuruzzaman,  passed the order. It also asked the High Court to dispose of the rule regarding the issue within two months. Barrister Belayet Hossain stood for the petitioner while Attorney General Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin represented the DU. On December 11, the Bangla Department of Dhaka University issued a notice that said that as per the decision of the Academic Committee of the Bangla Department, held on September 18, the students of the department must keep their faces and ears open during their tutorial/presentation, mid-term, final examinations and viva voce for their identification. Those who will not follow the order, action will be taken against them as per the university rules, it said. On 20 February, a writ petition was filed at the HC challenging the legality of the notice to keep all female students' ears and faces visible. Education Secretary, Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University, Registrar and Chairman of Bangla Department were made respondents to the writ. The writ petition also sought issuance of a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why the notice should not be declared illegal and why directives should not be given not to obstruct the Muslim female students from abiding by the religious norms. It also sought a stay order on the effectiveness of the notice issued by DU. On March 28, The High Court stayed for six months the effectiveness of the notice. Following HC order, the DU authorities filed a petition challenging the HC order.              

The first ever global meeting between the UN and education ministers from around the world aiming to explore risks and rewards of using chatbots in classrooms has announced a new roadmap to chart a safer digital path for all. According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which hosted more than 40 ministers at an groundbreaking online meeting on Thursday,  less than 10 per cent of schools and universities follow formal guidance on using wildly popular artificial intelligence (AI) tools, like the chatbot software ChatGPT. The ministers exchanged policy approaches and plans while considering the agency’s new roadmap on education and generative AI, which can create data and content based on existing algorithms, but can also make alarming factual errors, just like humans. Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, said “Generative AI opens new horizons and challenges for education, but we urgently need to take action to ensure that new AI technologies are integrated into education on our terms.” “It is our duty to prioritize safety, inclusion, diversity, transparency and quality,” Stefania added. Institutions are facing numerous challenges in creating an immediate response to the sudden emergence of these powerful AI apps, according to a new UNESCO survey of more than 450 schools and universities. At the same time, governments worldwide are in the process of shaping appropriate policy responses in a rapidly evolving education landscape, while further developing or refining national strategies on AI, data protection, and other regulatory frameworks, according to UNESCO. The debate revealed other common concerns, including how to mitigate the chatbots’ inherent flaws of producing glaring errors. Ministers also addressed how best to integrate these tools into curricula, teaching methods, and exams, and adapting education systems to the disruptions which generative AI is quickly causing. Many highlighted the vital role teachers play in this new era as learning facilitators. But, teachers need guidance and training to meet these challenges, according to UNESCO. For its part, the agency will continue to steer the global dialogue with policy makers, partners, academia, and civil society, in line with its paper, AI and education: A guide for policy-makers and Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, as well as the Beijing Consensus on Artificial Intelligence and Education. UNESCO is also developing policy guidelines on the use of generative AI in education and research, as well as frameworks of AI competencies for students and teachers for classrooms. These new tools will be launched during Digital Learning Week, to be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 4 to 7 September, the agency said.  

Professor Dr. Kazi Shahidullah, former Vice Chancellor of National University, has been appointed chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the second consecutive time. The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education issued a notification on Thursday in this regard. He will serve as the UGC chairman for the next four years, according to the notification. The appointment order will be effective from the date of his joining. Kazi Shahidullah obtained a B.A. (Honours) in 1972 and M.A. in 1973 from the History Department, University of Dhaka, securing the First Class First position in both examinations.  

Memorisation will not prepare students for future challenges, said Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Monday. “The ability to learn will be critical in the future for which we are training our students… a student should have communication skills, subtle thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work with many people. And the more creative and free-thinking a student is, the more proficient the student will become in these subjects. It will not be possible to meet the challenges of the future with memorisation,” she said. Also read: Many new universities don’t have their own campus: Dipu Moni The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a prize distribution ceremony of the winners of various creative works on the national days at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital on Monday afternoon. Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel was present as the special guest. Also read: New curriculum books may contain mistakes: Dipu Moni “We have come up with a new curriculum to transform education. The evaluation system of the students has been revamped. The new curriculum will be implemented in all secondary level classes by 2025,” the minister said.

Admission seekers of Chittagong University (CU) D unit of 2022-23 sessions suffered a lot on Sunday as a shuttle train of the university carrying them went out of order in the middle of the way. The incident took place around 9:30 am on Monday when the campus-bound shuttle was crossing Baluchhara area. The shuttle train was later speedily repaired and activated within 30 minutes. As the train went out of order many admission seekers resorted to alternative transport to reach the campus. Kausar Mahmud, a third-year student of the university's Political Science department, said, “The shuttle train’s brake gear was broken. The admission seekers suffered a lot. Many of them reached the campus by buses and trucks.” Meanwhile, the university authorities started the admission test 15 minutes later due to the shuttle train failure. Professor Siraj-ud-Daula, coordinator of 'D' unit and dean of the Faculty of Sociology, confirmed the matter. "I heard that the engine of the university’s shuttle train was damaged. The exam was started 15 minutes later after informing us about the matter,” he said. University Proctor Dr Mohammad Nurul Azim Sikder said, "We heard about the problem of the shuttle train. Buses were sent and many were brought by buses.”