United News of Bangladesh

British Council launched a research report on Tuesday with insights into the current and future potential of Transnational Education (TNE) in Bangladesh. The report was launched at an event hosted at the British Council’s Fuller Road auditorium in Dhaka, according to a press release on Tuesday. JU expels 289 students, suspends 9 teachers over July uprising attacks Both opportunities and challenges faced by students and institutions in the country were included in the report. Professor Dr SMA Faiz, chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), was the Chief Guest, while the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke, attended as Special Guest at the event. Salvador Carbajal Lopez, director of Education for South Asia at the British Council, presented the key findings of the research. Stephen Forbes,country director for British Council Bangladesh, spoke about the role of TNE in shaping the future of higher education in Bangladesh, it said. He said, “This report helps identify challenges and opportunities for TNE growth and closer cooperation between the UK and Bangladesh’s higher education sectors, bridging gaps in access and driving economic growth.” Prof Faiz spoke about the British Council’s efforts to foster TNE collaboration between Bangladesh and the UK and the mutual benefits for both countries in terms of academic excellence, capacity-building, and global competitiveness. Sarah Cooke talked about the importance of TNE in strengthening UK-Bangladesh ties, calling it an opportunity to explore how global education partnerships are shaping the future of learning. 128 DU students expelled for attacks on protesters during July movement The event included a panel discussion on unlocking the potential and social value of TNE in Bangladesh, moderated by David Knox, director of Programmes at the British Council, said the release. Panellists included Mohammad Anwar Hossen, member of UGC; Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University; and Ishtiaque Abedin, secretary general of the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh. The report, commissioned by the British Council and conducted by Ecctis, provided several key recommendations, including improving regulatory processes, addressing language barriers, enhancing digital infrastructure for remote learning, and promoting gender equity in diverse subject areas, it added. Toufiq Hasan, head of Education at the British Council, announced the winners of the 2025 TNE Grant, awarding GBP 25,000 to UK-Bangladesh collaborations, including partnerships with Liverpool John Moores University, Nottingham Trent University, and others. These grants aim to strengthen institutional partnerships through TNE initiatives. The full report is available on the British Council’s website.

Jahangirnagar University has expelled 289 students for allegedly attacking fellow students during the July protests and suspended nine teachers for directly supporting police attacks. The suspended teachers were accused of directly assisting the police crackdown, and all the expelled students were leaders and activists of the banned Chhatra League, said JU Vice-Chancellor Dr Kamrul Ahsan during a press briefing at 3:15 am on Tuesday, following a closed-door Syndicate meeting that took place from 11:00 am on Monday to 3:00 pm on Tuesday at the Registrar Building. “Those responsible for the attacks on students will face three categories of punishment. Former students will have their certificates revoked; students who have completed exams or viva will have their results withheld, and current students will be expelled,” said the OC. “Nine teachers have been suspended for allegedly supporting the police attack on students. Furthermore, six faculty-based structural committees have been formed to investigate allegations against ten other teachers,” he added. Jahangirnagar University: Students struggle as mosquitoes take over The suspended teachers include former Pro VC (Education) Mohammad Mostafa Firoz; former proctor Prof Alamgir Kabir; Associate Prof ASM Firoz-ul-Hasan (Department of Government and Politics); former dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Prof Bashir Ahmed; former proctor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall Prof Israfil Ahmed; Associate Prof Mehedi Iqbal (Department of Geography and Environment); Prof Hosne Ara (Department of History); former proctor of Rabindranath Tagore Hall Najmul Hasan Talukder; and Prof Mohammad Tajuddin Sikdar (Department of Public Health and Informatics). Teachers under investigation by the structural committees include Prof Kanan Kumar Sen, Palash Baha, Shafi Mohammad Tarek, Zahirul Islam Khandaker, Md Jahangir Alam, Monir Uddin Shikder, Saidur Rahman, Anwar Khasru Parvez, Muhibur Rouf Shaibal, and AA Mamun. Additionally, the syndicate revoked the pension benefits of former VC Dr Nurul Alam and former registrar Dr Abu Hasan due to their alleged involvement in facilitating the police attack on students. Two officers and one staff member of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall had also been suspended. The syndicate also decided to rename Sheikh Mujib Hall, Sheikh Hasina Hall, and Sheikh Russel Hall in response to student demands, with a committee to be formed for finalising the new names.

Dhaka University has temporarily expelled 128 students for their alleged involvement in attacks on protesters on the campus from July 15 to August 5 last year. This decision was made at a DU Syndicate meeting on Monday based on the report of the fact-finding committee regarding the attacks during the July mass uprising. DU registrar Munshi Shams Uddin Ahmed confirmed this information. A probe committee has been formed, headed by Syndicate member Professor Dr. Tajmeri S A Islam, to conduct more in-depth investigation regarding the expelled individuals. The committee has been instructed to submit the report as soon as possible. DU proctor Associate Professor Saifuddin Ahmed said that the university administration has temporarily expelled the 128 individuals. CUET suspends 19 students involved with Chhatra League for disciplinary violations On behalf of the administration, a probe committee has been formed with Syndicate member Professor Dr. Tajmeri S A Islam as the head. It also includes the proctor, Sir A. F. Rahman Hall Provost Kazi Mahfuzul Haque Supon, Law Faculty Dean Professor Dr. Mohammad Ikramul Haque, and several others as members. Based on the investigation committee’s report, a final decision will be made regarding those involved. The proctor further mentioned that no concrete decision has been made regarding the disclosure of the 500-page fact-finding committee report. Additionally, a separate committee is working on teachers' involvement in the July mass uprising.

The authorities of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) suspended 19 students, apparently leaders and activists of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), for different periods for their involvement in anti-disciplinary activities on the campus. Of them, seven were suspended from academic activities for different periods and permanently barred from residential halls, with 12 others being suspended from only residential halls. Twenty-one separate notices, signed by Md. Mahbubul Alam, member secretary of the university’s disciplinary committee and director of the Student Welfare Office, were issued on Monday. The decisions to take the actions were made at the 281st emergency meeting of the disciplinary committee on Tuesday last. According to the notices, the committee reviewed written complaints lodged against the accused, their responses to show-cause notices, and other evidence before taking punitive actions. Residential halls closed, all academic activities suspended sine die at KUET Among the seven students, four were suspended for two years while the remaining three received one-year suspension, but all seven were also expelled from the university’s residential halls. Those facing two years of suspension are Bijoy Hossain, Md. Imam Hossain, Azharul Islam, and Mohammad Toufiqur Rahman. Of them, Bijoy was general secretary of the banned BCL; Imam held the post of vice president, with Azharul and Toufiqur holding posts of organizational and joint secretary respectively. Those suspended for one year are Soumik Joy, Ashikul Islam and Tahsin Ishtiaq, and they were involved with the BCL politics. Furthermore, the 12 students who were suspended from residential halls are Tofaiya Rabbi, Md. Sadiquzzaman, Yusuf Abdullah, Md. Tanvir Joni, Iftikhar Sajid, Shakil Farazi, Talha Zubair, Mahmudul Hasan, Md. Rifat Hossain, and Moinul Haque, Irfanul Karim, and Abdur Rahman. All the convicts were involved with the politics of the banned BCL on the campus.

Dreamers Academy, online coding platform for children, hosted the “Code for Language” coding competition and award ceremony at Emerald International School (EISD). The event, held in celebration of International Mother Language Day, offered young coders a platform to display their creativity and technical expertise, according to a press release on Thursday. SUST cancels quotas in admission test Mohammad Rownok, chief advisor of Emerald International School, along with Dreamers Academy Co-Founders Sharif Ahmed and Ashfaq Zaman were present at the time, among others. The competition attracted 350 students, competing across categories such as Scratch, Python, and Website Design. After a thorough evaluation, 28 participants were selected as finalists, with nine excelling as top coders. The winners, including the Champion, First Runner-up, and Second Runner-up, were celebrated for their exceptional projects that showcased innovation and technical skill. All participants were awarded certificates, while the top achievers received crests, the release said. DU publishes ‘Kha unit’ admission results In his address, Sharif Ahmed, Co-Founder of Dreamers Academy, said, “Coding is not merely about programming; it involves problem-solving, creativity, and preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We are proud to support these young minds on their path to innovation.”

The authorities of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) have cancelled all types of quotas for first-year undergraduate admissions. This decision was made during the university's 180th Academic Council meeting on Wednesday. 'Abolish irrational quotas': SUST students issue 48-hr ultimatum SUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A M. Sarwaruddin Chowdhury said that all quotas were suspended with everyone's consent. Discussions, however, were underway to keep some reasonable quotas. A final decision will be made based on the recommendations of the admission committee. The university offers 1,671 seats across 28 departments. Of these, 985 are in the Faculty of Science (A Unit), and 581 are in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Commerce (B Unit). Previously, there were several reserved quotas: 28 for freedom fighters, 28 for Minority Ethnic/Nationality/Harijan-Dalit groups, 14 for disabled students, 20 for dependents, 5 for tea workers, and 10 for BKSP (Players). Students at SUST raise their voice against quotas remaining in place Earlier, students staged multiple protests—including on December 10, last year, January 4, this year, and a human chain on Tuesday—demanding the abolition of what they called unreasonable quotas in the admission process. In response to these demands, the university suspended the admission process for reserved quota seats.

Students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on Monday issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the abolition of all irrational quotas, including the ward quota. They warned of locking the registrar’s office if the demand is not met within the timeframe. At a press conference held in front of the university's central library on Monday afternoon, students voiced their dissatisfaction with the existing quota system. SUST students Polash Bakhtiar, Hafizul Islam, Riaz Hossain and Rabiul Islam Mamun spoke at the press conference. They said despite the nationwide quota reform movement in July-August 2024, the university’s discriminatory quota policy remains unchanged. Students at SUST raise their voice against quotas remaining in place The students will not allow this inequitable system to continue any longer and the authorities must abolish these quotas within the next 48 hours, they warned. Earlier in the day, the students submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor, outlining their demand. SUST had allocated a total of 105 quota-based seats for the 2024-25 academic year.

Considering personal freedom and privacy, the Dhaka University authority has decided to identify female students wearing niqab and hijab through female teachers, female officers, and female staff. The decision was made during a meeting of the Deans' Committee, held on Thursday in the Vice-Chancellor's conference room, said Rofiqul Islam, acting director of the university’s public relations office. DU publishes ‘Kha unit’ admission results The meeting was chaired by DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmad Khan. As per the decision, if necessary, female assistant proctors will assist in verifying the students' identities. Besides, the feasibility of implementing fingerprinting or a biometric identification system will be evaluated in due course. Renaming IU hall after Shah Aziz sparks criticism

Dhaka University published the admission test results for the “Kha unit” (Arts, Law, and Social Sciences) for the academic year 2024-2025 on Thursday evening. This year, 114,904 students participated in the admission test for the “Kha Unit”. Of them, 11,310 students qualified for admission, giving a pass rate of 9.85%. The total number of seats available in this unit is 2,934, said the Director of the university’s Public Relations Office. The detailed results can be found on the website admission.eis.du.ac.bd. Additionally, results can be obtained by sending an SMS with the format “DU ALS <roll number>” to 16321 from Teletalk, Robi, Airtel, and Banglalink mobile numbers. Successful candidates must complete the detailed form and subject preference form on the admission test website between 3:00 PM on March 24 and 3:00 PM on April 16, 2025. Candidates who passed under different quotas must collect the relevant quota form from the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Arts between April 13 and April 17. The completed forms must be submitted to the Dean's Office within the specified timeframe. For result reviews, applications can be submitted to the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Arts from March 9 to March 13, upon payment of the required fee.

Widespread criticism has erupted across the country over the renaming of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall at Islamic University (IU) to Shah Azizur Rahman Hall. Shah Azizur Rahman remains a highly controversial figure due to his collaboration with Pakistan  against Bangladesh’s war of  independence in 1971. The decision on renaming the hall was made at the 267th syndicate meeting held on the university campus in Kushtia on February 26, chaired by IU Vice-Chancellor Professor Nakib Mohmmad Nasrullah. IU authorities rename four halls, academic building Netizens began denouncing the decision immediately after news broke about the renaming the hall. Shah Aziz opposed the Language Movement in 1952. During the Liberation War, he became a member of the cabinet led by Abdul Motaleb Malik in then-East Pakistan, later serving as the revenue minister. He opposed the Liberation War and was part of the delegation sent by Pakistan to the United Nations, where he strongly denied that the Pakistan Army had carried out genocide in Bangladesh through "Operation Searchlight." Shah Aziz was arrested as a collaborator of Pakistan for opposing the Liberation War and was tried under the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order, 1972. The university authorities also renamed three other halls following the directive of the education ministry's Secondary and Higher Education Division. Stadium in Purbachal renamed as 'National Cricket Ground' A press release, signed by IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan, was issued in this regard on Wednesday. According to the press release, Sheikh Hasina Hall has been renamed 'July-36 Hall,' Sheikh Russell Hall as 'Shahid Anas Hall,' Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall as 'Ummul Mumineen Ayesha Siddiqah Hall,' and Wazed Miah Science Building as 'Ibn Sina Science Building.'