United News of Bangladesh

The result for the recruitment of assistant teachers in government primary schools was announced after following all required legal procedures, said Primary and Mass Education Adviser, Professor Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar on Tuesday. Although the High Court recently annulled the appointments of 6,531 candidates for assistant teacher positions in the Dhaka and Chattogram divisions, the adviser said that the ministry had adhered to all necessary legal protocols in declaring the result and expressed sympathy for the candidates, whose appointments had been cancelled. HC cancels appointment process of 6, 531 primary teachers He was speaking to the media at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium following the third day of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) conference, The ruling by the High Court had upset the candidates, but an appeal had already been made. As the matter was under judicial review, there was no room for administrative intervention at this stage, the adviser said. “We have not declared the result independently. We did so after consulting both the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Law. Therefore, we believe that we have carried out our work according to the legal framework,” he added. Primary school teachers protest at Shaheed Minar, demand implementation of 10th grade salary scale The High Court, on February 6, had ordered the cancellation of the appointments of 6,531 assistant teachers and instructed that new appointments be made based on merit. Since then, those whose results were annulled have been protesting against the decision. Bidhan said that the DCs were briefed on ongoing efforts, including administrative matters related to construction works and the registration of kindergartens. He stressed the importance of following guidelines for kindergarten registrations, as many institutions were yet to comply with these regulations. Primary school teachers protest at Shaheed Minar, demand implementation of 10th grade salary scale He also said that 85% of the primary school textbooks had already been distributed, with the remaining books expected to reach all schools by the end of this month.

Two teachers of Rajshahi University (RU) have been temporarily suspended based on the investigation committee’s reports on various incidents. This information was disclosed in three separate press releases sent by Professor Md. Akhtar Hossain Majumder, the university’s public relations administrator, on Sunday (February 17) night. According to the press releases, a committee has been formed to determine the final punishment for the two temporarily suspended teachers as per the investigation report’s recommendations. Additionally, decisions were made to reinstate the studentship of a former student, withdraw allegations against a teacher, and bar three teachers from all examination-related activities for five years. The press release further mentioned that Associate Professor Anik Krishna Karmakar of the Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering was temporarily suspended due to allegations brought by students. Moreover, the temporary suspension of Associate Professor Sadikul Islam of the Law Department has been upheld based on the investigation committee’s report regarding allegations of sexual harassment and rape against him. A committee has also been formed under Section 55(3) of the Rajshahi University Act 1973 to impose final penalties on these two teachers. Another press release stated that the review committee, formed regarding the cancellation of the studentship of Rafiqul Islam, a postgraduate student from the 2007-08 academic session of the Department of Applied Mathematics, recommended reinstating his studentship and publishing his unpublished examination results. This decision was made at the university’s 536th syndicate meeting held on February 6. Previously, his studentship was cancelled at the 461st syndicate meeting. In another press release, the university’s public relations office stated that the 461st syndicate meeting’s decision regarding Professor Md. Shamsul Alam Sarkar, a retired teacher of the Applied Mathematics Department, was annulled based on the review committee’s report. All allegations against him have also been withdrawn. It was proven that Professor Md. Shamsul Alam Sarkar had suffered punishment without any offense due to manipulation by three teachers — Abdul Haque, Ali Akbar, and Ashrafuzzaman Khan of the same department. Consequently, they have been barred from all examination-related activities for the next five years. The syndicate expressed deep sympathy to Professor Md. Shamsul Alam Sarkar for the social humiliation, mental distress, and financial loss he suffered due to the previous decision.

Students of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College in Barishal on Monday staged demonstrations, protesting the disruption of academic activities caused by shortage of teachers. The students locked the main gate of the administrative building of the college in the morning and announced that they would continue the shutdown until their demands were met. The students put forward two demands: immediate recruitment of teachers for all vacant positions across departments and reinstatement of transferred teachers in the Community Medicine, Microbiology, Pathology, and other departments within 24 hours through an official notice. Sources at the hospital said 173 out of approved 334 posts for teachers are still vacant. The lack of sufficient teachers has disrupted academic activities, particularly in departments such as Medicine, Microbiology, Pathology, Physiology, CCU, Gastroenterology, and the Dental unit. Universities must have their code of conduct for student politics: Education Adviser Meanwhile, the college’s teachers' association submitted a memorandum to the principal, focusing on the teacher shortage, urging the Ministry of Health, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Directorate of Medical Education, and other relevant authorities to take immediate actions to resolve it. Echoing students, the college Principal Dr. Faizul Bashar said they have already discussed the issue with the health ministry, and efforts are underway to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.

The Bangladesh Agricultural University Research System (BAURES) has honored and recognized 30 scientists, 5 farmers and one journalist for their outstanding contributions to agriculture in the country. The recognition ceremony took place on Saturday at the inauguration of the three-day "Annual Research Progress Workshop" under the supervision of BAURES. The event was held at the Syed Nazrul Islam Conference Hall of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). The program was chaired by BAURES Director Prof. Dr. M. Hammadur Rahman, and was supported by BAU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. A K Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan. Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, former advisor to the Ministry of Education and Commerce and Chairman of BRAC, attended as the chief guest. Special guests included Dr. Mohammad Khalequzzaman, Chairman of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), and Dr. Nathu Ram Sarker, Executive Chairman of the Krishi Gobeshona Foundation. This year, 17 researchers received the Global Research Impact Recognition Award 2024 based on their H-index scores. Additionally, five BAU faculty members were awarded the Global Scientist Recognition Award 2025 for their exceptional achievements, including receiving the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Gold Medal. BAURES also honored eight BAU faculty members listed among the top 2% of scientists in the Stanford-Elsevier World Ranking 2024 with the BAURES Recognition Award 2025. Furthermore, five farmers were recognized with the Professor Dr. Ashraf Ali Khan Memorial Agriculture Award 2025 for their significant contributions to agricultural production. Additionally, BAU Press Club's General Secretary Md. Rayhan Abid received the Agriculture Journalism Award 2025 for his contributions to agricultural journalism. BAU teacher suspended for assaulting foreign student Speaking at the event, Chief Guest Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman highlighted that BAU is unique for having one-third of its faculty members as women, emphasizing the importance of women’s progress in all sectors, including agriculture. He further stressed the necessity of fostering a research culture alongside research activities in universities, stating that such a culture in higher education would enhance Bangladesh’s global recognition. BAU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan remarked that BAU’s initiatives would strengthen Bangladesh’s agricultural sector and contribute to food security. "Through innovative research and capacity building, both farmers and researchers will be able to tackle the challenges of climate change together," he added. He also noted that Bangladesh’s geographical position and climate change effects pose challenges for agriculture, but BAU’s dedication to agricultural research and education would make the country’s farming system more sustainable and resilient. The three-day event will feature 23 technical sessions, where future research plans will be formulated. Additionally, the best 21 presenters from these sessions will be awarded crests and certificates, while six participants will be recognized for the best poster presentations.

Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has suspended one of its professors for sexually assaulting a Malaysian female student. The accused, Dr. M. Harun-or-Rashid, is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics. The decision was made during an emergency syndicate meeting held on December 30 last year, as his response to a chargesheet submitted on his behalf was deemed unsatisfactory, according to an office order issued by the university's Additional Registrar (Establishment) on Thursday. Dr. Md. Helal Uddin, acting registrar of BAU, said that on September 25, a Malaysian female student from the university’s Veterinary Faculty submitted a written complaint accusing Professor Dr. M. Harun-or-Rashid of sexual harassment. In response, the university formed a five-member investigation committee. “The administration removed him from his position after his response to the allegations was found to be unsatisfactory,” he added.

Bangladesh will host its first international conference on agricultural mechanization. Around 240 participants, including scientists, agricultural engineers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and farmers from seven countries—Bangladesh, the United States, Canada, China, Japan, India, and South Korea—will take part in the conference. With the theme of advancing the Fourth Agricultural Revolution through modern mechanisation and efficient use of bioresources, the conference aims to accelerate the transformation of agriculture into smart and sustainable farming, organisers said. The details were shared by conference convener Prof. Dr. Md. Abdul Awal at a press conference held at the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), on Monday afternoon. “This conference will generate key recommendations, which will be forwarded to policymakers for implementation through the Bangladesh Society of Agricultural Machinery and Bioresource Engineering (BSAMBE),” said Awal. He added that the main objective of the event is to address agricultural challenges and support the Fourth Agricultural Revolution through modern technology, mechanisation, and effective use of bioresources. Prof Dr Muhammad Ashik-E-Rabbani, member secretary of the conference; Prof Dr Md Zainul Abedin, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology; Associate Prof Dr Tumpa Rani Sarker, Head of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery were present at the time, among others. The International Conference on Agricultural Machinery and Bioresource Engineering will take place on February 12-13 at BAU’s Syed Nazrul Islam Conference Hall. The event will feature six technical sessions, one business session, and two poster sessions, during which 160 research papers will be presented. Additionally, plenary sessions will focus on smart agriculture, smart technology, agricultural mechanisation, and bioresource energy. A machinery exhibition will also be held alongside the conference, showcasing modern agricultural technologies and equipment from eight government and private organisations. Technologies developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) will also be on display.

The intake tests for 2024-25 academic session (54th batch) of Jahangirnagar University (JU) have begun with the participation of admission seekers. On the first day (Sunday), the admission test for 'D' unit (Biological Sciences) was underway, with 280 students vying for each seat. The test started with the first shift at 9am and would conclude with the 5th shift at 3:15pm. A total of 86, 788 admission aspirants were competing for only 310 seats under the D unit this year, with the highest number of candidates against each seat. Moreover, 73,169 admission seekers are expected to fight for 426 seats under the 'A' unit (Mathematical and Physical Sciences faculty). The 'C' unit, (Arts and Humanities and the Law faculties), will see the competition of 53,401 students for 438 seats. More than 23, 000 students will sit for the admission test for 326 seats under the 'B' unit (Social Sciences faculty). The 'C1' unit, (Drama and Fine Arts), has received 5,507 applicants from aspirants for 64 seats. Over 15, 000 admission aspirants will fight for 200 seats under the 'E' unit (Business Studies faculty) while the 'IBA-JU' unit will take only 50 students out of 4,688 applications through the admission test. Prof Mohammad Mafruhi Sattar, dean of the faculty of Biological Sciences, said that no untoward incident has been reported so far (till 12apm). Although candidates were not allowed to enter the exam rooms if they arrived more than 15 minutes late, the university provided a 30-minute grace period for the first shift, considering the heavy traffic, added he.

Jahangirnagar University admission test for 2024-25 academic session will begin on Sunday. The admission test for the undergraduate (honours) first-year programme will continue until February 17. A total of 262,450 applications will appear in the test for 1,814 available seats. The first exam will be for the ‘D’ (Faculty of Biological Sciences) unit, where female candidates will take part in five shifts. Kuet expels 10 students accused of torturing a fellow student  The following day, February 10, will see male candidates take the same exam, also in four shifts. Besides, on the same day, the 5th shift will host the IBA-JU admission test, open to both male and female applicants. The exam schedule continues with the ‘E’ unit’s Business Studies Faculty test on Tuesday, February 11, and the ‘A’ unit (Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute of Information Technology) test for female candidates on the same day. Male candidates will take the ‘A’ unit exam on Wednesday, February 12. On February 13, test for admission to the ‘C’ unit, including the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Law, and the Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture will start. This exams will be conducted over six shifts with separate shifts for female and male students. The admission tests will conclude on Monday, February 17, with the ‘C1’ unit exam for the Drama and Theatre Studies and Fine Arts departments, followed by the ‘B’ unit exam for the Faculty of Sociology. In addition to the written exams, successful candidates for the practical tests in Drama and Theatre Studies, as well as Fine Arts, will be required to attend practical exams later this month, with the dates announced in the official notice. The results will be published within seven days after the completion of the tests, and candidates can access them through the official admission website.

The 14th Inter-School Bangla Olympiad will begin on February 22 at the premises of the International Hope School Bangladesh (IHSB) in the city’s Uttara area with the participation of a large number of students from English medium and English version schools. They informed this at a press conference held at the school auditorium on Tuesday while IHSB Principal Roksana Zarin, Bangla Olympiad coordinator Kamrul Ahsan, school teachers - Imam Hossain, Abul Khair Abdullah, Abul Kalam Azad, Abul Kashem, Mizanur Rahman, and others were present. Organisers said the contestants will participate in various age-based categories in essay writing, recitation, dance, singing, drawing, quizzes and public speaking while the country's eminent educationists, writers and artists will be present as the advisors and judges of this competition. The director general of Bangla Academy, eminent writer and educationist Dr. Mohammad Azam, has agreed to be present at the award ceremony of the Bangla Olympiad, they added. Principal Roksana Zarin said that her school is playing an important role in practicing Bengali language and culture by organizing such a big competition for more than a decade. In the meantime, Bangla Olympiad has become a national competition for English schools.   "Not only national, I would say, the Bangla Olympiad is also spreading to the international arena. Every year, along with local students, foreign students from various schools are also joining the Bangla Olympiad. Through this competition, the English medium and English version schools of the country pay tribute to the language martyrs during the language month,” he said. Saying the Bangla Olympiad in February as the most significant event in the country, Olympiad coordinator Kamrul Ahsan said the Bangla Olympiad, which has been organized for more than a decade, has changed the lives and perspectives of the English medium students of the country. “The fear and disgust they had towards Bengali language and culture has been largely removed through the Bangla Olympiad. Now the big schools of the country wait for our Bangla Olympiad all year round. Winning the Bangla Olympiad is considered an achievement of great honor for English medium schools. "We believe that many of the participants in our competition will grow up to be great writers, great artists and will brighten the image of the country at home and abroad. This time the participation of students is greater in number and spontaneous than before," he said. Online registration for the Bangla Olympiad has started from December 1, 2024 while schools can register their students online from the Banglaolympiad.org website until February 15. Competitions will be held in 7 categories - essay, recitation, music, drawing, impromptu speech, dance and Bangla quiz. This year, each student will get the opportunity to compete in two categories through one registration. International Hope School Bangladesh was established in The 14th Inter-School Bangla Olympiad which is being held in the month of language.

Authorities at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) have expelled ten students including a former general secretary of the Kuet Chhatra League, in connection with the alleged physical and mental torture of a fellow student. The incident of tormenting Jahidur Rahman happened in 2022. KUET admission test on Jan 11, results on Jan 26 Kuet's student discipline committee secretary Prof Mohammad Sultan Mahmud said the decision was made based on the findings of the investigation committee, and all affected students had been informed of the ruling in writing. Additionally, three students were given punishments ranging from temporary bans to the denial of certificates. The incident occurred on the night of September 11, 2022, when Jahidur, a student from the ECE department, was subjected to inhuman treatment at Dr MA Rashid Hall under suspicion of involvement with Shibir. The torture continued from evening until midnight, after which he was treated in the prison cell of Khulna Medical College Hospital. At the same time, the then provost of the hall also filed a case against him. Following this incident, the university authorities formed an investigation committee on September 17, last year. Based on the report and recommendations of the investigation committee, the student discipline committee made the decision on January 27. 5 KUET teachers suspended over irregularities The ten expelled students are: ·      Sadman Nahian Sejan (former General Secretary, KUET Chhatra League, Computer Science and Engineering) ·      Md. Raihan Ahmed (Leather Engineering) ·      Sad Ahmed Turjo (Leather Engineering) ·      Sazedul Kabir (Civil Engineering) ·      Adnan Rafi (Leather Engineering) ·      Rizwan Islam Rizvi (Leather Engineering) ·      Fuaduzzaman Fahim (Textile Engineering) ·      Md. Mehedi Hasan Mithu (former General Secretary, Rashid Hall Chhatra League, Textile Engineering) ·      Md. Safat Morshed (Textile Engineering) ·      Md. Fakhrul Islam Faris (former President, Rashid Hall Chhatra League, BECM) These students have been banned from receiving any certificates for the next five years, with a lifetime prohibition from receiving any certificates of appreciation. Additionally, Mostak Ahmed Tushar (Leather Engineering) has been denied certificates for three years, while Subhendu Das and Fariar Jamil Nihal (both from Civil Engineering) also faced a three-year certificate ban. They too would never receive any certificates of appreciation. In a separate disciplinary matter, Shah Mohammad Raihan (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) has been expelled for six months for resorting to dishonest methods during an exam.