United News of Bangladesh

 Diverging from the conventional path, new Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel is set to commence his journey with innovative initiatives. After taking the oath as minister on Thursday, he is scheduled to assume office for the first time on Sunday. In this regard, the minister will hold a meeting with all ministry officials, department heads, and institution leaders to exchange greetings and ideas. Notably, he has directed that there will be no elaborate ceremony for greeting or other unproductive activity during this inaugural event. Insiders revealed that Nowfel wishes to prioritise performance over ceremonial aspects. Many within the ministry see this directive as a novel approach. Some are expressing that this decision reflects respect for the outgoing education minister. In an official notice issued by the Ministry of Education on Saturday (December 13), it was announced that the new education minister would extend greetings and engage in discussions with all employees and heads of departments/agencies in both the Secondary and Higher Education, and Vocational and Madrasa Education divisions. The event is scheduled for 3 PM at the auditorium of the International Mother Language Institute. The notice also mentioned that Nowfel has advised against repeating the traditional presentation of flowers during the upcoming greetings and exchange of ideas session.  

A brilliant former law student of Rajshahi University (RU), who claims to have topped both his undergratuate and post-graduate classes, announced he is returning the prizes he received from the government for outstanding academic performances, including the ‘Prime Minister's Gold Medal Award’. Md Nurul Huda, who is currently practicing in the Supreme Court as a lawyer, framed his action as a surrender in the face of the 'corruption, irregularities and nepotism' he encountered in the teacher recruitment process at RU, when he tried to join its law faculty and pursue a career in academia. He also announced that he would return RU’s gold medal award on the same ground. Former student Md Nurul Huda came up with the announcements at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday. Huda said he "lost to the graft and nepotism in the recruitment of teachers" when applying for a post in the university, despite securing outstanding results in his Honours and Masters. He stood first in both LLB and LLM examinations and secured a CGPA of 3.64 out of 4. He obtained the ‘University Gold Medal’ in 2017 and the ‘Prime Minister's Gold Medal’ in 2018. Calling education the backbone of a nation, he alleged that financial transactions, nepotism and irregularities in such important issues as recruitment of teachers in the universities, can only spell the destruction of the country's education system. “I am rejecting the Prime Minister's Gold Medal protesting corruption, irregularities and nepotism in the recruitment of teachers in different universities of the country, including Rajshahi University,” he said. Relaying his own experience with corruption in the recruitment process for three teachers for his department in 2018, Huda alleged that the then pro vice chancellor (Pro VC) and also one of the members of the recruitment board, Chowdhury Mohammad Jakaria, proposed a recruitment scheme that would generate kickbacks for a clique within the faculty.

Newly-installed Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel has said there might be some changes in curriculum and assessment methods.  He said this during a discussion with the Education Reporters Association, Bangladesh (ERAB) on Friday. ""The new curriculum presents several challenges. When it comes to the challenges of assessment methods, I must say that we are receiving various inputs for the new curriculum. Changes need to be made in the assessment methods, and there must be further adjustments in the new curriculum," he said. "We want to incorporate the skills related to the workplace into our curriculum. This way, our students can plan their education based on the subject of the workplace and contribute to the education system," he added.    

Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, who served as Deputy Minister of Education last time, has been appointed as next education minister. The portfolio was distributed after the oath-taking ceremony at Bangabhaban on Thursday evening. Mohibul Hasan replaced Dr Dipu Moni. He was elected from Chattogram-9 in 2018 as a Bangladesh Awami League candidate and appointed as the Deputy Minister of Education in the 4th Cabinet of Sheikh Hasina. Born in Chattogram, Chowdhury graduated from London School of Economics with a law and anthropology degree and was called as a barrister of Lincoln's Inn following post graduation from the University of Law. A total of 36 ministers took oath as members of the new cabinet on Thursday. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the ministers held at Bangabhaban.

Students from across Bangladesh will be able to attend International School Dhaka (ISD) with reduced fees under a new scholarship scheme.  The first International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in Bangladesh, ISD, has launched the scholarship programme to mark its 25 years and offer opportunities to diverse groups, according to a press release. Accordingly, it has started accepting applications for terms starting in January and August 2024 for grades 9, 10, and 11, which span students between the ages of 14 and 17 years. "We offer exceptional opportunities for talented and deserving students to join us in our development and be a critical part of our future. As an international school, diversity is significant, which is why we provide more opportunities for families nationwide to benefit from the world-class learning experience,” said Director of the School, Steve Calland-Scoble.  He urged the parents who are ambitious for their children's future to get in contact and discover how they could become part of a "vibrant and successful community." Each scholarship will be offered for a year, with the expectation that it will be extended in the future, subject to student performance and meeting other requirements, said the release. The winners can get up to 90 percent waiver on school fees and also get full waiver on their admission fee, it said. New students will join an international community and benefit from the teaching of the IB curriculum. The students who secure scholarships will need to demonstrate leadership capabilities and a commitment to service learning and co-curricular activities, the release also said. The scholarship details and application form are available on ISD’s official website (https://www.isdbd.org/scholarship-program).

Professor Dr Nizamul Karim was appointed chairman of the Cumilla Board of Secondary and Higher Education on Tuesday. Prior to this role, he served as the director general (DG) of the National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM). The appointment was announced through a notification issued on Tuesday, signed by Chowdhury Samia Yasmin, deputy secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division under the Ministry of Education. Born in 1966 in Cumilla’s Chauddagram, Nizamul completed his SSC and HSC examinations from the Cumilla Education Board. He pursued his honour's and master’s degrees in management from Chittagong University. Additionally, he obtained a PhD in management from the Institute of Bangladesh Studies (IBS) of Rajshahi University. Nizamul Karim is a BCS (General Education) cadre officer. He began his career in 1993 as a lecturer in management at Comilla Victoria Government College and achieved the position of professor in 2017. Throughout his professional journey, he worked in the fields of management and education administration, holding various significant positions.    

New textbook distribution among primary and secondary school students began across the country on Monday. The festival was held at 10 am on the premises of National Government Primary School in the capital's Mirpur. State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Ministry Md Zakir Hossain was present at the event as the chief guest. Secretary Farid Ahmed was present as special guest with Director General of the Directorate of Primary and Mass Education Shah Rezwan Hayat in the chair.  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday launched the distribution of free textbooks for the academic year 2024. According to the Ministry of Education, although there was no central distribution programme for secondary level text books, different institutions across the country are distributing books among the students. Textbook distribution activities will continue until afternoon and all students will get their books, the ministry said. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) said that it has delivered 100% books up to class seven to the upazilas. The upazila education office is coordinating and distributing the books as per the demand of the educational institutions. But 20-25% of books for class eight and nine are still not printed. The rest of the books will be printed and delivered to the students this month, NCTB said. The ministries concerned have taken necessary steps to distribute 30,70,83,517 copies of new textbooks among 3,81,28,324 students throughout the country. The government has so far distributed over 464,78,29,883 copies of free textbooks among students up to secondary levels across the country since 2010. Since 2017, the government has been distributing braille books among visually impaired students alongside distributing Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Garo and Sadri version books among students from the ethnic groups to study in their mother languages.  

Every year, thousands of Bangladeshi students go abroad for higher studies. Researches show that the number of students going abroad has tripled over the last 15 years. With such a huge volume of students going abroad, there is a natural question: How are the living costs or the tuition fees transferred from Bangladesh? This is where the student file comes in.  What is a Student File?  According to the regulation of Bangladesh Bank, there is no direct channel to send money to a foreign account from an existing local savings/current account. There is also a limit on how much foreign currency can be carried in each foreign trip (US$ 12,000) as well as a limit on credit card payments.  In such a scenario, a student opting to study abroad faces an imminent challenge regarding tuition fee payment or remitting the cost of living. Some European universities require students to maintain a “Block Account” which essentially withholds the entire cost of study and disburses locally to the students as per their need.  Read more: Study in Ireland: Application process, cost for international students A student file essentially bypasses this regulation legally where the bank remits the payment on behalf of the student. A student file is the only authorized way through which a student can send their tuition fee or remit the living cost abroad.  How to Open a Student File?  The process of opening a student file is pretty straightforward. At first, the student or their legal guardian needs to open a savings account with a relevant bank that offers the student file service. After that, the bank can entertain the request for opening a student account.  Typically, a student account can be opened on the same day as that of the application. The cost of opening a student file and the documents required vary from bank to bank. Read more: Study in Thailand: Admission process, cost for International Students But first, here’s what’s needed to open a savings account.  - Passport-size picture of the account holder (to be attested by the introducer)- NID/ Passport copy - Passport-size picture of the nominee - NID/Passport copy of the nominee - Utility bill copy (for address verification). Typically, the following documents are required for opening a student file in any bank.  - All academic certificates (original and copy)- All academic transcripts (original and copy)- IELTS certificate - Copy of passport - Visa document - Acceptance letter from the university - Tuition and living cost certificate - Detailed information about the financer. Read more: Higher Study Opportunities in Turkey for International Students: Process, Cost Which Banks Provide Student File Service?  Several leading banks in Bangladesh provide student file service including some government banks. However, it is important to note that due to the recent dollar crunch and new regulations from Bangladesh Bank, some banks are not opening new student files but are continuing to operate the existing ones. Also, having a savings account in the relevant bank is a key prerequisite for opening a student file. 

The Election Commission (EC) has allowed the Ministry of Education to celebrate the new book distribution programme (Boi Utsav) on January 1, 2024. "As it is a routine work of the government to distribute new textbooks across the country on the first day of the academic year on January 1, 2024, as in other years, the EC has given its consent to celebrate the programme," according to a letter signed by Md Atiar Rahman, deputy secretary of the Election Commission. "Divisional commissioners, district commissioners, upazila executive officers and all concerned will regularly distribute books among the students of various educational institutions of their respective places," it said. It will continue if the Prime Minister also gives her kind consent to start the book distribution programme officially. Only Suaganj Tafajjal Ahmed Chowdhury High School and College under Sadar Dakshin Upazila of Comilla District won't be allowed to arrange this programme, but the letter did not divulge any reasons for this. The EC requested to take further necessary action in this regard.

The 43rd BCS result aspirants continued their sit-in programme in front of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) demanding the cancellation of the current non-cadre circular and separate publication of cadre and non-cadre results. The candidates have been continuously protesting against the non-cadre circular of the 43rd BCS, claiming it to be farcical and discriminatory   They started today's program at 10am in front of BPSC wearing shrouds demanding the publication of a new non-cadre circular by increasing the number of non-cadre posts. The candidates have announced to continue the program until their demands are met. The job seekers chanted various slogans demanding cancellation of non-cadre notification and publication of cadre and non-cadre results separately and increasing the posts in line with the previous BCS. Earlier, they held various programs including press conferences, human chains in front of PSC wearing shrouds and sit-in programmes to meet their demand. Earlier, on Thursday, the result aspirants formed a human chain and staged a sit-in program in front of the Public Service Commission (PSC) demanding the re-publication of the non-cadre circular of 43rd BCS increasing the number of non-cadre posts. More than 200 job seekers took up positions in front of the PSC from 10:30 am and chanted slogans. At that time, many candidates were seen taking up their positions wearing shrouds. Earlier on Monday, the result aspirants held a press conference at Maulana Akram Khan Hall of the National Press Club demanding the cancellation of the circular and separate publication of cadre and non-cadre results. The result aspirants alleged that the meritorious job seekers are losing confidence in the PSC. The PSC is trying to publish cadre and non-cadre results of the 43rd BCS together. But out of the 1342 posts in the non-cadre circular, only 360 posts are for general candidates where six to seven thousand general candidates will be forced to return empty-handed, they said.