United News of Bangladesh

A group of students of Dhaka University formed a human chain demanding cancellation of the transgender quota in the undergraduate programme admission test and publish revised admission circular as early as possible. The human chain was held under the banner of 'general students' at the foot of anti-terrorist Raju sculpture adjacent to the TSC of the university around 11.00 am. New Metro Rail Station at Dhaka University: A milestone in student connectivity Later, the students submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor including a four-point demand. The demands are: immediate cancellation of transgender quota in the admission test circular, canceling this admission notification and publishing revised notification;  to ensure  adequate facilities and safe environment for Hijra community students on the campus and to  apologising for promoting transgender ideology. Five CUET students served show cause notice for ragging The students participating in the human chain said that according to the constitution of Bangladesh, the backward communities should be given higher education opportunities through quota. ‘Amader Ei Potaka’: Chhayanaut, Dhaka University celebrate V- Day 2023

The 43rd BCS result aspirants have 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. Govt primary school assistant teachers' written test result published They held the program in front of the PSC in Agargaon in the capital on Thursday. More than 200 job seekers took up positions in front of the PSC from 10:30 am and chanted slogans demanding separate publication of cadre and non-cadre results, cancellation of current non-cadre circular and re-publishing the circular by increasing the posts. 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. Five CUET students served show cause notice for ragging 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.

Five students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) have been served show cause notice for ragging. The five students of batch 2021 were caught while they were ragging five students of batch 2022 at the extension of Shaheed Mohammad Shah Hall on December 12 around 4:00 pm, said CUET's Student Welfare Association Director, Dr Md Rezaul Karim. Biman to start operating Dhaka-Rome flights from March "The CUET administration is taking a strict stand against ragging," added Rezaul. The notice was issued following a written complaint by CUET's Student Welfare Association Deputy Director, Md Islam Miah, he said. The accused students have been asked to appear at the Student Welfare Office before 3:00 pm on January 3, Rezaul also said.

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations of 2024 will begin on February 15. Govt primary school assistant teachers' written test result published Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board chairman Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar confirmed the matter to UNB over phone on Thursday. The schedule of the examinations will be published on the website, he said. Earlier in August, Education Minister Dipu Moni announced that the SSC and equivalent exams of 2024 will be held in February while the HSC and equivalent exams in April. JnU Teachers Association Election: Dr Zakir elected new president, Dr Mashrik Hasan general secretary For the past several years, the authorities concerned had to rearrange the academic calendar due to the Covid-19 pandemic and natural disaster, but it will be fully set from the next year, she said.  

The results for the written examination of the government primary school assistant teachers' recruitment test-2023 (first phase) (Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur Division) have been published. About 9,337 aspirants passed the examination. Read: 43rd BCS: Demand to increase the number of posts by canceling non-cadre circular The results can be found on the website (www.mopme.gov.bd) of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the website (www.dpe.gov.bd) of the Department of Primary Education. The candidates who passed the test will also get SMS on mobile. The date for viva will be informed later. The written examination was held on November 08 this year in 18 districts of three divisions. The total number of candidates was 3, 60, 697.

Jagannath University’s Professor of Marketing Dr Md. Zakir Hossain has been elected the president of Jagannath University Teachers’ Associations. At the Executive Council Election 2024, held on Tuesday, Professor Dr Md Zakir Hossain got 256 votes. Sheikh Mashrik Hasan, associate professor of Finance Department, has been elected the general secretary after getting 257 votes. Voting for this election was held on Tuesday (December 19) from 9 am to 2:30 pm at the central auditorium of the university. After counting the votes, the Chief Election Commissioner, Professor Dr. Md. Sagir Hossain Khandkar declared the result. In addition, the professor of the Department of English, Md. Momin Uddin has been elected as vice president, Associate Professor of the Department of Management Studies, Md. Miraj Hossain as treasurer and Associate Professor of the Department of Social Work, Md. Mohsin Reza has been elected as the Joint Secretary. The other elected members of JnUTA are Professor Dr. A.K.M. Lutfar Rahman, Professor Dr. Md. Abul Hossain, Dr. A M M Golam Adam, Professor Dr. Farhana Zaman, Associate Professor Shamima Akhter, Associate Professor Md. Ashraful Islam, Prof. Dr. Ainul Islam, Prof. Dr. Shamsun Nahar, Professor Dr. Md. Abdullah Mahfuz and Professor Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain.

Students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) staged a protest demanding the formulation of a proper masterplan for development based on the opinions of all stakeholders. Students took out a protest procession from the university's Murad square at 2:30 p.m. on Monday. The procession passed through several streets and ended at the Transport Square through the administrative building. Later a short rally was held there. During the protest, students carried placards with messages such as 'Give us a master plan, save Jahangirnagar', 'Oppose development at the cost of lives and nature', 'Ease student hardships through automation', and 'Reject the construction of a third administrative building worth Tk 152 crore'. Soma Dumri, the organizer of Biplobi Sattro Moitry JU wing addressed the rally moderated by Riddha Anindya Ganguly, General Secretary of the Student Union University Sangsad (Part) and said, “Administration working without a master plan has destroyed the vitality of our campus. A few months ago, in the dark of night, trees were cut in the Sundarbans area for the IBA building. In view of that, there was an investigation committee, but we did not get that investigation report. The administration is taking our movement lightly. I want to tell the administration that if our movement is taken lightly, this movement will turn into a wildfire one day.” Sajib Ahmed, the organizer of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front (Marxist) JU Branch, expressed deep concern, stating, "We're genuinely afraid and troubled because this administration has been cutting down trees regularly, even on holidays and in the dead of night. With the winter vacation approaching, we fear that this trend might continue, and trees may be cut again during this time." Sajib highlighted, "An astounding 1445 crore taka has been spent on projects without a master plan in place. Despite already having two administrative buildings, they're proceeding with another, incurring an additional cost of 152 crore. We stand against this needless construction. Over 1200 trees have been felled due to unplanned university development. It's clear: a master plan is crucial before any further development work proceeds." Speaking in the assembly, Riddha Anindya Ganguly, general secretary of the Student Union University Parliament (Part), said, "For quite some time, we've been urging for a master plan, but we haven't witnessed any progress on this front." Ashfar Rahman, the vice-president of the students' union at University Songsod (part), said, "We've persistently campaigned for the master plan over an extended period. The entire university acknowledges the reasonableness of our demand. Unfortunately, there's a lack of administration interest in pursuing this master planning initiative." "I want to caution the administration that if even one more tree is felled during the winter season, the students will take drastic action against this administration. Despite showcasing grand plans in the name of development, the outcomes fall short. Implementing automation across the university could alleviate student struggles, yet we witness a lack of commitment to ease the students' hardships by the administration."

Claiming the 43rd BCS non-cadre circular published by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) discriminatory, the 43rd BCS result aspirants have demanded the cancellation of the circular and separate publication of cadre and non-cadre results.They made the demand at a press conference at Maulana Akram Khan Hall of the National Press Club on Monday.Nasir Uddin, spokesman for the 43rd BCS result aspirants, read out the written statement at the press conference.The result aspirants alleged that the meritorious job seekers are losing confidence in the BCS, which is considered a 'transparent recruitment process' in the recent activities of the Public Service Commission (PSC).According to the written statement, the PSC published a non-cadre list containing only 1,342 posts on December 14 which created severe discrimination against the 43rd BCS candidates. Read: 45th BCS written tests postponed"Prime Minister's Information and Communication Technology Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has encouraged more recruitment from non-cadre posts. But why the current commission is shrinking the recruitment of non-cadre posts is raising questions in our minds,” said the spokesman.He said, “We strongly urge the BPSC to re-evaluate such a decision.”In the 38th BCS, 2,965 people were recommended from non-cadre. In the 40 BCS, the circular of 4,478 posts for non-cadre was published, from which 3,657 people were recommended. In the 41st BCS, there were 4,053 non-cadre posts, from which 3,164 people were recommended.But in the 43rd BCS, there are only 1,342 posts in non-cadre circular, from which only 360 posts are allocated for general candidates which is unprecedented and discriminatory, they claimed.

Nobel laureate professor Muhammad Yunus presided over the 3rd convocation of Al Bukhary (social business) University, held in its campus at Alor Setar, Kedah state of Malaysia, recently. Since its inception, Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, has served as the chancellor of the university. He was involved in designing this social business focused university from its conceptualising phase. At that time, Prof Yunus conferred degrees in business administration, early education, mass media and communications, and computer studies, to 231 students in presence of over 1,000 people, including the vice-chancellor, graduands, faculty members, seven ambassadors, members of the board of governors and senate, parents and family members. He also presented awards to students achieving the highest academic honors in various streams, including the Chancellor awards and the inaugural Sharifah Rokia award, named after the name of the university founder Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary's mother. Among the students was a young woman from Palestine, Ms Ghufran Zagmuth, who had the Palestinian flag draped around her gown as a protest against the extreme barbarity of the killing civilian population that is being perpetrated in her country, and powerful nations keeping complete silence about it. It was also a protest by the students of AIU for the killing of a fellow student, a very bright second year student named Suleiman Abu Anzar. He was killed in October by sniper fire during the Israeli attack on Palestine. He was visiting from AIU during semester break to meet his family in Gaza to show solidarity. He never got back to his friends at AIU. The whole campus burst into anger against this loss. He was a student of computer sciences.

Registration of DPS STS Merit Scholarship Test for Grades IX and XI opened for 2024-25 session. In 2021, DPS STS School Dhaka introduced this scholarship to create an opportunity for bright students from around the country to pursue education at the leading English medium school of the country, said a press release. Students of Grades VIII and X (current session) from any school and any curriculum (Cambridge/ IB/ National/ Edexcel etc.) in Bangladesh or overseas can take this scholarship test, reads the release. Read: Poetry contest at ISD to uphold patriotism Registration for the December cycle is now open and will continue till 15 January 2024. The assessment test will take place at the senior campus of DPS STS School located in Uttara on 20 January 2024. Interested candidates can register through this link: https://forms.gle/R5UfWZfEpUFCTSYUA. Participants who will get a minimum percentage of 80% in the scholarship test (both in written and oral assessment) will be shortlisted for the final scholarship. Finally-selected candidates will be offered up to 100% scholarships on their tuition fees based on their scores in the written test, added the release. Here is the link of the scholarship test curriculum and other details: https://dpsstsdhaka.org/stsmeritscholarship/ Read: BYLC concludes its first ever job readiness programme The assessment will cover a wide range of subjects including English, Mathematics, Science, Current Affairs, and Logical Reasoning (for scholarship in Grade 9) whereas for Grade 11 scholarship, candidates can choose any subjects from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Business Studies, Accounting, and Economics. A negative marking system will be followed while assessing written parts. Dr Shivananda CS, Principal of DPS STS School Dhaka, said, “This scholarship introduced by DPS STS School speaks of our commitment to promote inclusivity. We want to create opportunities for meritorious students who want to strive for academic excellence at DPS.” Around 200 students registered for this scholarship in the last session. Two students were granted a 50% waiver in their tuition fees through this scholarship program.