United News of Bangladesh

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan on Friday vowed to build a drug free and terror free country, after efforts to ensure an education system without cheating in exams. He said the anti-drug and anti-terror drive will begin from Kachua, just as the anti-cheating movement once started from the same area and later became a national model. The minister made the remarks while speaking to journalists during his first visit to his constituency Kachua in Chandpur after taking charge. He said Kachua will be turned into a drug free, terror free and eve-teasing free upazila in phases. Effective steps will be taken through coordination among the administration, law enforcement agencies and local representatives. “Kachua once set an example across the country as a cheating free area. We now want Kachua to become the model for a drug free and terror free Bangladesh,” he said. The minister also said there are plans to start the journey towards a corruption free society from Kachua. He said the future Bangladesh will be built under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and all announced programmes will be implemented step by step. Everything in place for 'fair, transparent and smooth' SSC exams: Education Minister Milon ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan was elected from Chandpur-1 seat with a large margin in the 13th national election. After taking oath, he was appointed education minister and minister for primary and mass education. Chandpur Deputy Commissioner Md Nazmul Islam Sarkar, Superintendent of Police Md Rabiul Hasan and other senior officials of the administration and law enforcement agencies were present.

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon on Thursday said that instructions have been given to the authorities concerned to ensure the preparation and distribution of question papers of SSC examinations, without any irregularities or disruptions. All necessary preparations have been taken to ensure the upcoming Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations to be held in a fair, transparent and smooth manner, he said while talking to reporters after a meeting at the Education Ministry. The government has reiterated its strong commitment to ensuring accountability, strengthening oversight and carrying out time-befitting reforms in the education sector, he added. Referring to some past decisions—such as suspension of examinations and auto-pass measures—under special circumstances and were never intended as permanent solutions, the minister said that the ministry’s goal is to bring the education system under a modern, quality-driven and accountable framework. On the issue of politicisation of teachers and their participation in political programmes during class hours, the minister said teaching students is their primary responsibility. “Any demands can be resolved through discussion, but abandoning classrooms for street protests is unacceptable,” he said. He also assured that the government would address legitimate demands with due respect. Reaffirming the government’s zero tolerance against cheating, the minister expressed hope that strengthened ethics and study practices among students would eventually eliminate the need for anti-cheating drives. Talking about the disruption of education in coastal, char and haor areas due to floods and natural disasters Milon said special measures would be adopted considering local realities, including alternative arrangements where necessary. On reviewing and revising the national curriculum, the minister said preparations are underway with curriculum experts from the National Curriculum and Textbook Board. A decision on forming an Education Commission would be taken after discussions with the Prime Minister, he said. To ensure accountability in MPO-listed private educational institutions, necessary regulations and monitoring will be strengthened. The minister also said initiatives would be taken to reorganise and reinforce the functions of the National Teacher Registration and Certification Authority regarding teacher recruitment, transfer and discipline. English-medium institutions would gradually be brought under government policy frameworks, he said. No institution will be allowed to operate outside official regulations and running schools without proper registration or in temporary, unsafe infrastructures will not be permitted. Fire safety and structural standards will be made mandatory. Regarding allegations of irregularities in transfers during the election schedule period, the minister said administrative decisions would be reviewed and investigations conducted if any violations or financial misconduct are found. About 1,700 MPO applications are under consideration and will be reviewed based on budget allocation and verification. Strict action will be taken if corruption is detected, he added. Expressing concern over the prolonged suspension of retirement and welfare benefits for non-government teachers, the minister said the trust would be reconstituted promptly and pending allowances cleared as a matter of priority. Emphasising skill development, he said the government would prioritise technical and technology-based education. Practical components in polytechnic and vocational institutions will be enhanced, industry linkages strengthened and modern technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), incorporated into the curriculum. He also highlighted three immediate priorities of the government: · Creating a conducive environment to bring students back to classrooms · Reviewing and revising the national curriculum · Modernising technical education Question paper leaks, cheating will not return: Education Minister Milon The government’s ‘One Teacher, One Tab’ initiative will be implemented in phases for teachers at primary and secondary levels. A 180-day roadmap detailing its implementation will be announced soon. The minister reaffirmed that monitoring of educational institutions will be strengthened through relevant regulatory bodies and stressed that there will be no room for corruption in the education sector. “The Education Ministry is firmly committed to ensuring ethics, accountability and quality education,” he said.

Islamic University in Kushtia is set to go on a 38-day vacation on the occasion of Holy Ramadan, International Mother Language Day, Dol Purnima, Shab-e-Qadr, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Independence and National Day from February 18. An office notice, signed by IU acting registrar Professor M Manjurul Haque, was issued in this regard on Thursday. According to the notice, the vacation will begin on February 18 and continue until March 27, 2026. Academic and administrative activities are scheduled to resume on March 28. However, departments will be allowed to conduct examinations on dates marked in blue in the university’s academic calendar, if necessary. In a separate office order issued on February 16, revised office hours were announced for the month of Ramadan. During this period, offices will operate from 9:00am to 3:30pm, with a 15-minute break from 1:15pm to 1:30pm for Zuhr prayers. University offices will remain open under this schedule until March 15. The notice also states that university offices will remain closed on February 21 on the occasion of International Mother Language Day and from March 16 to March 27, totaling 12 days, for Shab-e-Qadr, Eid-ul-Fitr and weekly holidays. Islamic University students demand justice for murdered fellow student Despite the general closure, essential services, including medical services, water and electricity supply, ICT services, security, and estate management, will remain operational during the vacation period. The administration has also directed all departments and offices to submit a report on staff attendance and absence to the Registrar’s Office by 11:00am on March 28, the first working day after the vacation.  

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice President Md Abu Shadik ( Kayem), has alleged attempts to manipulate election results and called on the Election Commission to release accurate results for all constituencies. In a Facebook post published around 4am on Friday from his verified account, Shadik said the attitude of officials and law enforcement personnel changed in many constituencies across the country after voting ended. He alleged that there were attempts to alter public mandates in several seats through what he described as “election engineering”. Shadik also said results in Dhaka-8, Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-17, among other constituencies, were withheld in an attempt to change outcomes. He claimed that results in Dhaka-4 and Dhaka-16 were suspended even after being announced. Shadik further said that although results of all constituencies had not yet been declared, a leading national media outlet reported that a particular party had secured more than 200 seats. Referendum: DUCSU announces month-long programme to secure victory for ‘Yes’ He alleged that state institutions, including media and agencies, were used to influence the election outcome. Calling on the Election Commission to publish correct results for every constituency, he said that holding what he termed a “staged election” after the July movement and handing over power to one party would contradict the spirit of those who sacrificed their lives.

Two associate professors at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR), have been suspended following allegations of sexual harassment, university authorities have said. The action was taken against Shamim Hossain, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science and assistant proctor of the university, and Shakibul Islam, an associate professor in the Department of Disaster Science and Management. The decision was made during the university’s 119th Syndicate meeting, held on Saturday night, according to BRUR Vice-Chancellor Dr Showkat Ali. As part of the decision, the Syndicate also decided that Prof Shakibul Islam will not be permitted to supervise female students. Dr Md Harun-Or-Rashid, the university’s registrar and member secretary of the Syndicate, said an investigation committee had recommended punitive action against both teachers. He said that the matter has been referred to the administrative tribunal, which will determine the final punishment. The two associate professors will remain suspended until the tribunal reaches a decision. DU launches major development projects worth Tk 28.41 billion The allegations stem from separate complaints lodged last year. On November 2, 2025, a student from the Department of Disaster Science and Management filed a complaint against Prof Dr Shakibul Islam, accusing him of sexual harassment. Earlier, on October 30, 2025, a female student from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science submitted a 31-page handwritten complaint detailing allegations of sexual harassment against Shamim Hossain. University authorities said the process is being handled in line with existing regulations.

Effigies of several individuals were burned at Dhaka University on Thursday in protest against the government’s move to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chittagong Port to foreign entities, branding them as “economic hitmen.” The demonstration was held in the afternoon at the Raju Sculpture under the banner of “Aggrieved Student Community (Sangkhubdo Shikkarti Samaj).” Effigies of Shipping Ministry Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain, the Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy for International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, and Chattogram Port Authority Chairman S M Moniruzzaman were set ablaze during the programme. The protesters said the government must withdraw from any initiative to hand over control of Chattogram Port, described as a key pillar of Bangladesh’s national security, to foreign hands. Mohiuddin Rahat, a 2019–20 session student of the Department of Criminology at Dhaka University, said the government is making excessive efforts just ahead of the election to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal to DP World. “It appears as if the government believes its entire mission and vision will fail if it cannot hand over this port,” he said. NCP officially launches election campaign from Dhaka University He further alleged that four individuals within the Bangladesh government are attempting to lease the New Mooring Terminal to DP World in exchange for commissions from foreign companies, and that they have been lobbying extensively to hand over Chattogram Port to DP World.    

At least 20 people, including two journalists, were injured in a clash centring on the inter-department football tournament final at Jagannath University (JnU) on Thursday. The injured journalists are Rakibul Islam Rakib and Limon Hossain, campus correspondents of The Daily Star and Dainik Amar Desh, respectively. The identities of the other injured could not be ascertained immediately. The incident took place around 1:00 pm at the university’s central playground in Dhupkhola following the final match between the Department of Islamic Studies and the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism. Eyewitnesses said the match ended in a draw in regular time and went into a tie-breaker, where the Department of Islamic Studies won 3–0. After the match, an argument broke out between students of the two departments, which later escalated into physical clashes. Some of the injured were taken to nearby hospitals for primary treatment. Later, students from other departments and university authorities intervened and brought the situation under control.

General students of Islamic University (IU) on Wednesday formed a human chain demanding the trace and justice for two meritorious students of the university—Md. Walidullah of the Dawah and Islamic Studies department and Al Mokaddas of the Al Fiqh and Law department—who went missing from Savar area in Dhaka on February 4, 2012. The human chain was held at 2:30pm on Wednesday (February 4) in front of the university’s main gate, with banners in hand. Speaking on the occasion, general students said, “We want to remind the interim government that our brothers Walidullah and Mokaddas were brilliant faces of the university. They were also cultural activists. But sadly, cultural organisations take to the streets at the slightest provocation, yet in the case of our Walidullah and Mokaddas brothers, they remain silent with sealed lips. Through this human chain, we want to declare that our Walidullah and Mokaddas brothers have been forcibly disappeared. We demand justice for them and insist that no mother’s lap should ever be left empty again. To ensure that the culture of disappearance and murder never returns, those involved must be given exemplary punishment.” On the occasion, Islamic University Chhatra Shibir secretary Rashedule Islam Rafi said, “From this human chain today, we want to say—give us back our brothers. Ensure proper justice for all those who have been disappeared. Bring those involved in these disappearances to trial and inform the public so that no one in Bangladesh has to face disappearance again. If we do not see justice for disappearances and murders, the culture of disappearance and murder may return to Bangladesh. To stop this culture, justice is essential. From here today, we want to tell the university administration—bring the then-proctors and those who were in authority at the university under proper legal process and interrogate them; it is possible to find the trace of our brothers this way. If you fail to provide information about our brothers, we will also stand against you. Finally, I want to say—our student Sajid Abdullah was martyred at the university. Ensure proper justice for Sajid Abdullah, our Mokaddas brother, and all others who have been victims of disappearance, murder and killing from this university. Take measures so that such incidents do not occur again in campuses across the country.” The human chain was attended by students from various departments under the banner of general students.

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on Sunday staged a protest march on Dhaka University campus, condemning  the offensive remarks about women made from the verified X account of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman. The protest was held in response to a post circulated on social media on Saturday which drew widespread criticism for its language towards women.

Dhaka University (DU) has formally inaugurated activities under its large-scale development project with an estimated cost of Tk 28.41 billion, alongside several other development initiatives. The inauguration ceremony was held on Saturday at the auditorium of the Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building on the university campus. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan attended the event as the chief guest and officially launched the project activities. The development projects include the construction of a 21-storey academic building for the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, residential buildings for third-class employees, a 15-storey IT hub, nine halls (four for male students and five for female students), six academic buildings, a central mosque, DUCSU building, medical centre, administrative building, gymnasium and playground development, renovation and beautification of water bodies, road network development, and the construction of public toilets. Read More: NCP officially launches election campaign from Dhaka University During the event, the Vice-Chancellor also briefed journalists on 41 major activities and achievements of the university administration carried out between August 2024 and January 2026. The programme was presided over by DU Treasurer Professor Dr. M. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. Among others present at the event were Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Admin) Professor Dr. Sayema Haque Bidisha, Proctor Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, deans of all faculties, provosts of all residential halls, and leaders of DUCSU and hall unions. Mohammad Jabed Alam Mridha, Acting Director of the Planning and Development Office, presented an overview of the ongoing and proposed development project activities. Read More: Dhaka University to begin online classes from tomorrow