Arafat Rahaman
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335published pieces
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2026-11-03ReportingEducation

HSC result shock: Deep urban-rural divide laid bare

Students in major urban education centres have considerably outperformed their counterparts in many outlying districts in terms of pass rates and GPA-5 results in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations.

2026-11-02ReportingEducation

Zero passes, twice in a row

At an institution in Narail, 35 candidates appeared in last year’s HSC examinations. None passed. This year, 43 candidates sat for the examinations. Again, not a single student passed.

2026-11-01ReportingEducation

Only half the students pass

The pass rate in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination hit a 22-year low of 51.62 percent, down 5.5 percentage points year-on-year.

2026-11-01ReportingEducation

Alim, technical pass rates hit 2-decade lows

Pass rates in this year’s Alim and higher secondary technical examinations fell to their lowest in more than two decades, with nearly 87,000 students failing under the two education boards.

2026-10-27ReportingEducation

Student unions at five universities hog headlines for wrong reasons

Elected with a mandate to protect students’ rights, student union leaders at five major public universities have instead repeatedly been embroiled in controversies over student assaults, teacher intimidation, administrative interference, and divisive initiatives.

2026-10-27ReportingEducation

A digital trail to track learning gaps

The government is planning a digital platform to store assessment records of students from classes 1 to 12, helping teachers track their progress and identify learning gaps.

2026-10-26ReportingEducation

Schools up, pupils down

Bangladesh has more secondary schools than it did seven years ago, but far fewer students in them.

2026-10-25ReportingRights & social justice

Bewildering convictions

The jailing of 85 people following a raid on a senior police officer’s house in Purbachal last week has raised questions over the evidence behind their convictions and the circulation of their photographs and videos.

2026-10-23ReportingEducation

Govt plans Tk 21,900cr digital makeover for schools

According to proposals by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), the projects will cover half of the 20,767 secondary and higher secondary educational institutions and be implemented between January 2027 and December 2031.

2026-10-17ReportingRights & social justice

Durga Puja: The joy of coming home

Sharadiya Durga Puja is here again. Across Dhaka, temples and puja mandaps are dressed in festive colours, ready to welcome devotees. Families gather, friends reunite, and children accompany their parents to see the goddess. Devotees bow before the idols, offer anjali and receive prasad.

2026-10-11ReportingMedia & journalism

Why must the girl change her route?

From harassment and threats to retaliation against families who speak up, the burden of safety continues to fall on girls while perpetrators often face little immediate consequence

2026-10-09ReportingEducation

Secondary schools: Vacant posts hurting children, taxing teachers

Persistent shortages of teachers have been disrupting classroom learning at secondary schools across the country, forcing many institutions to overburden teachers of key subjects including mathematics, English and ICT, and reduce the frequency of practical classes.

2026-10-08ReportingEducation

School textbooks to get new content on history

School textbooks will be revised for the 2027 academic year, with new content on the Liberation War, post-independence political history and the July Uprising.