https://arafatrahaman.comReporting, opinion and thoughtshttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/culture-is-not-easy-it-s-political-as-well-as-artistic/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/culture-is-not-easy-it-s-political-as-well-as-artistic/The crisis facing cultural practice in Bangladesh is not only about obstacles to artistic endeavours but also about a deeper struggle over how society understands its own history, identity and the relationship between culture and religion, speakers at a discussion said yesterday.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-did-offensive-speech-become-terrorism/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-did-offensive-speech-become-terrorism/Sifat Abdullah's trouble began with his claim that two electricity bills for his household totalled Tk 9,000https://arafatrahaman.com/thoughts/thank-you-messi/https://arafatrahaman.com/thoughts/thank-you-messi/In your farewell message, you said you had given everything. That you had emptied yourself. That there was nothing more to give. That line is difficult to read.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/why-girls-continue-to-outpace-boys-in-ssc-results/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/why-girls-continue-to-outpace-boys-in-ssc-results/Differences in school attendance, child labour, stipend incentives and study routines are widening the performance gap between male and female students in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations, according to educationists, teachers and candidates.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/reform-missteps-behind-ssc-result-swings-experts/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/reform-missteps-behind-ssc-result-swings-experts/Since the late 1980s, Bangladesh’s SSC pass rate has seen major fluctuations, reflecting not only student performance but also suggesting the influence of political realities, exam reforms, marking practices, and education policies.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/health-education-spending-to-reach-5-of-gdp-by-2031/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/health-education-spending-to-reach-5-of-gdp-by-2031/Govt’s five-year plan sets targets for two key sectorshttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ssc-pass-rate-hits-19-year-low/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ssc-pass-rate-hits-19-year-low/This year’s SSC results painted a grim picture, with the pass rate across the nine general education boards hitting a 19-year low and GPA-5 achievers falling to their lowest level since 2020.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dakhil-pass-rate-lowest-in-23-years/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dakhil-pass-rate-lowest-in-23-years/The Madrasah Education Board recorded its lowest pass rate in 23 years at 55.49 percent, while the Technical Education Board posted a 19-year low of 58.20 percent in this year’s SSC and equivalent examinations, according to education ministry data.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/teacher-shortages-strain-government-primary-schools/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/teacher-shortages-strain-government-primary-schools/Government primary schools across Bangladesh are struggling to keep lessons on track as headteacher posts remain vacant in more than half of the institutions while thousands of assistant-teacher positions also remain unfilled, putting extra pressure on teachers and disrupting classes.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/honouring-a-trailblazer/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/honouring-a-trailblazer/More than five decades ago, Niloufer Manzur, a young teacher and mother of two, set out to establish a school that would provide children with a strong academic foundation while developing their conscience and sense of responsibility towards their country.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/admission-to-class-1-heavy-loads-on-tender-shoulders/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/admission-to-class-1-heavy-loads-on-tender-shoulders/The government’s move to reintroduce written admission tests for class-1 from the next academic year has sparked concern among parents, with many turning to coaching centres and private tutors to help their children prepare for the exams.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-calling-messi-goat-is-no-longer-enough/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-calling-messi-goat-is-no-longer-enough/Until the 85th minute of Thursday’s semifinal, Argentina were trailing England by a goal, and a spot in the final seemed to be slipping away. The clock seemed to be carrying Lionel Messi away with it.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ugc-to-track-15-years-of-university-research-funding/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ugc-to-track-15-years-of-university-research-funding/The University Grants Commission (UGC) is preparing a research repository to track how university research funds were spent and what they produced over the past 15 years.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/draft-guidelines-signal-new-direction-for-primary-curriculum/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/draft-guidelines-signal-new-direction-for-primary-curriculum/The primary and mass education ministry has prepared draft guidelines for updating the primary curriculum, suggesting an approach that defines what children should know and the skills and competencies they should attain by the end of class-5.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-asks-pry-schools-to-keep-zia-khaleda-tarique-books/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-asks-pry-schools-to-keep-zia-khaleda-tarique-books/All government primary schools have been asked to keep three books -- two on late president Ziaur Rahman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and one written by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/government-to-fix-learning-standards-in-pry-schools/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/government-to-fix-learning-standards-in-pry-schools/The government plans to introduce minimum learning standards for students from class one to class five across government primary, private, and English-medium schools, while allowing each stream to retain its distinct identity.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-asks-primary-schools-to-keep-zia-khaleda-tarique-books/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-asks-primary-schools-to-keep-zia-khaleda-tarique-books/All government primary schools have been asked to keep three books -- two on late president Ziaur Rahman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and one written by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/education-outlay-rises-sharply/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/education-outlay-rises-sharply/The new budget has proposed a sharp increase in education spending for the next fiscal year, but experts said a larger allocation would mean little unless the money is spent efficiently and translated into better learning outcomes.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/education-health-outlay-to-rise-63/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/education-health-outlay-to-rise-63/The government is set to place education and health at the centre of its spending plan for the next fiscal year, with the combined allocation for the two sectors likely to rise by nearly 63 percent from this fiscal year’s revised budget.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/what-does-success-mean-if-it-cannot-care-for-a-mother/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/what-does-success-mean-if-it-cannot-care-for-a-mother/A decomposed body in Mirpur-11 exposes the fragility of elder care in modern lifehttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-plans-big-for-edn-execution-doubts-remain/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-plans-big-for-edn-execution-doubts-remain/The BNP-led government flagged education as a priority in its first 100 days, unveiling plans for curriculum revision, compulsory sports from Class IV, free uniforms, midday meals and a commitment to raise education spending to 5 percent of GDP.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-will-these-painful-stories-end/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-will-these-painful-stories-end/Measles continues to ravage our children and with them their faimilieshttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/why-must-workers-wait-for-eid-dues-every-year/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/why-must-workers-wait-for-eid-dues-every-year/When planning fails selectively, and always in the same direction, always at the worker's expense -- it is no longer a planning problem.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/before-we-called-her-a-victim-she-was-a-child/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/before-we-called-her-a-victim-she-was-a-child/Ramisa’s murder must not become another passing outragehttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dcs-seek-pm-s-intervention-on-drug-menace/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dcs-seek-pm-s-intervention-on-drug-menace/Deputy commissioners yesterday warned that the growing availability of drugs among youth, despite regular enforcement drives, poses a grave threat to the nation, urging the government to adopt tougher measures to curb the menace.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/can-playing-a-historic-speech-justify-repeated-bail-denials/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/can-playing-a-historic-speech-justify-repeated-bail-denials/About a month and a half has passed since the arrest and detention of leftist student leader Sheikh Tasnim Afroz Emi.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-mobile-journalism-crosses-the-line-into-public-shaming/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/when-mobile-journalism-crosses-the-line-into-public-shaming/Journalism is meant to hold power to account, and mobile journalism, using smartphones for reporting and storytelling, should have ideally taken that mission to new heights.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/the-promised-end-of-mob-culture-has-yet-to-arrive/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/the-promised-end-of-mob-culture-has-yet-to-arrive/From Shahbagh to Kushtia, repeated attacks show that official warnings mean little when violent crowds face too few consequenceshttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/the-cost-of-politicising-vc-appointment/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/the-cost-of-politicising-vc-appointment/Is involvement in politics a crime? Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon posed that question while defending the government’s decision to appoint vice-chancellors to seven universities and a new chairman of the University Grants Commission on Monday.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ex-kuet-vc-accused-of-fund-misuse-illegal-appointments/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ex-kuet-vc-accused-of-fund-misuse-illegal-appointments/Former vice-chancellor Prof Mohammad Masud misused funds from a German-backed research project, made irregular appointments and withdrew salary after his removal from office at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet), according to a government-formed investigation report.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ncp-eyes-bigger-role-after-bagging-6-seats-in-debut/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ncp-eyes-bigger-role-after-bagging-6-seats-in-debut/Amid doubts over its political future and alliance choices, the youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP) has made an eye-catching debut, winning six seats in its first parliamentary election.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/yes-wins-but/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/yes-wins-but/The “Yes” vote in Thursday’s referendum received comparatively lower support than in the previous three plebiscites.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/limit-ssc-exams-to-5-core-subjects/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/limit-ssc-exams-to-5-core-subjects/A government consultation committee has recommended limiting SSC exams to five core subjects -- Bangla, English, mathematics, science, and social science -- while keeping PSC and JSC exams in classes 5 and 8 scrapped.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/public-exams-cut-to-five-subjects-under-proposed-secondary-reforms/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/public-exams-cut-to-five-subjects-under-proposed-secondary-reforms/Draft report urges universal schooling to Class 12, delayed stream division and academic calendar reformhttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/harassment-of-teachers-stalks-public-univs/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/harassment-of-teachers-stalks-public-univs/Several public universities have lately been shaken by incidents in which teachers were harassed, confined to their offices, or even assaulted by student leaders over alleged links to the previous regime, with the authorities failing to prevent the recurrence of such untoward events.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-issues-draft-ordinances-for-broadcast-media-commissions/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/govt-issues-draft-ordinances-for-broadcast-media-commissions/The information and broadcasting ministry yesterday published drafts of ordinances of the national media and broadcast commissions and sought opinions by Saturday.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/safety-freedom-and-job-on-young-voters-mind/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/safety-freedom-and-job-on-young-voters-mind/Young voters want citizens’ safety and security at core of their election manifestos, with special focus on safeguarding freedom of expression and protecting rights of minority communitieshttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/commit-to-equity-quality-in-education/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/commit-to-equity-quality-in-education/With the national election just 18 days away, political parties are finalising their manifestos. The Daily Star spoke to experts to identify the pressing issues that should top the agenda for parties.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dhaka-central-university-govt-backtracks-from-merger-plan/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dhaka-central-university-govt-backtracks-from-merger-plan/The government has finalised the draft ordinance to establish Dhaka Central University, which will primarily function as an affiliating and regulatory body for seven affiliated colleges.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/2-uap-teachers-terminated-amid-student-protests/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/2-uap-teachers-terminated-amid-student-protests/The University of Asia Pacific (UAP), which announced an indefinite closure on Monday, remained shut yesterday amid ongoing student protests over a controversial Facebook post, the subsequent termination of two faculty members, and demands for the vice-chancellor’s removal.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ncp-struggles-to-steady-ship-ahead-of-polls/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ncp-struggles-to-steady-ship-ahead-of-polls/Despite submitting nomination papers, the party remains short of election-ready structures, with crucial tasks, such as strategy-setting and manifesto drafting, either stalled or unfinished.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ncp-aims-for-40-seats-from-jamaat/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/ncp-aims-for-40-seats-from-jamaat/The Jamaat-led alliance has so far left 29 parliamentary seats for the National Citizen Party, but aspirants from other allies remain in the race in at least 21 of those constituencies, NCP sources said.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/pry-students-get-books-on-first-day-of-yr/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/pry-students-get-books-on-first-day-of-yr/Primary schoolchildren across the country received full sets of new textbooks yesterday, but about a quarter of secondary-level textbooks did not reach the schools, leaving millions of students without complete sets on the first day of the academic year.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/is-the-ncp-becoming-what-it-once-rejected/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/is-the-ncp-becoming-what-it-once-rejected/The National Citizen Party (NCP) was born with a claim that it would not practise politics as usual.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/a-party-of-new-hope-looks-like-the-old-guard/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/a-party-of-new-hope-looks-like-the-old-guard/Acknowledging organisational limits would show NCP's seriousness, not weaknesshttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/education-in-2025-a-year-of-strikes-setbacks-and-disruptions/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/education-in-2025-a-year-of-strikes-setbacks-and-disruptions/For a country that aspires to middle-income status, the lesson of 2025 is starkhttps://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dipu-s-ashes-on-dhaka-mymensingh-highway-are-gone-the-stain-on-our-souls/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/dipu-s-ashes-on-dhaka-mymensingh-highway-are-gone-the-stain-on-our-souls/Is this the ‘New Bangladesh’ we’re building?https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/is-selective-amnesia-the-price-of-a-new-bangladesh/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/is-selective-amnesia-the-price-of-a-new-bangladesh/In the bargain for a new future, I did not consent to the erasure of the history that made this republic possible.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/only-political-will-can-break-cycle-of-violence/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/only-political-will-can-break-cycle-of-violence/Years of political hostility and the misuse of state agencies have kept political violence alive in Bangladesh, and only a newly elected government with the goodwill to act can break this cycle, said human rights activist Nur Khan Liton.https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/put-rights-issues-at-the-heart-of-polls-pledges/https://arafatrahaman.com/stories/put-rights-issues-at-the-heart-of-polls-pledges/Bangladesh now needs a government prepared to confront long-standing issues such as custodial torture, extrajudicial killings, and border violence instead of repeating earlier patterns of inaction, rights activist ASM Nasiruddin Elan has said.