Arafat Rahaman

Reporter, Print/Digital, The Daily Star

Cluster Admission Tests: 22 univs lag behind, have vacant seats

Twenty-two public universities, who held cluster admission tests for the 2021-22 academic year, could not start classes on time due to lengthy migration of freshers.

3w ago

Four teachers appointed against two vacant posts

The authorities of Mawlana Bhasani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) in Tangail appointed four teachers against two vacant positions, ignoring the recruitment circular and recommendations of academic planning committees.

3w ago

The tale of holiday sufferings

Sixty-five-year-old Mohammad Siraj had to seek medical attention for severe abdominal pain and other physical illnesses on Sunday at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College.

Public univ admission: Single entry exam from next year

From the next academic year, all public universities have to enrol students through a single admission test and the government will set up a separate authority to hold that exam.

Patients find strength in shared devotion

It was a Friday evening, and the atmosphere at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) was one of serenity and devotion. The patients and their attendants were breaking their fasts together.

Jalladkhana Killing Field: A haunting reminder of the tragic past

It was just a regular water-pump house, but in 1971, the Pakistan army transformed into an embodiment of horror -- a mass killing field, where the officers killed and dumped countless bodies.

Revisiting memories of struggle and sacrifice

You are looking at a large portrait of Bangabandhu, depicting his powerful speech on March 7, 1971. An audiovisual of the precise moment in history plays in the background, making you feel as if you are experiencing the historical moment in-person.

A journey through Bangladesh’s struggle for independence

The word “Swadhinata” evokes a powerful image of Bangladesh’s journey to independence, and the Swadhinata Museum, located at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan is a testament to that journey, embodying the spirit of freedom.

Where basic amenities remain elusive

Residents of the newly-added wards in Dhaka North City Corporation expressed dissatisfaction after being denied civic amenities, claiming that life was far better when they were under the union parishad.

Cultivating reading habits since 2001

At first glance, it looks like a simple tin-shed house. One will not even find any decent-looking furniture inside the room.

A village of mosques

Beraid is a small place in terms of size, but it is huge in terms of popularity, thanks to a large number of ancient mosques.

HSC pass rate falls

The rate of success in the HSC examinations dropped to 84.31 percent last year from a record 95.57 percent in 2021.

Plight of DNCC wards 52, 53: Life seemed better under union parishad

In July 2017, Dhaka North City Corporation took 18 wards under its wing, which were previously under the union parishad system.

A village of crabs, in Dhaka!

It was early morning. The sun had not yet risen, and most of Dhaka was still sleeping.

Watching planes their only entertainment

With a smiling face and curiosity in her eyes, six-year-old Anika stood beside a barbed wire fence and gazed up at the sky. Soon, an aeroplane took off with a loud roar.

Under the dirty water, there’s a ward

Some of the places remain under stagnant water for years, while some lack basic civic amenities, including proper roads or pure drinking water. None of these neighbourhoods has a single playground. Such are the states of the three wards in zone-9 of Dhaka North City Corporation.

NCTB textbooks: Never-ending cycle of controversies

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board has been stuck in the loop of controversies centring on school textbooks with academics and some NCTB officials blaming it on the negligence of writers and editors, insufficient training and lack of serious punishment for blunders.

Radio Silence: Bangladesh Betar’s external service inoperative for three years

The external service of Bangladesh Betar has remained disconnected from the rest of the world for over three years due to a mechanical fault, depriving a vast diaspora of foreign listeners.

‘I’ll pass this story to my children’

As the metro-rail train started its maiden journey yesterday afternoon, Swadhin Ahmed, a young man, had a wide smile on his face. In fact, it was a day of pride for Swadhin, who had been working for the metro-rail project for three years.

Satrasta-Tejgaon Road: Will it finally be free of congestion?

In its latest effort to free the capital’s Satrasta-Tejgaon road from congestion, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is setting up separate lanes for rickshaws by installing dividers.

A good initiative, but still a long way to go

The instalment of CCTV cameras in city buses by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has generated a positive response among female commuters as well as bus staffers, as they believe the initiative has brought a change in the behavioural pattern of the overall commuters.

Study Abroad: students suffer as banks reluctant to open files

Mohammad Omar Faruque, 27, a graduate of Jahangirnagar University, was hoping to pursue his master’s in the United Kingdom.

Many suffer at police checkpoints in city

Abdul Khalek was heading for an office in the capital’s Agargaon where he was to sit for an exam for a government job at 11:00am yesterday, but he could not sit for the test as police asked him to go back after stopping him at a checkpoint in Aminbazar.

The checkpoint chronicle continues

What started as police frisking people and vehicles entering the capital has turned into checking pedestrians at different Dhaka gateways as well.

No one should face such a horrible fate

Rubina Akhter was heading to a family programme at her parents’ house to spend some time with her loved ones. But on that day, she met the most gruesome fate, one no person should face.

Of OMS queues and desperation

Eighty-year-old Renu Bibi left home in the capital’s Lalbagh before daybreak to queue up for subsidised rice and flour sold at a truck under the government’s Open Market Sale programme.

Allegations mount against Rajshahi BCL top brass

A Chhatra League activist yesterday filed a case against the new BCL president of Rajshahi district unit, Sakibul Islam Rana, accusing him of extorting money promising employment.

A bad day to catch a flight

Mizan Khandaker, a patient with temporary vision loss in one eye, managed to get a doctor’s appointment at a Chennai hospital. He along with his wife left their Banasree home at 10:00am yesterday to catch the 2:45pm flight to India from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Tough day for Dhaka dwellers

Residents of the capital, especially office-goers and students suffered immensely yesterday as early morning rain coupled with VVIP movement caused massive gridlocks in different parts of Dhaka.

Manarat University: Govt reconstitutes trustee board over ‘militancy links’

The government yesterday reconstituted Manarat International University’s board of trustees, abolishing the previous one, due to an allegation that some of the immediate-past members were involved in “militancy and anti-state activities”.

Atiqul Islam made chairman of Manarat Int’l University Board of Trustees

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam has been made the chairman of Manarat International University’s board of trustees.

Now school supplies get pricier

The prices of stationery items and study materials have gone up significantly over the past two months, putting thousands of guardians, already struggling to cope with surging prices of essentials, in a tight corner.

BCL committees at 3 Public UNIVS: Rogues rewarded

Some were accused in murder cases while others were expelled from the organisation for criminal activities. But that didn’t stop the BCL central committee from awarding them top positions of its units at three public universities.

Ride-sharing riders in trouble

Bike riders of ride-sharing platforms have been facing trouble due to a shortage of passengers, following the hike in fuel prices, which came into effect yesterday.

Roni calls off protest for now

Dhaka University student Mohiuddin Roni last night postponed his protest against mismanagement and corruption in the country’s railway system, for the time being as the authorities concerned assured him of meeting his demands.

The one who pledged to keep fighting

In April this year, Dhaka University student Mohiuddin Roni started a hunger strike for his six-point demand, including the modernisation of the university’s medical centre, after not being satisfied with its facilities.

Road-crash tragedies stalk his family

Munira Akter, mother of Rajshahi University student Mahmud Habib Himel, could not shed any tears seeing the coffin of her only son, but her blank eyes made everyone around her choke up.

Truck kills RU student on campus

A Rajshahi University student was crushed to death and another injured under the wheels of a construction truck on the campus last night.

Hasan Azizul Huq laid to rest

Eminent writer Hasan Azizul Huq was laid to rest on the premises of Rajshahi University Central Library at 3pm yesterday.

Desperation over accommodation

As feared, many admission seekers of Rajshahi University (RU) and their guardians were desperate to find a place to stay yesterday, and the situation was exacerbated by unusually high accommodation rents in the city.

Where will all the students stay?

Every year, during Rajshahi University’s (RU) admission tests, the institute’s halls welcome thousands of admission seekers from different corners of the country. According to teachers, student leaders and guardians, the dormitories usually house around 50 percent of admission seekers, particularly students from non-affluent families and those from far flung areas.

Lockdown leaves students hanging

Thousands of students of Rajshahi University (RU), who were expecting to sit for their final examinations on university campus, are in uncertainty due to the lockdown imposed in Rajshahi.

NBR seeks bank info on former RU VC

The National Board of Revenue has asked different banks to provide it with detailed financial information of former Rajshahi University vice-chancellor Prof Abdus Sobhan and four others of his family.

Reckless recruitment racks up RU budget

In the last 10 years, Rajshahi University’s annual expenditures has risen by Tk 278.67 crore.

Ex-RU VC’s Tenure: Recruitment rules violated freely

Thursday’s chaos on Rajshahi University campus can be attributable to the lack of effective steps after a government report mentioned that bribery, questionable recruitment and financial irregularities were rampant in the administration when Prof Abdus Sobhan was the vice chancellor.