BANGLADESH

The government is celebrating 'Textbook Festival' after reaching textbooks among students throughout the country on the first day of the new year.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid inaugurated the festival around 9:45am on Sunday by distributing textbooks among the learners of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

On Dec 29 last year, the prime minister launched the free textbook distribution programme by handing over books to 15 students of grade-1 to grade-9.

This time, the government distributed a total 221,366,383 units of textbooks for 31,213,759 students of all levels.

Starting from 2010, the students are getting their textbooks on the first day of new year; earlier, they had to wait until March to April.

"Delivering books to students on the first day of the year has started developing the quality of education in the long-term. Results of the public examinations prove it," the education minister said.

He assured the students of improved quality of textbooks next year.

The education minister distributed textbooks among Motijheel Government Boys' School students at noon.

Around 11am, the primary and mass education minister Mohammad Afsarul Amin gave out books among Motijheel Ideal Government Primary School.

He said at a news conference in his office that on the first day of the new year, textbooks have been distributed among students of 82,000 educational institutions countrywide.

"Let us know if anyone has missed out," he told journalists.

National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) chairman professor Mostofa Kamaluddin told  that the local administration and public representatives have distributed textbooks among the students "in a festive mood."

He said this year printing a book cost more up as the printing quality and papers used are better. "This year each book cost Tk 24.37 whereas in last year it was Tk 23.86."

All the books of primary and secondary level can be downloaded in e-book format from the NCTB website (www.nctb.gov.bd).

For a total 18,131,893 primary level students of both Bengali and English versions, 103,594,651 units of textbooks on 56 subjects have been printed. And for 8,423,420 students of secondary Bengali and English versions and SSC Vocational, a total 85,280,836 units of textbooks on 172 subjects are out.

For 2,553,259 Ebtedayee students, a total 15,813,764 units of textbooks on 34 subjects and for 1,942,647 students of Dakhil and Dakhil vocational students, as many as 16,677,132 units of textbooks on 54 subjects have been printed.

The education ministry said the technical education board has printed another 615,000 units of specialised textbook for its students.

The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) authorities have expelled three students for six months for beating another.

General students of the university, however, have blocked the offices of the vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor demanding permanent expulsion of the three for beating Tousif Ahmed Ishan, a final-year student of the Computer Science and Engineering Department.

At 10pm Sunday the students were still protesting which they started from Saturday afternoon following the beating.

They have also threatened to block the offices of vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor until the three are rusticated.

The expelled students are 2008 batch students Saifullah Sikder Mithun and Sujit Saha of the Material and Metallurgical Department and 2009 batch student Arif Raihan Dip of the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Electrical and Electric Engineering Department final year student Samiul Haque told  that a dispute took place on Dec 28 between the senior and junior batches over entering a concert organised for the rag day of the outgoing batch.

Following the incident, Sujit, Mithun and Dip on Saturday beat Ishan with hockey stick and iron rod in his room in the Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall.

Ishan is currently undergoing treatment at the capital's Square Hospital with severe injuries in his both hands and legs. BUET authorities have already announced to bear the expenses of his treatment.

Pro-vice chancellor Prof Habibur Rahman told : "The university authorities at an emergency meeting, decided to initially expel the three for six months after getting the proof of allegations against them."

"A four-strong committee to look into the matter was also formed at Sunday's meeting. The committee was told to submit its findings by 9am Monday. After that, the residence and disciplinary committee meeting will ensure punishment as per rules," he said.

Meanwhile, police personnel have been deputed on the university campus and the hall premises to avoid any untoward incident.

Bangladesh will be connected to its second submarine cable in 2014.

The state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited is preparing to complete all related work within Dec 2014, the company's director Manwar Hossain told  on Sunday.

The telecom ministry recently issued instructions to BSCCL on how it should collect the funds for this project.

The company is in charge of the only submarine cable connecting Bangladesh to the world, a cable consortium of 16 countries, the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-4 or SEA-ME-WE 4.

In 2014, Bangladesh will be connected to SEA-ME-WE 5.

Manwar Hossain said telecommunications and internet connectivity gets hampered if the SEA-ME-WE 4 suffers any damage.

"Once SEA-ME-WE 5 is connected, there will be no such trouble," he said.

On Oct 14 in Singapore last year, BSCCL had held a meeting with possible partners to lay the SEA-ME-WE 5, officials said.

They said primarily six companies had signed MoUs to participate in the consortium. The new cable would use the latest 100G technology.

They said there was a possibility that the cable would extend to Myanmar as well, whereby Bangladesh would have a smaller share of maintenance cost.

The telecom ministry has laid down three conditions for raising funds for the project, Manwar said.

"The government will not fund the project nor provide any bank guarantees, no loans can be taken from internal sources," he said.

"The project will cost us about Tk 4.5 billion. BSCCL can provide Tk 2.5 billion from its own fund, and the rest can be raised from the share market," he added.

Besides, funds can also be acquired from public-private partnership and low-interest loans from Islamic Development Bank or International Monetary Fund.

The caretaker government issue must be discussed first to make the president's Election Commission talks fruitful, opposition chief Khaleda Zia has said on Sunday.

"The president is above all. We respect him and so, will attend the talks," she said at a students' gathering on the occasion of 33rd anniversary of the party's student wing Chhatra Dal at the city's Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.

"We want to clearly tell the president, keep the caretaker government issue in the front for a free and fair election ... elections under a partisan government will not be impartial," she added.

The BNP chief demanded that the caretaker issue must be first discussed and then the EC.

President Zillur Rahman is holding dialogues with the political parties represented in parliament on forming the new EC, as the incumbent commission finishes its tenure in the middle of the February. Zillur started sitting with the parties from Dec 22.

After receiving the president's invitation on Dec 26 to attend the talks scheduled for Jan 11, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been saying that they would let the president know that BNP would not join the next general elections if the caretaker government is not reinstated.

The main opposition has been protesting the government's decision taken on June 30 last year to annul the caretaker provision through the 15th amendment to the constitution. They have been demanding the system's reinstatement since then.

NEW COMMITTEE

The BNP chairperson at Sunday's programme said that a new committee for the party's student wing Chhatra Dal would be announced this year.

"A committee staying too long in power obstructs the way of leadership. Preparations to elect leaders at every level should be taken. I have asked the student affairs secretary to give a new committee as the new year gift," she said.

Tenure of the Chhatra Dal central committee expired in January last year. Leaders and activists have been demanding for the new committee since then.

Chhatra Dal begun Sunday's programme with placing wreaths on the grave of the late president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman in the morning.

Khaleda inaugurated the programme by releasing balloons and pigeons after arriving at the venue at 3:15pm.

Chhatra Dal president Sultan Salahuddin Tuku presided over the programme where BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul, joint secretary general Amanullah Aman, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed and organising secretary Fazlul Haque Milon also spoke among others.

There was 'some progress' in establishing human rights in 2011, but on the whole, the human rights situation was worrying, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) said on Sunday.

Its executive director Sultana Kamal revealed last year's human rights scenario at a news conference in the city on the first day of the new year.

The former adviser to the caretaker government expressed her concern over the rising trend of extrajudicial killings, mob lynching and secret killings.

According to the legal and human rights organisation, 100 people were killed by law enforcers in 2011, 134 were lynched by mobs, 33 committed suicide due to sexual harassment and 23 were killed protesting against such harassments.

Fifty-six people were killed in political violence and 39 by India's Border Security Force (BSF), it said and added that 30 people were abducted last year.

'Disappearances' or undercover killings emerged as a new crime trend in 2011, according to the organisation.

Sultana questioned government's sincerity over ending extrajudicial killings and torture.

"The state could have responded to the questions by trying those who are conducting such incidents," she said.

About law enforcers' role, she said, "The law enforcing agencies have so far maintained the trend to act as forces of powerful or influential people."

She blamed weak foreign policy for killing of Bangladeshis by BSF. "The government failed to take any effective step that could deter India from the killings," she said.

The ASK executive director said the government lacks eagerness to establish the National Human Rights Commission as an effective organisation.

"The government has appointed 28 employees to the commission, though it needs 68. From this, we have to assume that the government does not have the political will to let them (the commission) do well," she said.

The ASK in its review expressed concern over trial of erstwhile BDR mutineers and non-execution of the Chittagong Hill Tracts treaty.

ASK's concerns included obstruction to political demonstrations, conducting mobile courts, withdrawal of death sentences and cases on political considerations and excesses on 304 journalists.

It said the number of deaths in custody was 116 in 2011, higher than the previous year.

About the International Crimes Tribunal, formed to try the crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War, Sultana said tribunal needs to be strengthened with more skills.

ASK chairperson Dr Hameeda Hossain also attended the briefing at Dhaka Reporters' Unity. Kendra's investigation and information preservation department director Noor Khan presented a report on human rights situation of Bangladesh in 2011.