‘There should be a central coordinator to oversee flood management’
Mohammad Abdul Qayyum, former National Project Director of the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) and adjunct faculty at Dhaka University, talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about the weaknesses of our flood management efforts this year as well as the importance of stronger coordination and better flood forecasting.
5d ago
‘Reforms are crucial to strengthen the Election Commission’
Nothing can make the electoral system foolproof because it does not depend fully on the EC
1m ago
'Any vice-chancellor or teacher is expected to stand by students'
Professor Gitiara Nasreen talks about ways to end the current stalemate in our public universities and the reforms needed to ensure a better educational environment with The Daily Star.
1m ago
'No political decision should be taken without students’ input'
Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon, talks with The Daily Star about the current political situation of the country.
2m ago
‘Violence against women is a violation of human rights’
Our society still considers violence against women to be a women's issue and holds the view that only women should talk about it or protest it.
10m ago
Road crash victims deserve a better compensation scheme
Questions have been raised by road safety activists as to whether a human life can be valued at only Tk 5 lakh.
12m ago
Will I ever be able to breathe fresh air in Dhaka?
As soon as we got onto Mirpur Road, I felt suddenly unable to breathe properly
1y ago
Air pollution is not for only one authority to tackle
Md Ziaul Haque, the director of Air Quality Management at the Department of Environment, talks with Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about the factors behind severe air pollution in the country and why concerted efforts are needed from all ministries and government agencies concerned to fight it.
1y ago
October 30, 2018
A policy only on paper
Nearly three years have passed since the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy was approved by the government.
October 10, 2018
'Only direct election can empower women politically'
Ayesha Khanam, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about the importance of increasing the number of reserved seats for women in parliament and holding direct elections for those seats.
September 25, 2018
Strengthening Bangladesh's position in the IP landscape
How far do you think Bangladesh has progressed in terms of protecting its Intellectual Property (IP) rights? Why is it important for a country?
September 14, 2018
Every garment unit must have a complaint committee
Shojag is working to end gender-based violence in our garments industry. It is a coalition of five organisations—Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), the Human Rights and legal Aid Services (HRLS) Programme of BRAC,
July 29, 2018
What is holding us back?
With most public universities already fixing dates for admission tests after the publication of this year's HSC examination results, the battle of admission seekers for getting a seat at their desired university is about to begin.
July 18, 2018
Solving our waterlogging woes
Iqbal Habib, Member Secretary, Urbanisation & Governance Programme, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about why lack of coordination among the agencies concerned is the main barrier to solving Dhaka's waterlogging problem and how this issue should be addressed.
June 25, 2018
Health budget does not address affordable, quality healthcare
For the last 10 years, the budgetary allocation for health has been constantly around five percent of the total budget. If at least 3 percent of the GDP could be spent on health, it could have a major impact. Generally, the government provides allocation to public hospitals based on the number of beds. The amount allocated for each bed is very small. But as the number of people seeking treatment is much higher than the number of beds available, these extra people do not get any portion of the budgetary allocation.
June 19, 2018
Women-only buses can make a difference
It felt like I was in the Ladyland of Sultana's Dream. In Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's famous feminist utopian story, women go about doing their daily work with much ease and face no risk of being harassed or abused by men because men are kept indoors. I felt a similar sense of security when for the first time in my life I got onboard a bus exclusively for women. The experience was rather surreal.
May 28, 2018
Safe motherhood is a right, not a privilege
Last year when the news of Rohingya women giving birth in no man's land along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border first surfaced in the media, I heard many men glorifying such births which took place out in the open without any assistance from any birth attendants. They were comparing the Rohingya women's experiences of childbirth with that of our urban women, who can afford quality maternity care during their pregnancy and give birth at quality
May 10, 2018
Finding lasting solutions to question leaks
There has hardly been any news in the media about the ongoing HSC examinations that started on April 2. And that's probably good news.
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