‘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
March 5, 2018
An unrealistic quota system
While the BCS examinees and students of various public universities and colleges across the country have been demonstrating on the streets demanding reforms in the existing quota system in Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations, some groups of freedom fighters' children have also been protesting, but clearly, for the opposite reason.
January 1, 2018
Events that defined 2017
DEVASTATION IN THE WAKE OF FLOODS
January 1, 2018
Another brutal year for children
AS we look back at the previous year which saw an increase of violence against children we must take a vow to play our part to make 2018 a better year for children. It is really hard to drive away our frustration at our collective failure to protect our children from the various forms of abuse that they have to suffer on a regular basis.
December 6, 2017
“Ending the genocide is not profitable”
First, I have been a human rights and political activist for the last 29 years. I can't call myself a human rights defender and turn my back on my own country's genocide, like most human rights defenders in Myanmar are doing today.
November 22, 2017
Looking beyond the numbers
A teenage girl named Zannat used to come to our house in Mirpur occasionally to help my mother with household work, some six or seven years ago.
November 13, 2017
Teacher politics: Plaguing our public universities
One of my teachers at college would often say, “Even if you take a walk through a (public) university campus, you will learn many things about life.”
October 25, 2017
Downplaying child sexual abuse
According to Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, a total of 494 children were raped in the eight months from January till August this year—among them 58 were gang-raped. According to their statistics, 37 disabled children were raped during this time, while 46 were victims of attempted rape.
September 30, 2017
Saving the miracles
The photo in the newspaper, of a baby girl born a few days ago at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia makes me marvel at how beautiful she is; but the next moment I remember the reality she has been born into—what the future holds for her, what her mother had to go through while fleeing her own country and whether she too, will have to face hunger, disease and emotional trauma.
August 19, 2017
Zahir Raihan and the making of Jibon Thekey Neya
Being someone who is keen on watching films that were made on our Liberation War in the early seventies and the films that made an impact on our nation's movement for freedom, for me, Zahir Raihan is a legend.
July 26, 2017
Strange punishment for negligence
Let's start with the “punishment” awarded to the health workers. This is not the first time that government officials were transferred to remote areas as “punishment”. This practice is, in fact, quite common.
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