Pathways to world rankings for private universities in Bangladesh
A review of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings indicates that the number of Bangladeshi universities in the rankings are increasing.
3d ago
Can academia learn from cricket?
Both cricket and academia remind us that every match, every research paper, every innings, and every research presentation is a part of a larger journey.
2w ago
Troubled: Mental health challenges of our school children
Unfortunately, a child suffering from mental health issues is often told, “get over it” or “it’s all in your head.”
5m ago
Is more research funding the answer?
An enduring buzz in academia is that it requires political connections to advance in one’s career. This is a fundamental concern.
5m ago
Chhayanaut at 60: In remembrance
I am profoundly grateful to the institution which helped me evolve both as a music lover and as a human being.
8m ago
The need for a clear research agenda
It goes beyond providing research funding and serves as a guiding framework, enabling the institutions to align research goals with broader national and global priorities.
11m ago
Why students are unsatisfied with Bangladeshi higher education
Does student satisfaction matter?
1y ago
A call for leadership training
Teaching-learning is tethered sadly to lectures and rote learning where students engage in little analysis, synthesis or application.
1y ago
December 9, 2018
Leading by inspiration
The nation is now in the grips of another approaching election. A flickering hope among many is for an inspirational leadership that energises, enthuses, and leads competently, and with good intentions to touch the lives of the people of Bangladesh.
April 16, 2018
Whither law enforcers?
Once again, a headline in The Daily Star grated: “Fifth-grader 'raped' by headmaster.” Another headline literally stung: “RMG worker gang-raped in moving bus.” Violence against women continues inexorably and with inexplicable regularity, reflecting the unconscionable disregard and disrespect that is held today for the helpless victims. Where does such abjectness come from? Is there something in the male ethos,
March 9, 2018
The widening scourge of sexual harassment
Violence against and violation of women result from “some of the worst forms of discrimination” that continue unabated in a variety of ways: mistreatment, harassment, lewd stares, groping, maiming, raping, and even murdering. With choices that matter to women in their hands, men seem to have been endowed with an arcane sense of entitlement to do as they wish with the lives of women.
January 14, 2018
How NRBs can help boost research
Winter is a great time for the replenishment of academia in Bangladesh when many Non-Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) academics alight on our shores for both personal and professional reasons.
July 10, 2017
What ails the commercial research industry?
Here is an example of an organisation that benefitted substantially from research: Courtyard by Marriott found out that business travellers needed hassle-free service, relevant information, and time to relax during their travels. They made their check-in and check-out procedures efficient; seeded their website with maps, restaurant types and locations, and promotional materials; and introduced quiet lounges which didn't have music or TV noise to cause distraction. I don't need to elaborate on Marriott's customer satisfaction ratings or their bottom line!
February 25, 2017
Attaining global standards in our universities
With every new discovery, we enter a new realm of knowledge that quickly reveals our inadequacies and how much more we need to know.
February 25, 2017
Building a framework for skill development
Of the 30 million youth between the ages of 18 and 25 in Bangladesh, roughly three million go on to pursue higher education.
October 29, 2016
Building research universities
In an editorial I wrote in the Journal of Bangladesh Studies in 2003, I had noted a perplexing and worrisome situation in Bangladesh's academic institutions, both public and private – lack of a research culture.
October 21, 2016
Innovate to save lives
I recently went to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a city hospital. One of my students at BRACUniversity suffered a serious brain injury
September 24, 2016
May I have the left lane … please?
Much has been written about the monumental traffic jams that literally inflict physical, psychological, economic and emotional trauma
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