Interviews
‘Administered prices don’t work’
The government has to have an updated understanding of the realities of the supply chain
‘Workers must be allowed to speak up’
In light of the recent development in the RMG sector, where factories have started to open, Taslima Akhter, president of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati (BGWS), talks about the workers’ protest and their demands and plights in an interview with Aliza Rahman of The Daily Star.
‘July victims are entitled to truth and justice’
The last thing we want is for the process of justice to be derailed
In conversation with Syeda Rizwana Hasan: ‘It’s been most challenging to reach those marooned in Feni’
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the environment ministry, speaks with The Daily Star about the ongoing floods.
'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.
'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.
113th Birth Anniversary of Sufia Kamal / The Poet Speaks
A reprint of an interview of Sufia Kamal by Mahfuz Anam.
Are we ready for generic drug names on prescriptions?
Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor of IHE and moderator of the dialogue, talked to Tamanna Khan of The Daily Star about the pros and cons of using generic drug names.
Where public education has gone wrong
What is your reaction to the government doing away with all examinations for students of classes I, II and III from this year?
How can we make our buildings safe?
Defiance of the BNBC stems from the ways that it can provide immediate benefit to owners and often the users and the developers of buildings. For example, rules are violated to achieve maximum use of space when land itself is costly.
'We're scraping the bottom of the barrel for school teachers'
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has recently decided to discontinue exams at grades 1-3, which means students of those classes will no longer have to sit for formal exams. How do you see this development?
'We should not use groundwater for the next 15/20 years'
The depletion of groundwater table in Dhaka has made water crisis in the city acute, especially during the dry season. What are the reasons behind this?
'I'd never feel comfortable introducing myself as a former VP again'
The manner in which the Ducsu election was held is reprehensible. It was an arranged election by all means. Also, not holding the Ducsu election in the last 28 years was a heinous crime against our education system and the students of the university.
'Whether we win or lose, we are not going to be on their side'
"Ultimately, in the long run, whether we win or lose, we are not going to be on their side. So we might as well do what we have to do as well as we can."
Old Dhaka needs a change from within
Mubasshar Hussain, architect and vice president, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star
'There are more inequalities now than there were in the 70s'
Anthropologist Dr Jenneke Arens lived in Bangladesh from 1973 to 1975 to do a study of power relations between poor and rich peasants and the position of women in a village.
Is affordable housing a pipedream for most of Dhaka's residents?
With a burgeoning urban population, Dhaka's residents are finding it increasingly difficult to afford housing and the demand for low-cost housing is soaring. Irteza A Khan, Managing Director, Meridien Finance & Investment Ltd, talks to Syed Mansur Hashim, Assistant Editor, The Daily Star, about why lower and lower-middle income groups in the country do not have access to permanent housing and why non-bank financial institutions are focusing on dormitory style housing for industrial workers.
Will mega projects provide genuine solutions?
Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 is aimed at ensuring food and water security and coping with disasters through water resource management. Could you please elaborate on how this mega scheme is going to achieve those goals? If this plan is implemented, will our rivers get back their natural flow?