United News of Bangladesh

The government has announced that no admission test will be held for Class-I from the next academic year, with students to be selected through the existing lottery system. The Ministry of Education issued a notice in this regard on Thursday, signed by its Senior Information Officer Abdullah Shibli Sadiq. According to the notice, admissions to Class-I in all schools will continue through the current lottery system. However, admission to all other classes in both primary and secondary schools will be based on admission tests from 2027. The announcement came amid concern among parents after the government earlier indicated that it was considering introducing tests for admission from Classes I-XI, starting in 2027. The ministry also announced that the results of this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations will be published on August 10.

Police arrested suspended National Citizen Party (NCP) Joint Member Secretary Gazi Salauddin Tanvir in Dhaka early Wednesday in connection with a case filed under the Cyber Security Act over an alleged derogatory Facebook post about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Tanvir was picked up from the Purbo Monipur area of the capital by a team of Bogura district police around 4:00am, said Officer-in-Charge of Bogura Sadar Police Station Ibrahim Ali. Later, he was brought to Bogura and produced before a Bogura Sadar Cognisance Court, which sent him to jail. The OC said the case was filed on August 2 by district BNP Vice President Maftun Ahmed Khan. On July 31, the NCP suspended Tanvir after he allegedly posted objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Facebook. According to the party, Tanvir later deleted the post after it drew objections from the party leadership. He also apologised publicly on Facebook and pledged not to repeat such actions in the future. Reacting to the arrest, NCP Northern Region Chief Organiser Sarjis Alam criticised the move in a Facebook post on Wednesday. He alleged that despite the party taking disciplinary action against Tanvir, the BNP and police "demonstrated their power" by arresting him. Sarjis said Tanvir's controversial post was made in the context of recent attacks on NCP leaders and activists in Habiganj and Sylhet. He expressed frustration that Tanvir was arrested even after deleting the post, apologising publicly and assuring that such an incident would not recur.

Dhaka University (DU) on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the July Memorial, a monument to commemorate those killed during the July 2024 mass uprising. DU Vice-Chancellor Prof ABM Obaidul Islam inaugurated the foundation stone at 10:38am as part of the university's observance of the 2nd anniversary of the uprising. Among those present were the fathers of July martyrs Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, Farhan Faiyaz and Shaykh Ashabul Yamin, DU pro-vice chancellors, treasurer, deans of different faculties, the proctor, teachers, officers and students. Speaking at the ceremony, the VC said the July mass uprising marked a turning point in the country's history.  

The 14th International Education Expo 2026, organised by the Foreign Admission and Career Development Consultants Association of Bangladesh (FACD-CAB), is set to begin in the city on August 7. The two-day fair, a flagship international education event, will be held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel to bring together education consultants, international university representatives, students, and stakeholders under one platform. The education exposition will feature digital innovations, including online stall booking systems, integrated digital payment solutions, and ICT-enabled support services to ensure smooth operations and enhanced participant experience. Students attending the fair will have the opportunity to interact directly with representatives of universities from different countries and receive guidance on scholarships, financial aid, tuition fees, visa processing and career planning, according to the organisers.

The online application activities of Dhaka University’s undergraduate program for 2026-27 session will begin from 11 November,2026 on 12pm, said the university’s public relation office today. Applicants will be able to apply until 11:59pm of 25 November. The decisions have been taken in a meeting of the admission committee, held today at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban, presided by the vice chancellor prof. dr. ABM Obaidul Islam. The undergraduate program admission test for 2026-27 will be held under 5 units, just like the previous years, including Arts, Law and Social Science unit, Science unit, Business Studies unit, Fine Arts unit and IBA unit. The exam for Arts, Law and Social Science unit will take place on 19 December, while Science unit exam on 12 December, Business Studies unit exam on 26 December, Fine Arts unit exam (GK and Drawing) on 22 December and IBA unit exam to be held on 5 December, 2026. All units’ exams will commence from 11am to 12:30pm except IBA unit. The IBA unit exam will begin from 10am to 12pm.   Except for Fine Arts and IBA units, the exams will be held in 8 divisions across the country. The divisional centers include Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Barisal University, Khulna University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh Agriculture University and Begum Rokeya University.  60 marks MCQ and 40 marks written test will be conducted for all the units except IBA and Fine Arts units. The Fine Arts unit’s exam will be held based on 40 marks MCQ and 60 marks drawing, while 70 marks MCQ and 30 marks written for the IBA unit. All the exams will be held on 100 marks and 20 marks will be added based on the results of HSC and SSC. Prospective applicants must pass the SSC or equivalent from 2021 to 2024 and the HSC or equivalent just in 2026. It was decided in the meeting that, in the Science unit, the question paper for the students of English medium will be formulated according to their curriculum. The class activities for 2026-27 academic session will begin from 28 March, 2027, the meeting decided.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has brought forward the joining date for candidates selected in the 2025 recruitment of assistant teachers for government primary schools, setting October 1 as the new date. According to a notice issued by the ministry on Sunday morning, the successful candidates will report to their respective District Primary Education Offices on October 1. The notice said appointment letters will be issued in due course against vacant posts. After joining, the teachers will be posted to schools and subsequently undergo professional training. The revised schedule replaces an earlier decision taken at an emergency virtual meeting on Saturday, which fixed October 29 as the joining date. Following that meeting, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Md Shakhawat Hossain said the recruitment process had been delayed due to investigations and other procedural issues, but the government aimed to complete appointments by October 29. Under the revised plan, a total of 14,384 newly recruited assistant teachers will join their respective district offices before being posted to schools and undergoing professional training. Meanwhile, the selected candidates started an indefinite sit-in in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh on Sunday morning, demanding their immediate appointment.

The Australian Education Expo 2026 was held in Dhaka on Saturday, bringing together leading Australian universities and prospective students under one roof. The event provided aspiring students with valuable insights into higher education opportunities in Australia, including academic programmes, scholarships, admission pathways, and career prospects, while offering expert guidance on pursuing international education, according to a press release. The day-long event was organised by Executive Study Abroad, an education consultancy, at The Westin Dhaka. The event featured information on 30 renowned Australian universities and educational institutions, including Monash University, Macquarie University and Adelaide University. Students had the opportunity to interact directly with university representatives, explore scholarship opportunities, receive on-the-spot admission assessments, and learn about academic programmes, tuition fees, student visa requirements, and part-time employment opportunities available while studying in Australia. Participants also received expert advice on university-specific admission requirements, English language proficiency, application procedures, required documentation, visa processing, scholarships, and student life in Australia.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has said the joining process for 14,384 recommended assistant teachers for government primary schools will begin within October, ending months of uncertainty over their appointments. The announcement came after an emergency virtual meeting on teacher recruitment held at the ministry on Saturday, according to a message issued by the ministry the same day. Primary and Mass Education Secretary Shakhawat Hossain said the government is prioritising the joining of the 14,384 recommended assistant teachers for primary schools, adding that the process had been delayed due to investigation and procedural complexities. "The joining process will begin by the upcoming October 30," he said. More than 175 days have passed since the publication of the final results, yet the 14,384 selected candidates are yet to receive their appointment letters. The candidates had earlier demanded that the joining notification be issued by July 29. With that deadline passing without any notification, the job aspirants had announced a fresh round of continuous sit-in demonstrations at Shahbagh from Sunday.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has said martial arts are being included as compulsory sports education for fourth and fifth grade students at primary schools in a bid to promote children's physical and mental development. “Martial arts along with sports education are very important for children's physical and mental development, confidence, discipline and self-control. So, the government is strengthening sports activities in primary education and is giving importance to martial arts as part of compulsory sports education in grades-IV and V,” he said. The state minister came up with the disclosure while addressing the Black Belt Award Ceremony 2026, organised by the Bangladesh Kyokushin Karate Association (BKKA) at Rangs Bhaban in the capital's Bijoy Sarani are on Friday night, said a PID handout on Saturday. Bobby Hajjaj said, "Martial arts is not just a self-defense technique, it helps a person gain discipline, confidence, patience and a positive mindset. When a student gains confidence in him, he learns to avoid violence and conflict and can play a positive role in society." He stressed that spreading sports and martial arts is essential to raising a healthy, confident and patriotic young generation in Bangladesh. The state minister called upon karate organisations to formulate a practical plan to expand training programmes in primary schools across the country, assuring that the government would extend the necessary support to implement such initiatives. Bobby Hajjaj presented black belts to the successful karate practitioners.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken an initiative to establish modern language centres at 25 public and private universities across the country to enhance the competitive capacity of Bangladeshi students in the global job market, internationalise higher education, and create an attractive academic environment for foreign students. "These language centres at the 25 universities will teach a total of eight international languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, French and German," UGC Chairman Professor Mamun Ahmed said while addressing an exchange meeting with foreign students studying at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) on Thursday. The meeting was organised to encourage the enrolment of international students at universities in the country, review their academic experiences, and identify existing problems along with ways to address them. Foreign students studying at BAU took part in the programme. The UGC chairman said the current government has adopted a plan to include a third language in the curriculum with a view to enhancing international communication skills within the education system. This, he said, would create massive demand for skilled foreign language teachers from the primary to higher education levels. "The university-based language centres would meet that demand while equipping students with proficiency in internationally sought-after languages, thereby creating new employment opportunities both at home and abroad." He further said that in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence, global trade and international cooperation, multilingual proficiency is no longer an added qualification but an essential capability. Language education, he added, would further smooth the path for Bangladeshi youth to pursue international higher education, research, technology, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and entry into the global job market. Mamun said the UGC is formulating a five-year strategic plan aimed at transforming the country's higher education system and improving its international standards. "One of the key objectives of the plan is to establish Bangladesh as a regional education hub in South Asia, making it a preferred destination for foreign students, researchers and teachers." He said an "International Desk" would be formed with coordination among the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the UGC to simplify admission, visa, accommodation, healthcare and other administrative services for foreign students. "Simultaneously, five public and five private universities in the country would be developed as model education hubs, with expanded infrastructure and services to ensure international-standard accommodation, medical centres, student support services, counselling, career support, and a multicultural learning environment." He added that the proposed language centres would not be limited to language education alone; they would also serve as effective platforms for cultural exchange, international cooperation, joint research, academic exchange, and the practice of global citizenship among local and foreign students. These initiatives, the UGC chairman said, would open up new possibilities for Bangladeshi universities in international rankings, research collaboration, and attracting foreign students.