Column - Dhaka Mirror

Equal education leads to a better society

May 20, 2023May 20, 2023 by Admin

Opinion

Mehreen Chowdhury

EDUCATION is known to be strongest when voices and diverse perspectives are heard and shared around the community. It is vital that young people are given the space and safety to express them without feeling ashamed. The idea of special education is governed by the concept that education is for all. It is true that not everyone learns the same way; hence, teachers in institutions should examine how a child learns and what struggles they face regularly.

A system called ‘Special Educational Needs’ was developed to help individuals who needed it learn more effectively. Special needs that are not met are a problem in Bangladesh and other countries. More support is needed to guarantee that kids with SEN have the same learning opportunities as students without SEN. Due to hidden or neurodivergent difficulties, children in special education may need instructional adaptations.

Alarming increase in child marriage

May 10, 2023 by Admin

Opinion

Zillur Rahaman

CHILD marriage is one of the social ills in Bangladesh. It was once an epidemic in Bangladesh. It, however, came under control because of various measures and the supervision of the government in the past decade or so, but has been increasing at an alarming rate since the Covid pandemic, which increased the poverty rate sharply. For girls in remote areas, this term is a dark chapter of horror. When many say it is a social curse, poor parents call it a social reality.

Bangladesh still has the highest rate of child marriage among Asian countries. A report by the United Nations Population Fund, released globally on April 19, says that almost 51 per cent of girls get married before the age of 18 in the country, which is a very alarming figure.

Time to prioritise social justice

May 1, 2023 by Admin

Views

We have the chance to reshape the world we live in – economically, socially, and environmentally.

Gilbert F Houngbo

May 1 is widely known as International Labour Day, a day when we celebrate the contribution of workers worldwide. It is a moment for pride, celebration, and hope.

After three years of the Covid-19 crisis, followed by inflation, conflict, and food and fuel supply shocks, we badly need this. But the promises of renewal made during the pandemic, of “building back better,” have so far not been delivered for the great majority of workers worldwide.

Globally, real wages have fallen, poverty is rising, and inequality seems more entrenched than ever.

More heatwaves are coming our way. Are we prepared?

April 20, 2023 by Admin

Views

While Bangladesh has a lot of experience in tackling cyclones and floods, we have not taken heat stress into consideration until now.

Saleemul Huq

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently completed its sixth assessment report (AR6), with the Synthesis Report coming out in March. The Synthesis Report carries some key messages about the impacts of climate change and the actions needed to avert the worst of them.

The first new message in the AR6 report came from Working Group I, according to which the scientific community is now able to credibly attribute the impacts of human-induced climate change to the greenhouse (GHG) emissions happening since the industrial revolution began. That message was followed by Working Group II reporting that there are numerous examples of unprecedented weather events that are now causing losses and damages, thanks to human-induced climate change, and that these impacts will only get worse.

Women must be at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon economy

March 31, 2023 by Admin

Opinion

Veronica Mendizabal Joffre and Pinky Serafica

Can we truly reimagine a path to a low-carbon transition and change the climate narrative? This is hard to envision when we witness the unprecedented damage we are inflicting on the planet.

For women, the effects of climate change are already a lived experience. Where environments are damaged and traditional sources of livelihood disappear, women must scrounge farther and travel wider to meet the needs of communities. As new diseases emerge from the imbalance in the natural world, women must grapple with the care and health of their families.

Why collaboration is in our collective interest

March 27, 2023 by Admin

Views
RMG NOTES
Climate Action
Without fashion retailers and their suppliers working together, our industry as a whole will continue to see emissions rising.

Mostafiz Uddin

According to the latest report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world is likely to fail to reach its most ambitious climate target – limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial temperatures. The report warns that now is our last chance to avert a climate disaster. Many believe that unless governments around the world opt for the most aggressive climate change policies, the world is just 10 years away from either catastrophic climate change impacts or some form of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission “tipping point,” at which such change will become inevitable.

Will our universities survive in 25 years?

January 15, 2023 by Admin

Views

Syed Saad Andaleeb

Quality education is the backbone of a wholesome and prosperous society. But finding the “quality” in quality education continues to be elusive in Bangladesh. The “so called” universities (more like community colleges) are rife with social, economic, political and ideological problems that work against building learning organisations. Teachers, the kingpins, don the mantle of educators but have little to show in their academic profiles. For today’s new generation of hungry learners, seeking to be actively engaged with illustrious minds, their classroom experience is simply frustrating, backdated, irrelevant, and unpalatable.

Can teachers be the pivot of change in education?

October 8, 2022 by Admin

Views

Manzoor Ahmed

“No system of education can be better than its teachers” is an aphorism that remains meaningful. The nostalgic and idealised image of the teacher as a scholar, dispensing knowledge and wisdom to the young selflessly, who lives a simple life with little concern for material rewards and who is looked upon by the young as a friend, philosopher and guide, is surely overdrawn. But a teacher is still the custodian of the young – manush gorar karigor. To ignore the special role of a teacher in society is to place the future of the nation at peril.

Climate loss and damage are clearly visible in southwest Bangladesh

September 16, 2022 by Admin

Views

Ashish Barua, Sawkat Chowdhury

The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that the sea level, over the last 120 years, has increased by 0.20 metres, and continues rising fast, caused by thermal expansion, glacier ice loss, ice sheet loss, etc. The sea level rise in Bangladesh estimated using gauge data shows varying in different parts of the coastal zone, while the coastal areas along the Sundarbans are highly vulnerable.

How can Dhaka solve its traffic problem?

September 8, 2022 by Admin

Views

Debra Efroymson

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that “traffic was particularly bad today,” I could have retired already.

Over the years, people have hazarded various suggestions as to the cause of the terrible Dhaka traffic and its potential solutions. Causes include: not enough roads for all the cars; poor traffic management or a lack of operational signals; lack of lanes; an insufficient number of buses, including school buses; too many rickshaws; and the “disorderly” movement of pedestrians. Each cause suggests its own solution: build more roads/flyovers/elevated expressways;

Celebrating 50 years of global environmental movement

June 10, 2022 by Admin

Opinion
Saleemul Huq
The global environmental movement started in 1972, with the first global environment conference held in Stockholm, Sweden, hosted by then Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Among the heads of governments who also attended was the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who famously declared that environment and poverty were two major global issues that needed to be tackled together.
Since that watershed event, the United Nations set up the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and different environmental treaties

Saving earth from disasters

April 23, 2022April 22, 2022 by Admin

Opinion
By Md Zillur Rahaman
TODAY is World Earth Day. The day is celebrated worldwide each year to show support for the protection of the environment. It was first observed in 1970 and is now held globally by the Earth Day Network.
The UN-sponsored conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3 to June 14, 1992, is known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development or the Earth Summit. After the long-running Cold War, the main objective of the conference was for member states to work together for sustainable

Women for women

March 11, 2022 by Admin

Opinion
Faria Rashid
PATRIARCHAL societies like to deceive women into thinking that women cannot get along, work together and stand in support of one another. Given the patriarchal history of society, it has mostly worked to keep women in their places and apart from each other. This is why we hear so much about women against women,
but not that much about women supporting women. Today, on International Women’s Day, I will highlight some of the ways women can, and do, support other women

Harmful impacts of cartels on consumers

November 30, 2011 by Admin

Munshi Abdul Ahad
A cartel is an anti-competitive arrangement between two or more competing businesses. Anticompetitive agreements, particularly cartels, harm consumers in urbanised society, as well as in the emerging countries. In adding together, cartelised industrial sectors lack competition which certainly reduces competitiveness in the long run and may have a negative impact on the overall performance of a country’s economy. Widespread shapes of cartels conduct are: price fixing, market sharing, bid rigging and output control.
Price fixing take places when

How to troubleshoot the economy

November 30, 2011 by Admin

Sadiq Ahmed
Bangladesh is facing serious macroeconomic challenges and I have written a lot explaining them in a series of articles published in The Daily Star and in The Financial Express. In this new article I am going to write specifically about how Bangladesh could address those challenges while also mobilising substantial external financing in a flexible form that will help both the balance of payments and the budget. This kind of financing will also be helpful in lowering inflationary pressures.
It is fashionable in developing countries to blame the International Monetary Fund

Jute bag prospects in global arena

August 26, 2011 by Admin

Md Rashedul Karim Munna
Global consumer demand for eco-friendly products has increased in both developed markets (such as Western Europe, the United States and Australasia) as well as new markets with emerging opportunities (such as the Middle East) mainly because of heightened awareness of the ill effects of environmental pollution and global warming.
Large chain stores are also offering alternate bags made of jute or cotton. This proves there is healthy global demand for these products due to the growing awareness of and demand for eco-friendly and biodegradable

Safeguarding citizen’s money

August 19, 2011 by Admin

Sadiq Ahmed
Banking is an entirely different ball game. When a licence is given to a bank to manage citizen’s money, the government is taking on a huge responsibility. By granting the licence, it is essentially certifying that it has confidence in the enterprise and trusts that the enterprise will safeguard the citizen’s money it mobilises through deposit taking.
In banking, safety is of paramount importance; returns are relatively less significant. Ask citizens whether they prefer a bank that gives 20 percent return but a large probability of failure to a bank that gives 10 percent

Women entrepreneurship and our commitment

August 4, 2011 by Admin

Tarique Afzal for The Daily Star
“Entrepreneur” is a French word that means “undertake”.
Women entrepreneurship is inherent as they are naturally endowed with the qualities of entrepreneurship. Instincts of a woman generate enormous strength and determination that drive the fear away from them. Entrepreneurship for a woman remains an innate quality and thus is authentic when applied in reality.
In support, the government is relentlessly working to ensure women empowerment, where entrepreneurs will be able to receive

Managing macroeconomy

July 10, 2011 by Admin

Sadiq Ahmed for The Daily Star
Bangladesh has achieved good economic performance over the past few years. It has successfully managed the transition from the global financial crisis of 2008-10 with relatively modest slowdown in economic activity. Economic growth has recovered and official data suggest that growth is on the upswing. While there is some debate about the magnitude of the upswing, mainly owing to the contentious unprecedented estimated growth in agriculture, there is enough corroborative evidence that economic recovery