School dropout rate higher in three hill districts: Study

Due to linguistic barriers and improper academic curriculum, school students of the three hill districts are being deprived of quality education, which causes high dropout rate in the region compared to the national level dropout, a study has revealed.
While the average dropout rate is around 30 percent at primary schools at national

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Down with the hills!

Probir Kumar Sarker
Though Bangladesh is prominently a plain land, its Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban and Sylhet have hilly areas with forests and rich biodiversity. These areas are full of natural resources fulfilling needs of the people and other living species.
But at present, the destruction of hills in every area has become so alarming that many concerned people have been upbeat against the greedy grabbers who are out to convert these hilly areas into plain lands to set up industries and

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Elephant tramples 1 to death

A man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Naikhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district early yesterday.
The deceased was identified as Saber Ahmed, 45, of Chhagalkhaiya village.
His brother Shaidul Islam, 29, who was also trampled by the elephant, is battling for his life.
Baishari Union Parishad chairman Monirul Islam said an elephant

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Green desert in the hills

Inam Ahmed
All around us is a green desert. What was supposed to be reserved and forest is now just denuded hills. Welcome to Kasalong Reserve Forest.
As our Chander Gari — a Second World War Willy’s Jeep fitted with a Mitsubishi engine — rolls on the topsy-turvy narrow herringbone road, tossing madly from one side to another and groaning to negotiate the stiff inclines, a horrible scene unfolds before us.
As far as the eyes go, the trees are all gone. Monsoon-fed lush green grass and bush now cover the hills all the way from

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3 national minority people killed trying to save woman from rape

Three villagers were killed as they tried to save a young woman from getting raped by some young people in Rupashipara at Naikhyangchari in Bandarban on Saturday.
The miscreants killed Aung Sha Marma, 62, Hamu Sing, 35, and his minor son Maungnuching, 5.
The Rupashipara union council chairman, Maching Marma, said that five young people sneaked into

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