Views / Opinions

The true cost of education in Bangladesh

The true cost of education in Bangladesh

When my wife told me we were expecting our third child, my first thought wasn't about diaper bags or sleepless nights. It was much scarier than that: "Oh God, can we afford to educate the third one?" It wasn't just the fear of another tuition bill - the deeper anxiety that we might have to compromi


Media reform and journalism

Media reform and journalism

One of the most significant outcomes of the student-led mass uprising in July last year has been the substantial improvement in the media space, providing a much-needed breathing space for the mass media and opening the window of professional journalism to a large extent. While the freedom of the p

The fragile doctor-patient bond needs to be improved

The fragile doctor-patient bond needs to be improved

Bangladesh often experiences incidents in which patients or their attendants physically assault doctors and other healthcare providers and vandalise health facilities accusing them of wrong treatment. Some incidents ignite strikes by healthcare professionals, disrupting services. These incidents re

Readying for global microchip market

Readying for global microchip market

Tasked with preparing a roadmap so Bangladesh may explore its potential as a player in the world's booming semiconductor market, the National Semiconductor Taskforce (NST), which was formed in early January this year, has come up with a set of recommendations. The recommendations focus on identifyi

Endless suffering of road digging

Endless suffering of road digging

Repeated, haphazard road digging by various agencies and delays in repairing those dug-up roads have long been a chronic problem in Dhaka. In recent months, however, the situation has worsened, particularly in Dhaka South, seemingly due to the prolonged administrative deadlock at Nagar Bhaban over

Conserving heritage, historical sites

Conserving heritage, historical sites

In Bangladesh, numerous sites hold significant religious, cultural, and historical importance and have endured for many centuries. Nevertheless, many historical structures that are symbols of the nation's rich heritage no longer exist, and many of the existing sites or structures are also not well-

Is it compassion or coercion?

Is it compassion or coercion?

A disturbing new trend has been going viral on video streaming platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Self-styled volunteers are producing contents by forcibly 'cleaning up' homeless people by shaving their heads, trimming their beards, bathing them, and dressing them up in new clothes in public. Whi

Untapped potential of mango

Untapped potential of mango

Our very familiar and favourite summer fruit, mango, has been put in a new light by highlighting its health benefits in recent media reports. People of this part of the world have been cultivating this fruit for at least 4,000 years. So, the people of Bangladesh hardly need to be reintroduced to th

Looming threat from militants active abroad

Looming threat from militants active abroad

The news that as many as 36 Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia have been arrested for their involvement in militancy is unsettling to say the least. They were active in introducing Islamic State (IS)-inspired ideology in the host country and formed recruitment cells within the community of their comp

Economic cost of uncertainty

Economic cost of uncertainty

The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) approval of a US$1.3 billion disbursement of the third and fourth tranches of Bangladesh's $4.7 billion loan programme may help improve donors' sentiment and more foreign funds may be released in the coming months. But given the lingering state of political u

Threats to small and weak countries

Threats to small and weak countries

Three months ago, Yuval Noah Harari, a famous historian and writer, wrote a piece in the Financial Times (FT) describing Donald Trump's global vision. Harari pointed out that the president of the United States believed in the 'might is right' policy. He added that in the Trumpian vision, the weak s

Danger of extra bumpers on vehicles

Danger of extra bumpers on vehicles

With the passage of time, advancement of technology and change in focus, vehicle bumpers have gone through massive improvements since the first bumper on vehicles appeared in 1897. At the early stage of automobile industry development, bumpers were made of stiff metals and had mainly an ornamental

Western civilisation in the dock

Western civilisation in the dock

To say Israel is committing crimes against humanity is an understatement. The mind behind the daily routine killing of unarmed and relief-seeking hungry Palestinians is diabolical at its worst. Even at a time when the Zionist state is at war with Iran, its pogrom continues unabated---lately its tar