At a recent roundtable on business climate organised by The Financial Express, the vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau has posed a pertinent question: should the government be doing business at all? The question is as old as the state-owned enterprises themselves and is more relevant today
Last Wednesday, countries observed the World Toilet Day with three key messages: we'll always need the toilet, toilets are under pressure and we need toilets fit for the future. The significance of these messages cannot be overstated. UN-Water, the UN's coordination mechanism on water and sanitatio
One may recall the fury of the forest grabbers when they attacked government officials including members of the joint-forces in November last year as the latter carried out an eviction drive at Rajbari in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur to recover forestland. During the attack, 10 people including an as
Holding a national election is a very important event for any country only more so when it is in a momentous transition. Bangladesh, following the July-August uprising, was on the cusp of such a new order. Whether the historical change will materialise desirably, however, hinges not so much on the
Social media offers a unique platform for independent content creators to express themselves freely, experiment with new ideas, and both enlighten and entertain their audiences. This unprecedented freedom of creating and publishing online content has unleashed countless talents, many of whom
Around two-fifths of the daily commuters in Dhaka walk to reach their destinations, whereas the ratio was one-fifth two decades ago. The data are impressive, no doubt, especially since the city is not particularly conducive to smooth walking. There is a lack of safe, accessible and efficient infras
Tens of thousands of Bangladeshis fly abroad every year not for leisure or business, but for treatment. From India to Thailand or Singapore or even the United States, hospitals have become familiar destinations for Bangladeshi patients seeking quality healthcare. For the affluent, a check-up or sur
The story of how a 13-year-old adolescent girl, Juliana Paratha, of Colorado in USA, committed suicide following long conversations with an AI chatbot, as reported by BBC shocked many. The girl shared her most private emotional experiences with the chatbot. In fact, the chatbot set up a
The planned appointment of music and sports teachers to government primary schools has been cancelled. This decision has invited protests from different cultural organisations, educators, child rights activists and students of a number of universities. Apparently, the interim government has backed
The global educational landscape has undergone a profound transformation, moving decisively away from rote-learning systems to a creative, student-centric pedagogical methods that promote holistic child development. This global shift prioritises teaching methodologies that nurture essential 21st-ce
Digital addiction has become a serious problem in the country, especially for children and adolescents, as a large number of them are already trapped in depression and frustration, leading to self-destructive attitudes. The frequent appearance of new smartphone models, coupled with the rise in vari
Rural tourism has become a major driver of local growth globally. Besides serving as an ingenious way to diversify rural economies in many countries across regions, it is preserving local culture and heritage. As a nation with rich natural and cultural resources scattered countrywide, Bangladesh ho
Lead poisoning has been a serious public health issue in Bangladesh since early 1990s affecting mostly children. Suspecting that burning of leaded-gasoline was a source of lead pollution in the environment, in 1999, the government of the time banned the use of leaded gasoline. Now, informal lead-ba
