The New Nation - Internet Edition

Tk. 500 cr UGE's Education Dev project

Staff Reporter

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has chalked out a five-year long project styled "Higher Education Quality and Enhancement Project".

The World Bank financed project will be implemented by UGC with an estimated cost of Tk 500 crore.

The main objective of the project is to ensure quality education and conduct research on various subjects at the 29 public universities of the country.

To follow up the project, the UGC arranged a meeting on Wednesday at its auditorium where vice chancellors of the public universities were present. UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam presided over the meeting.

Nazrul Islam said that the project would support the public universities to change their structural educational quality as well as research.

Nizami denied bail

UNB, Dhaka

A special court yesterday rejected the bail prayer of detained Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami in the Gatco graft case.

The special court that deals with high-profile graft cases passed the order after hearing both sides.

Earlier, Barrister Abdur Razzak moved the bail prayer for Nizami on health grounds as he is suffering from various health complications, including diabetes and arthritis.

Nizami was arrested on May 18 from his Moghbazar residence in the Gatco case.

2 officials transferred, given new posting

UNB, Dhaka

Two high officials were transferred and given new posting in latest reshuffle of the administration.

Additional Secretary of Communications Ministry Abu Taher Khandaker Mohammad Ismail was transferred to Education Ministry while Joint Secretary of Education Ministry Mohammad Nazrul Islam Khan made Director General of Primary Education Department.

Chief Advisor launches special campaign today to promote renewable energy use.

Babar to be charge-sheeted

UNB, Dhaka

Detained former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar is going to be charge-sheeted in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission for possessing unearned wealth and concealment of information about it.

Sources said the anti-graft watchdog yesterday approved the submission of charge-sheet against the former BNP minister for acquiring wealth worth Tk 7.05 crore beyond his known sources of income and hiding the information.

ACC deputy assistant director Rupok Kumar Saha will submit the charge sheet next week with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court. The first information report (FIR) was filed on January 13.

ACC submits charge sheet against Mayor Sarwar, his wife

UNB, Barisal

Mayor of Barisal Mojibur Rahman Sarwar and his wife Syeda Nasima Akter were accused of accumulating unearned wealth and concealing those in a charge sheet submitted to the court yesterday.

Assistant director of Anti-Corruption Commission Ashraful Islam, also investigation officer in the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.

Shamima Akter Chhobi, known as girl friend of Sarwar and co-accused in the case, was relieved of the charge.

According to the charge, the Mayor and his wife have accumulated unearned wealth worth about Tk 9.09 crore and concealed information of wealth worth Tk 3.89 crore in the statement submitted to ACC.

ACC filed the case against them with Kotwali police on October 31 last year.

Sarwar was arrested on May 29 this year.

AL leader Abdullah sent to jail

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League leader Advocate Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was sent to Dhaka central jail as a special court Wednesday rejected his bail prayer.

Abdullah, religious affairs secretary of Awami League, surrendered to the court in connection with a graft case but judge M Ashraf Hossain sent him to jail.

On January 6, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case with Ramna police station against Abdullah accusing him of accumulating wealth through illegal means and concealing information about his actual wealth.

Advocates Jahangir Hossain Selim, Mohammad Ali and Rashida Parveen appeared for Abdullah.

CA's joining in D-8 summit raised Bangladesh's int'l profile: Iftekhar

UNB, Dhaka

The active participation of Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the D-8 Summit raised Bangladesh's international profile as a 'thought-leader' in the global arena.

Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, who was a member of the Chief Adviser's delegation to the Summit and represented Bangladesh at the Ministerial component of the D-8 Conference, made this observation Wednesday while talking to the media on the outcome of the Kuala Lumpur meet.

Dr Iftekhar said the Chief Adviser's proposal on Food Fund was enthusiastically received. He also made several important recommendations on migrant workers' rights, climate change, and agriculture.

The Adviser further said also at the retreat of the leaders the Chief Adviser made significant contribution towards the idea of greater emphasis on agricultural productivity in the D-8 countries.

"Some of these ideas have been reflected in the Declaration that the leaders issued in Kuala Lumpur," the Foreign Adviser added.

"A significant amount of time was spent on discussions with Malaysian leaders on workers' issues and other bilateral matters," he said, adding that the labour market of Bangladeshis in Malaysia was continually expanding and now their number exceeded 445,000.

The Malaysian leaders are now welcoming and appreciating this workforce, contrary to some reports earlier, he maintained.

"However, there are some problems which the Chief Adviser raised with his Malaysian counterpart Dr Abdullah Badawi, who assured him that these would be looked into."

The Chief Adviser also gave a patient hearing to the members of the Bangladeshi community at an event at his hotel.

The Foreign Adviser went on to say: "On my own, I held separate meetings with Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and Home and Immigration Minister Dr Hamed Albar. I visited the workers who are housed in the shelter run by the High Commission. I instructed the High Commission to do all that is possible to reduce those workers' problems."

The opportunity was also used by the Chief Adviser to hold separate bilateral meetings with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Prime Minister Syed Makhdoom Yousaf Raza Gillani of Pakistan, with both discussing ways and means of enhancing cooperation.

"While the D-8 was not in competition with G-8, which was in meeting of the world's most powerful leaders in Hokkaido, taking place at the same time, it is expected that the eight most significant economies will hear the message of the eight large developed countries, along the bridge built between Malaysia and Japan," the Foreign Adviser said.