The New Nation - Internet Edition

Secretarial Science and Office Management subject omitted from higher-secondary level of education

UNB, Dhaka

'Secretarial Science and Office Management' subject has been omitted from the higher secondary-level curricula in general and madrasha education with effect from 2009-10 academic session, an official announcement said yesterday.

The caretaker government took the step as apart of a recipe for updating the country's outmoded education system in keeping with demand of the time at home and abroad.

"The decision was taken as per recommendations of the National Curriculum Coordination Committee to make students interested in more important subjects in consistency with the global demand and to improve the standard of education at higher secondary level," says the announcement.

Students registered in this subject would get the scope for completing their education, it said.

If any registered student failed in the subject at the public examinations, they would be allowed to take part in the exams till his/her registration remains effective as per the existing rules.

Besides, the teachers of this subject working under MPO (Monthly Pay Order) facility will retain their job and they can teach other subjects, according to the measure taken by the Ministry of Education.

Reception

On the occasion of the French National Day the Ambassador of France and Mrs. Charley Causeret hosted a reception on Monday at the French Residence.

Members of diplomatic corps, senior government officials, political leaders, businessmen, editors of newspapers, university teachers, senior journalists and cultural workers attended the reception among others.

Elderly man stabbed to death by muggers

UNB, Dhaka

Muggers stabbed to death an elderly man in front of Khidma Hospital at Shajahanpur in the city Sunday night.

Hospital sources said Kazi Shamsul Islam (60) was passing in a rickshaw when muggers held him in front of Khidma Hosptal at about 8-30pm. They stabbed him indiscriminately and took away the purse and mobile phone.

Fatally wounded Kazi was rushed to Lab Aid Hospital. He was shifted to DMCH at 11-30 pm where doctors declared him dead.

Licences of two rice mills cancelled in Kishoreganj

The District Administration and Food Control Department has cancelled licences of two auto-rice mills in the district as owners of the mills did not renew their licences and make any contract for supplying rice to the government.

District Food Controller Parimol Saha said on Monday the licences of two rice mills in Tarail and Pakundia Upazilas were cancelled.

Bangladesh to reach target of sending 10 lakh workers abroad this year

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh is expected to achieve the target of sending 10 lakh workers abroad this year as in first six months some 5.10 lakh workers already got clearance from the concerned authorities.

Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Abdul Matin Chowdhury told reporters yesterday that some 3.15 lakh workers already left for their destination countries with jobs.

He said some 20,000 to 25,000 workers are going to the UAE every month.

In reply to a question, Chowdhury said the dimension of problems in

Saudi Arabia has been reduced. He said some 1.5 lakh workers were already cleared for Saudi Arabia where 17 lakh Bangladeshis are currently employed.

Last year 8.32 lakh workers were sent abroad while remittances received by the government were estimated at US $ 6.4 billion.

Landside kills two in Cox's Bazar

UNB, Cox's Bazar

Landslide, triggered by heavy rains, killed two members of a family at Himchhari here yesterday morning.

The dead were identified as Amina Khatun,70 and her granddaughter Jannatara,14.

Sources said the two were buried alive when a large chunk of earth came tumbling down onto the thatched house of Mujibur Rahman at the foot of a hill at about 10 am.

Mujibur Rahman and his wife Momena Khatun survived as they managed to come out of the house.

Army personnel recovered the bodies and handed over to the family members.

Meanwhile, vast areas of Ramu, Cox's Bazar sadar, Chokoria, Pekua, Ukhia and Teknaf were flooded due to torrential rain for the last few days.

Sixteen people were killed in landslide in the last two weeks in the district.

Assault on FF protested

DU Correspondent

Students and the teachers of Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday staged a demonstration on the campus protesting the assault on a freedom fighter Sheikh Muhammad Ali on Friday at a discussion meeting of Jatiya Muktijodha Parishad, a Jamaat-backed organisation.

Later, they held a rally at the foot of Aparajeyo Bangla and demanded punishment to those responsible for this assault.

They also demanded immediate trial of war criminals and urged the people of the country, especially, young generation to forge a tough movement in order to punish the war criminals.

Just before the rally, freedom fighters, teachers, journalists and hundred of DU students brought out a silent procession that marched on the campus with banners, placards and posters demanding trial of war criminals, forming a special tribunal and punishment to the Jamaat-Shibir cadres, who attacked the freedom fighter.

Later, students staged 'Symbolic Hanging' of Jamaat leaders, Golam Azam, Ali Ahsan Mujahid, Kader Mollah and Matiur Rahman Nizami. Students also burnt effigies of these leaders after the rally.

Prof Anwar Hossain Prof AAMA Arefin Siddique, Prof Harun-or-Rashid, Prof Muhammad Samad, Prof Giti Ara Nasreen, Prof Sadeka Halim, Associate Prof Robayet Ferdous, Assistant Prof Nadir Junaid, Dr Zinat Huda Wahid, Dr Wahiduzzaman Chan, Assist Prof TanjimUddin Khan, Prof Khandakar Mokadem Hossain, Maj (Retd) Shafiullah, Maj (Retd) Joynal Abedin, Bhirpratik, and student leaders Sohel Rana Tipu and Khan Asaduzzaman Masum, among others, participated at the rally.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chhatra Union (BCU), a left leaning student organisation also staged demonstration on the campus, demanding trail of war criminals and exemplary punishment to those responsible for assaulting freedom fighter Ali.

BCU leaders and activists brought out a procession and held a rally on the campus to press home their demands.

Jatiya Muktijodha Parishad, in a statement signed by freedom fighter Habibur Rahman, claimed that some newspapers and electronic media were publishing false news in a planned way.

It stated that no such incident occurred at the programme on July 11 but a vested quarter staged a drama outside the programme by Mohammad Ali, who was not even a delegate.

Zillur asks AL workers to resist upazila polls before JS polls

UNB, Dhaka

Acting Awami League president Zillur Rahman has asked the party men to get united to resist the government move to hold upazila polls ahead of national election.

"Get united. We will not allow the government to hold the upazila elections before the parliamentary polls. The caretaker interim government is doing things which are not supposed to be done by it," Zillur said while addressing a joint meeting of North and South city units of Juba League at the Engineers Institution yesterday afternoon.

With Mohiuddin Mahi, president of Juba League South city unit, in the chair the meeting was addressed, among others, by AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sen Gupta, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Advocate Kamrul Islam and Juba League leader Dr Mizanur Rahman.

Zillur Rahman said the caretaker government was supposed to hold the national election within three months and hand over power to the elected government. But instead of doing that the government was engaged in elections to the local bodies, which is not its responsibility.

Amir Hossain Amu said upazila elections before the long-awaited parliamentary poll will not be acceptable to the people. He was critical of the government for its move to ban student politics.

Sajeda Chowdhury and others demanded lifting of emergency by this month with a threat of tough programme. They viewed that no election could be free and fair under the emergency rules.

The AL leaders also demanded release of all the political detainees including the party chief Sheikh Hasina.