The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Population Sciences Department of Dhaka University (DU) organised a policy dialogue on "Population Ageing in Bangladesh" at Hotel Sheraton under the assistance of UNFPA yesterday.

Prof Dr SMA Faiz, Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, attended as chief guest while Arthur Erken, UNFPA representative in Bangladesh, Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Additional Aecretary of Social Welfare Ministry and Prof Dr Harun-Or-Rashid, Social Science Faculty Dean of Dhaka University as special guests with Department chairman Tahmina Gafur in the chair.

Prof Faiz said aged people faced many problems. So they should be given more facilities. He proposed to increase the age limit of public servants from 57 to 65.

Dr Faiz urged the teachers of DU to try to find ways for solving old-age people's problems.

The age of 4.9% of the total population in Bangladesh is over 60 years. The number is increasing day by day. Bangladesh is one of the 20 developing countries where old-age people are more. For this reason, poverty alleviation, family structure development, social-economic development and health services may face challenges in future, Prof AKM Nur-Un-Nabi, project director of Population Sciences Department, said in his keynote paper.