Education News

Primary and mass education ministry chalks out six-month programmes for youth festival

21 May, 2025 : The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has outlined a series of programs for Youth Festival-2025, spanning from July to December. In collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Department of Primary Education will host a week-long festival in all primary schools. Additionally, the Department of Primary Education and the Child Welfare Trust will oversee the planting of at least 10 medicinal and fruit trees in each school, engaging students under the guidance of class teachers during July 1-15. The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held on May 5 at the office of the Chief Adviser for the six-month period from July to December 2025 in observance of the festival, said a ministry press release today. Aligned with the spirit of the Youth Festival, the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) will host seminars and workshops from July 5-7, featuring trainees, faculty members and other key stakeholders. From July to December 2025, the Department of Primary Education and the Child Welfare Trust will launch a nationwide cleanliness initiative in primary schools, titled “My School is a Clean School”, involving teachers and students. In celebration of the Youth Festival, all government primary schools will showcase the fixed logo of national level with the slogan “Come to Change The Country, Change The World” throughout the festival period. Additionally, NAPE will release wall posters for the festival every month from July 15-18, reinforcing the events message and engagement. The Compulsory Primary Education Implementation Monitoring Unit will conduct seminars and training sessions on Global Citizenship at the divisional level from July to December 2025. Additionally, seminars on quality education will be held at the district level, while training on leaflet distribution and raising of awareness will take place at the upazila level, aligning with the Youth Festival theme. From August 3-14, the Department of Primary Education will organize an essay writing competition in all primary schools as part of the Youth Festival celebrations. In September 2025, the Department of Primary Education and the Child Welfare Trust will coordinate a day-long health campaign in each school, involving students, with support from local health workers. The Bureau of Non-Formal Education will observe International Literacy Day and Youth Festival 2025 on September 8. In October 2025, the NAPE will host a social motivational meeting at the upazila level, emphasizing the Youth Festival theme. From November 15-22, the Bureau of Non-Formal Education will launch Effective Literacy and Practical Skills Training (Pre-Vocational Stage) and commemorate Youth Festival 2025 in all divisional cities. In December 2025, NAPE will publish the write up in Primary Education Message, in line with the festival theme. During December, the Department of Primary Education and the Child Welfare Trust will arrange a debate competition on social awareness topics, featuring selected students from classes III to V across all schools. The Department of Primary Education will conduct a drawing competition in primary schools from December 10-15. On December 27-28, a science fair at the upazila level will be organized by the Department of Primary Education and the Child Welfare Trust, showcasing primary school students participation. The Primary Education Medal Distribution Ceremony, hosted by the Department of Primary Education, will take place on December 29. For the successful execution of Youth Festival 2025, a ministry-level committee has been framed, comprising the Adviser of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education as Adviser, the Secretary as President, and the Additional Secretary (Administration) as Member Secretary. Departments and organizations under the ministry will form corresponding committees at the divisional, district, and upazila levels.

Applications for British Council connections through Culture Grants 2025 opens

The British Council is now accepting applications for its 2025 Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants, which offer funding of up to £10,000 for artists and creative organisations collaborating between the UK and 19 partner countries, including Bangladesh to bring powerful cultural projects to life. The application deadline will be June 23, 2025, 8:00 pm (Bangladesh time). Prospective applicants from Bangladesh are invited to visit the website of the British Council Bangladesh for further information on how to apply.
The Connections Through Culture grants offer up to £10,000 in funding for innovative, international initiatives in arts and culture. These can be residencies, performances, policy labs, exhibitions, research and development, or any form of initiative designed to spark dialogue, foster mutual understanding, and promote long-term international partnerships.
Last year, the programme supported 84 collaborative projects, including 4 in Bangladesh. Applications for the 2025 grant cycle are now open. This year, approximately 90 grants will be awarded worldwide to collaborative initiatives co-designed by creatives based in the UK and internationally in any one of the 19 participating countries: Australia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Mainland China, Georgia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam. The deadline will be 23 June 2025 8 p.m. Bangladesh time.

Bangladeshi students triumph in NSS space settlement design contest

17 May, 2025 : A team of nine students from Glenrich International School, Uttara has secured first place in the prestigious NSS Gerard K. ONeill Space Settlement Contest, under the Large Group (Grade 9) category, for their groundbreaking project “Chirayatasroy” (Eternal Shelter). This marks the third consecutive year that Glenrich Uttara has claimed this esteemed honor, solidifying its reputation for excellence in space settlement design competitions. Additionally, another team from the school won second prize in the Small Group (Grade 9) category for their project “Exserta”, while a third team received “Honourable Mention” in the Large Group (Grade 11) category for their project “Atlas”, said a press release today. The achievements reflect the dedication, innovation, and exceptional talent of Bangladeshi students in the field of space settlement design. The NSS Gerard K. ONeill Space Settlement Contest, hosted by the National Space Society (USA), is an international competition designed to engage students in imagining and designing future space settlement concepts. This contest is organized to encourage creativity, scientific thinking, and interest in space exploration among the students. This year, over 26,000 students from 25 countries (including Romania, Ireland, Bangladesh, India, and the United States) participated in the contest in more than 4,900 entries. From Bangladesh, a team from Glenrich Uttara submitted their project “Chirayatasroy”. This futuristic project ended up winning first place in the Large Group category. Team members of the winning team were - Adwoito Bhaskar, Ahmad Abdullah, Aisha Afsara Yasmin, Seam Ahmed, Ibrahim Amin, Muhayr Manzoor, Ahnaf Tahmeed Aryan, Safwan Chowdhury and Kazi Afsan Rawnak Anan. Dr Amlan K Saha, Principal of Glenrich International School, Uttara, said, “This is such a proud moment for all of us at Glenrich. The winning team has worked relentlessly for days to give shape to this project.” “I commend the fact that the students delved deeper into an issue that could address existing crises like climate change. At Glenrich, we will keep nurturing the talents of our students,” added Amlan. Ahmad Abdullah, one of the members of the winning team, said about their achievement that they have worked hard for around 55 days to submit this project and are glad that their hard work has been rewarded. “Through this visionary project, we want to create a sustainable alternative for humans in the face of increasing hazards,” he added. The winning project, “Chirayatasroy” is about the vision of humanitys first self-sustaining space settlement, orbiting the dwarf planet Ceres. Designed to secure a bold future beyond Earth in order to avoid the impacts of climate change, resource depletion, and cosmic hazards, this settlement can host up to 100,000 residents. The proposal also features sustainable living powered by Mobius Strip-inspired solar panels.

DSHE issues directives to prevent stipend, scholarship fraudulence

17 May, 2025 : Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has issued an urgent directive cautioning heads of educational institutions against fraudulence or misappropriation of students stipend or scholarship funds, officials said here today. They said under the directives all types of scholarships and stipends for PSC, JSC, SSC, HSC, and graduation level students must be disbursed using the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system so the money is deposited directly to the concerned students scheduled bank accounts The directive came it was reported that frauds posing as officials of education ministry, DSHE, education boards or various government offices and banks tried to collect money, user IDs and passwords of institutions, banking details, and even debit/credit card PINs or OTPs from institutions or student guardians under false pretenses DSHE issued the directives on May 15 with officials saying necessary guidelines related to this process were uploaded to the notice board on DSHEs official website also asking education institution chiefs to keep the banking details or debit/credit card PINs or OTPs secret. The DSHE simultaneously reiterated the importance of safeguarding all login credentials to prevent any misuse.