Manzoor Ahmed | The Daily Star
Skip to main content
Home
Sunday, March 8, 2026
The rise and reign of Khamenei
Iranian Revolutionary Guard vows retaliation after Khamenei’s killing
Can police search or beat anyone if they want? What does the law say?
বাংলা

Main navigation

  • News
    • Politics
    • Governance
    • Crime and Justice
    • Accidents and Fires
    • Technology
    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • Environment
    • World
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Views
    • Interviews
    • Tribute
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Agriculture
    • Industry
    • Startups
    • Global Economy
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • More Sports
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Relationships
    • Health and Wellness
    • Food and Recipe
    • Travel and Leisure
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Books and Literature
    • Heritage
    • TV & Film
    • Music
    • Theatre & Arts
  • Slow Reads
    • In Focus
    • Geopolitical Insights
    • Big Picture
    • Unheard Voices
  • Youth
    • Academics
    • Career and Skills
    • Campus Life
    • Off Campus
    • Pop Culture
  • Ds+
    • Business +
    • Investigative Stories
    • Roundtables
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights
    • My Dhaka
  • বাংলা
  • E-paper
  • Today’s News
Sunday, March 8, 2026
  • E-paper
  • Today’s News
  • News
    • Politics
    • Governance
    • Crime and Justice
    • Accidents and Fires
    • Technology
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Healthcare
    • World
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Views
    • Interviews
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Agriculture
    • Industry
    • Startups
    • Global Economy
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • More Sports
    • Tennis
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Relationships
    • Heath and Wellness
    • Food and Recipe
    • Travelogue
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Books and Literature
    • Heritage
    • Tv & Film
  • Slow Reads
    • In Focus
    • Geopolitical Insights
    • Big Picture
    • Unheard Voices
  • Youth
    • Academics
    • Career and Skills
    • Campus Life
    • Off Campus
    • Pop Culture
  • Ds+
    • Business +
    • Investigative Stories
    • Roundtables
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights
    • My Dhaka

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Comment policy
  • Apps
  • Archive
© 2026 thedailystar.net | Powered by: RSI Lab

Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes
is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.

Manzoor Ahmed

Dr Manzoor Ahmed is professor emeritus at Brac University, chair of Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN), adviser to CAMPE Council, and associate editor at the International Journal of Educational Development.

ED_1__Education_budget.jpg

Decisive action is needed to deliver on education pledges

19 February 2026, 00:51 AM
The overwhelming support of voters received by the BNP thrusts upon the new government a special responsibility and a challenge to meet people’s expectations.
19 February 2026, 00:51 AM
Op_2.jpg

An education law – does it matter?

11 February 2026, 01:38 AM
The point is that complex and diverse education services operate under a variety of legal provisions, and their requirements can hardly be met by a single umbrella law.
11 February 2026, 01:38 AM
STUDENT1.jpg

Faltering education is a national emergency, fix it now

25 January 2026, 00:13 AM
When the foundation of governance of the state is shaky, public services such as education and healthcare also become weak and tottering.
25 January 2026, 00:13 AM
OP_1.jpg

After decades of failure, can we finally fix our education system?

22 January 2026, 01:09 AM
Arguably, the most consequential failure of political leadership in independent Bangladesh has been in the field of education.
22 January 2026, 01:09 AM
ED 1 - Setting education priorities The new governments challenges_856c.jpg

Education reform: Too little, too late under the interim regime

4 January 2026, 03:00 AM
The tenure of the interim government (IG) since August 2024 has not been particularly comforting for the country's education community.
4 January 2026, 03:00 AM
ED 1 - Our schools The legacy of neglect must end_b2a1.jpg

Are our schools inherently designed to fail?

1 December 2025, 02:00 AM
School management suffers due to the absence of a headmaster or an assistant headmaster's leadership
1 December 2025, 02:00 AM
Literacy in Bangladesh

Literacy in Bangladesh is still a distant dream

18 September 2025, 03:00 AM
The history of literacy in Bangladesh suggests a confusion about what literacy skills mean and how these are taught.
18 September 2025, 03:00 AM
Decentralisation of primary education

Can decentralisation improve primary school outcomes in Bangladesh?

26 July 2025, 02:00 AM
Effective schools and learners through decentralised governance may make a difference in primary school education.
26 July 2025, 02:00 AM
HSC Exam question Paper leak in 2018

Plugging question leaks: A technical solution

A spate of question leaks in public examinations has left the education authorities deeply embarrassed and, it appears, at a loss about what they can do.
16 February 2018, 18:00 PM
education.jpg

Questions not asked

The two-day Bangladesh Development Forum hosted by the Economic Relations Division on January 17-18 was an occasion to
22 January 2018, 18:00 PM
SDG-4-Improve-Quality-of-Education-and-Promote-Lifelong-Learning.jpg

Why not one ministry for school education?

There is sometimes a jostling about which of the two ministers of education should represent Bangladesh in any international forum for education, such as a Unesco meeting or a UN System consultation in relation to the SDGs.
3 December 2017, 18:00 PM
student.jpg

Is innovation in education oversold?

Innovation and technology are seen as the solutions to the educational deprivation of millions of children in the developing world.
13 November 2017, 18:00 PM
Saleh Chowdhury.jpg

Remembering Saleh Chowdhury: A journalist and freedom fighter

Saleh Chowdhury, veteran journalist, freedom fighter, and president of the Bangladesh chapter of Commonwealth Journalists Association, passed away on September 1, at age 82.
6 September 2017, 18:00 PM
Education Budget

The education budget: A 'smoke and mirrors' exercise

Smoke and mirrors” is an idiom based on illusions created by magicians, where they make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke.
9 June 2017, 18:00 PM
Verdict in Jakarta Photo AFP

Rule of law and political use of Islam

Political leaders and political parties professing a vision of a modern and progressive society need to take a stand based on principles and idealism and lead the people, appealing to and awakening their best instincts, instead of giving in to fear and prejudice.
16 May 2017, 18:00 PM
123rf.jpg

Lack of accountability in education

Jagannath University recently appointed 12 leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League as “special officers” without advertisement - a practice that Vice Chancellor Mijanur Rahman justified as the natural right of the ruling party men (April 27, Prothom Alo).
8 May 2017, 18:00 PM
vocational.jpg

Technical and vocational skill training: Expansion alone is not the answer

Today, around 40 percent of the population aged between 15 and 24 years in Bangladesh are classified as “not in education, employment or training (NEET)”, according to a recent ILO report. The actual number adds up to 11.6 million youth or about one-fifth of the total working age population.
24 February 2017, 18:00 PM
How others may look at us

Communalising textbooks - How others may look at us

The opening words of an education blog posted under the auspices of UNESCO Global Education Monitoring report concludes that the
24 February 2017, 18:00 PM
dhaka2017.jpg

Can education uphold human solidarity?

It is hardly a run of the mill event when nine of the most highly populated countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan) get together to discuss the challenges of achieving the goal of Education for All.
4 February 2017, 18:00 PM
Must not be the legacy we leave behind

Must not be the legacy we leave behind

That the Sundarbans, the unique world heritage site and a lifesaver for the coastal people, is in grave danger, with or without the planned Rampal coal-based power plant is not in dispute.
3 October 2016, 18:00 PM
HSC Result

The education minister's dilemma

Those who have done well in the higher secondary exam results on Thursday (August 18, 2016) have earned the right to show their exuberance as depicted in the media.
22 August 2016, 18:00 PM
worst_case_scenario.jpg

Facing the worst possible scenario

The Holey Artisan Café victims in Dhaka were killed by the young assailants apparently because they were foreigners or non-Muslims though three Bangladeshi Muslims were also not spared. The attackers were particularly brutal towards the women victims.
28 July 2016, 18:00 PM
mis-education.jpg

Children's pain and mis-education to continue?

The ill-advised decision taken in 2009 to subject children to a high-stake public examination at the end of class 5 is to continue. The
1 July 2016, 18:00 PM
Education Budget

New Education Budget: To fit the purpose

The Tk. 49,000 crore or US$ 6.3 billion allocated for education, when divided by the estimated 40 million students in the country, amounts to Tk. 12,000 per student public spending for a year or about US$ 150 on average for all levels of education.
7 June 2016, 18:00 PM
quality education

Five steps to make it happen

On May 19, The Daily Star headline announced, "From now on, primary education in the country will be up to class-VIII". The decision had been taken and made public by the Minister of Education, Nurul Islam Nahid.
25 May 2016, 18:00 PM
Girls education

Why is the education budget not larger?

On average, a teacher handles 50 students, when it should be no more than 30. Can it be denied that much more should be spent on primary education and at other stages of education?
17 May 2016, 18:00 PM
education law

A new education law – Will it help?

How important is it to have an overall law for the education system and what can it do to solve the many problems in ensuring the management and quality of the system?
7 April 2016, 18:00 PM
books

Matching education, training, skills and jobs

Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET), or even a broader concept of Technicals-Vocational Skills Development (TVSD)...
2 February 2016, 18:00 PM

Pagination

  • Show more
Home
Journalism without fear or favour
Follow Us

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Comment policy
  • Apps
  • Archive
© 2026 thedailystar.net | Powered by: RSI Lab

Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes
is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.