In the education circle, the low share of GDP allocation for education in the national budget is a recurrent theme. Benchmark numbers in this respect are 6 percent of GDP and/or at least 20 percent of the national budget (depending on the public finance structure of the country) as recommended by UNESCO and at other international forums. Bangladesh's public spending for education is only about one-third by GDP measure and a little over half by national budget measure of what is recommended.

What's your take on the FY19 budget, particularly in light of an election year?

Syed Manzoorul Islam, retired professor of Dhaka University, who is currently teaching at ULAB and is a member of the board of trustees at Transparency International Bangladesh, talks to Eresh Omar Jamal about the latest proposed budgetary allocation to the education sector and its underlying implications.

The Spectrum factory building collapsed on April 11, 2005. I remember, I was returning to Dhaka from Rajshahi. No one was prepared for a disaster of such a devastating magnitude. The army was called in immediately for the rescue operation. In the meantime, almost 73 people were killed, with a few hundred others injured.

US based journalist Elizabeth Lea Vos, Editor-in-Chief of Disobedient Media, who was one of the panellists at an online vigil held for Assange hours after the imposition of the ban, talks to Eresh Omar Jamal of The Daily Star, about the latest restrictions placed on Assange and its implications for press freedom around the world.

Eminent Indian political psychologist and social theorist Ashis Nandy talks to Shamsuddoza Sajen of The Daily Star about various aspects of genocide in the context of South Asia, particularly Bangladesh.

For Selina Hossain, the year 2018 has been a wonderful one so far. For one, she recently won the prestigious Independence Day Award, better known as the Shwadhinata Padak, for her contribution to literature. The Independence Day Award is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. “I was of course delighted and also very surprised,” says the famous novelist, Selina Hossain.

"Our examinations hardly test the students' creativity; these are geared more toward testing their memory. Take the MCQ system. It's a quick and snappy way to judge the proficiency of students in a particular topic," says Syed Manzoorul Islam.

First of all, we are talking about the freedom of the seas, that is to say, anyone can have access to the seas. I believe this is a cornerstone of economic growth and is a view widely shared and recognised by the international community.

We have done well to ensure people have access to education. But we have not yet managed to provide quality education for all segments of the population. Providing quality education is without a doubt the biggest challenge.

How can you put a value on the oxygen that the trees of the forest produce? Or the food it supplies to the animals?

US President Donald Trump has recently recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, drawing sharp international criticism and threatening Yousef Ramadan, Head of Mission at the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Bangladesh, talks to Badiuzzaman Bay of The Daily Star about the unilateral US decision, its implications, and what Bangladesh can learn from the Palestinian experience to deal with the Rohingya crisis.

Corruption is pervasive in Bangladesh, a key challenge against development and social transformation. Corruption is so deep and wide at both micro and micro levels that it threatens to become a way of life.

First, I have been a human rights and political activist for the last 29 years. I can't call myself a human rights defender and turn my back on my own country's genocide, like most human rights defenders in Myanmar are doing today.

Gender-based violence can happen to anyone—rich or poor. It happens in trains, buses, public places and inside homes. It does not have any class boundaries. It is a global pandemic.

The Daily Star (TDS): What is the state of progress in the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project and the Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project,

Iqbal Mahmood, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, in an interview with Eresh Omar Jamal of The Daily Star, talks about corruption in the country and how the ACC and the society at large can fight against it.

The 16th Amendment verdict has saved one important pillar of independence of Higher Judiciary, although much will also depend on activating the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for dealing with allegations against the Judges.

One of the most pressing and least addressed problems facing the nation currently is the increasing violence against children. Some children, such as those engaged in domestic work, are more vulnerable to abuse than others. Shagufe Hossain of The Daily Star talks to Salma Ali, Executive Director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association, to further explore the issue.

A butterfly's origin is in its caterpillar beginnings. Soldiering through sunlight and rain for a certain period, suddenly it comes out of its cocoon as a colourful winged creature. And we come to love the once ugly entity in its new form. Like the painful transformation of a butterfly, the artist too undergoes a similar ordeal to produce a masterpiece.