Owing to all the hassles I faced while receiving an equivalence certificate, and getting my Delhi board certificate attested, I was assigned a centre in Rajshahi College. I had to travel all the way from Dhaka to Rajshahi for the exam. Travelling at a time when Covid-19 cases on the rise again was worrying, to say the least.

Easter Sunday, the day that marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by Christians throughout the world. According to the Holy Bible, Jesus, after being captured by the army led by Pontius Pilate, the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, was sentenced to death by crucifixion on Friday. However, as he had promised his disciples during the Last Supper, he came back.

Krishi Shwapno is a blockchain-based agricultural technology platform and business where farmers are connected directly to their business to ensure fair price and safe food for consumers with food traceability.

DRU is an excellent platform for young journalists, providing ample opportunities for seniors and juniors in this profession to work together to solve problems, and discuss various issues. Our special training programmes are designed to be youth-friendly. Our magazine, Reporter’s Voice, and women’s platform, Konthoshor, highlight experiences of young journalists.

Mushfiqul Alam, a senior research associate at the University of Liverpool, UK, was fascinated by aero planes from a young age. He is the winner of the 2020 Royal Aeronautical Society Herbert Le Sueur Award, in recognition of his research into novel systems to increase safety during helicopter autorotation.

Munzereen Shahid is an emerging online content creator and educator, from Bangladesh. Through her conversation skills and unconventional methods of imparting knowledge, she has impacted the lives of many. She recently received the Silver Play Button from YouTube, after crossing 100,000 subscribers on the platform. Her YouTube channel currently has over 170,000 subscribers.

Supported by the ICT Division, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) virtually organised the final round of the seventh edition of the Digital Khichuri Challenge (DKC) 2021 on March 28, where five groups presented the ideas. Titled “The Unsafety Net: How Online Abuse is Driving Women Out of Digital Spaces,” the hackathon aimed to find ways to counter and protect women from online harassment.

The Liberation War of Bangladesh had people from all walks of life coming together to fight for their motherland. A large number of freedom fighters during the war were school-going students. Sixty students from Dhanua Kamalpur Cooperative High School in Jamalpur, took part in the war. Being the only high school for students from several nearby villages, this institution contributed significantly to our fight for freedom.

Tabassum Ahmed initiated #dhakainred, a photo series on Instagram, to showcase the beauty of Dhaka. We spoke to participants of the series on the Independence Day of Bangladesh.

A year after Bangladesh was hit by the coronavirus outbreak, and as Covid-19 cases are on the rise again, school students are celebrating Independence Day cautiously.

INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

The Daily Star’s “Muktijuddho Olympiad”, powered by efood, aimed to educate young students about the history of Bangladesh. Nearly 4,800 students registered for the online completion across four categories: School (Class 4-6), School (Class 7-10), College, and University.

Commemorating fifty years of Bangladesh’s independence, JAAGO Foundation in association with Asia Foundation organised the seminar, ‘50 Years Dialogue between Youths & Politicians in Democracy’, recently. The panelists for the dialogue were Nahim Razzaq, MP, Bangladesh Awami League, and Convenor, Young Bangla, Nazma Akther, President, Jubo Mohila League, and former Member of Parliament, Bangladesh Awami League, Rumeen Farhana, MP, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tabith Awal, Member, National Executive Committee, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and Ahsan Adelur Rahman Adel, MP, Bangladesh Government. The session was moderated by Nobonita Chowdhury, Director, Gender Justice & Diversity (GJD) and Preventing Violence against Women Initiative, BRAC.

With admission tests of different public and private universities approaching and coaching centres being closed, candidates may be in a dilemma about their preparation strategies. The last few weeks before an admission test can be tiring. Here is a list of tips to ensure that you are on the right track.

Born in the outskirts of Netrakona, Sakhina Akhter stood 15th in the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission Examination across the country. A graduate of Northern University Bangladesh (NUB), she was recommended as an assistant judge, following her success in the examination in 2019.

Bondhu Library, an online and offline bookstore, was established in Cumilla by a group of childhood friends in 2019. Founders Shahedur Rahman Rony, Md Ashik, Ahmed Faysal, Tauhid Hridoy, Fahim Imtiaz Kamal, and Shariful Islam have been friends since their school days. Towards the end of their undergraduate studies, they decided to open a bookstore in their city.

Shakil Ahmed, a BSc graduate of the Agriculture Department at Noakhali Science and Technology University, successfully cultivated squash, a foreign variety of a winter vegetable, in Delduar upazila of Tangail.

Deshi Ballers, a female-led sports development organisation working to create a platform for Bangladeshi women and girls to be empowered through basketball, hosted the third season of their International Women’s Day 3x3 Basketball Tournament at Madani Avenue, Dhaka, recently. The tournament was sponsored by Save & Serve Foundation.

Team UVC-PURGE, consisting of members from Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), recently developed a semi-autonomous virus disinfection robot in an effort to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

To inspire and aid visually impaired readers, The Sufia Kamal National Public Library, in association with Sporsho Foundation, inaugurated their Braille Corner yesterday. State Minister for Cultural Affairs K M Khalid, MP, Md Abubakar Siddique, Director-General of the Department of Public Library and Nazia Jabeen, President of Sporsho Foundation, along with other officials were present at the event. The corner also honours the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation and National Children’s Day. It consists of 90 books, including biographies, children’s stories, poems, and many more in its collection. Many of the books focus on the history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.