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Zeauddin Ahmed

  • Economist

Former Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank and Former Managing Director, The Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Ltd. Mint
Plight of neglected education increasing
education increasing
State and Politics

Plight of neglected education increasing

The results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations for the current year, 2025, have recently been published. The average pass rate across the 11 education boards is 58.83 per cent. More than 1.2 million students took the exams, half of them girls. The pass rate has dropped by 18 per cent compared to last year. The poor results have caused an uproar on social media, as the failure of 41.17 per cent of candidates cannot be acceptable. When out of 1.2 million examinees, around half a million fail, questions are bound to arise.

Corruption, extortion part of political culture
political culture
State and Politics

Corruption, extortion part of political culture

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has spoken an unvarnished truth about extortion: the level of extortion and illegal levies has increased since 5 August 2024, and stopping extortion, bribery and corruption requires political commitment. Because an extortionist is not just an extortionist—he is also a political player. I had the opportunity to work directly with him when he was the Governor of Bangladesh Bank. Being a man of simple habits, he is free from greed. A CSP officer from the Pakistan era, he is also competent. Upon taking office as Finance Adviser, he said that the state of the economy was not as bad as people claimed. Yet, once in power, the new government’s political gimmick was to publish a white paper on the corruption of the previous one.

Why such large entourage when only 7 can attend UNGA
when only 7 can attend UNGA
State and Politics

Why such large entourage when only 7 can attend UNGA

Chief Adviser of the Interim Government Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus went to New York in the United States to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Along with seven advisers and officials of equivalent rank, six leaders from three political parties accompanied him—BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the Acting Chairman’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher and Dr Nakibur Rahman, National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain and Joint Convener Dr Tasnim Zara. Initially, Dr Nakibur Rahman and Tasnim Zara were not included in the delegation; they were later added at the request of Jamaat and NCP.

Cruelty is inevitable in a society intolerant of dissent
intolerant of dissent
Special Content

Cruelty is inevitable in a society intolerant of dissent

In Burichang, Comilla, a young man accused of stealing copper wire from Sakura Steel Mill was caught and tortured by setting two German Shepherd dogs upon him. The victim’s name is Shri Joy Chandra Sarkar, a scrap trader. In the viral video, two hunting dogs are seen biting the young man while several men beat him mercilessly with sticks. Helpless from dog bites and blows, the youth screamed in agony.

Which party will get the swing votes
Which party will get the swing votes
State and Politics

Which party will get the swing votes

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, has won a landslide victory in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election. For the first time, Shibir got the chance to do politics openly at Dhaka University, and with that chance, it crushed all the other student organisations in the election. The main rival was the BNP’s student wing, Chhatra Dal. But it would not be right to call Chhatra Dal a rival; they were sure of winning, just as the Awami League had expected in the 1991 general election.

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