Home  -  Back Issues  -  The Team  -  Contact Us
    Volume 9 Issue 7 | February 12, 2010|

  Letters
  Voicebox
  Cover Story
  Musings
  Current Affairs
  Writing the Wrong
  Politics
  Achievement
  Event
  Reflections
  Travel
  Art
  Fiction
  Neighbours
  Health
  Star Diary
  Write to Mita
  Post Script

   SWM Home


Letters

Stop This Nuisance!

Student politics is neither for the students nor of the students. This unfortunate truth has once again been proved, as a promising student of Dhaka University had to sacrifice his life during a clash between the two groups of Bangladesh Chatra League. It is a fact of life in our universities that academic calendars will be messed up due to political disturbance. It is a sad reality that the residential halls will become hotbeds of extortion and tender manipulation, aided and abetted by so-called student leaders. But when a talented student who is an innocent bystander is killed in cold blood, that should be the last straw! Parents send their beloved children in the hope that they would come out with a higher degree but it is a matter of great regret when they return home in a shroud. How pitiful and unbearable it is for the parents! The dead student's parents could at least console themselves if he had been involved with any political organisation. Now how can Abu Bakar's parents console themselves knowing that he had never been involved in active politics, but had only concentrated on academic excellence? Many ordinary and talented students, who are not involved with any political party at all, have been sacrificing their lives on the altar of our "glorious" student politics!
In whose interest is student politics anyway? Student politics is not about students' issues. The student organisations are no more than sidekicks for the political parties, and act as their musclemen. The criminalisation of student politics is clear for all to see. Yet, in our talks shows and seminars there are those who defend student politics. We are reminded of the struggle of the 60s and 70s. But those were occasions when the entire nation rose up -- it has nothing to do with the student politics of the present day. If the well-being of the country is dependent on our youth getting a proper education, then student politics should be banned without delay in the greater interest of the nation!
Mohammad Zia-ul-Haque
English department
International Islamic University
Chittagong

Concentration of Private Universities in the Capital

I was glad to notice the statement of University Grant Commission (UGC) in the Voice Box of the Star (29-01-2010). The UGC has stated, “out of 84 public and private universities seven public and forty two private universities; means ninety; are located in the capital region; which shows regional discrimination. It is also an obstacle in the spread of balance in all regions”. It concludes only a total of thirty-five public and private universities are scattered in the rest of the country.
Steps must also be taken to ensure the quality of teachers at private universities. The institutions must have proper facilities for the students. The government must help the universities outside Dhaka to achieve the goal of providing quality education.
I would urge the government to stop licensing universities in and around Dhaka for at least five years. Teachers of private institutions should be recruited through competitive exams.
Dr. Lailun Nahar
Shyamoli, Dhaka

Scientific Facts or Fiction?
While reading a Bangla newspaper, I saw an article there that startled me. It was about Supernova. It said that the alignment of three particular stars is called Supernova. This disturbed me. Supernova is the explosion when a dead star collapses onto itself. The published misinformation may mislead readers. I saw another article that said famous scientist Sattyandranath Bose found an error in Einstein's experiment and corrected it. That is how 'Bose Einstein theory' was formed. This bit is false as well. Because, although there is a theory called 'Bose Einstein theory' regarding force carrying particles called bosons, the statement that Bose identified and corrected Einstein's errors is not at all true. The fact that this kind of misinformation is published in a national newspaper makes me wonder: are they printing scientific facts or fiction?
Asif Imran Khan
Khasdobir, Sylhet

Allocation of Funds for Research
University is considered the highest platform for education. In our country we have many have public and private universities. But the research facilities in our public universities are very limited. There are some reasons behind this. Usually the government allocates tiny funds, and private sector doesn't cooperate in research on a large scale. But we know that many countries have developed themselves by expanding research facilities in their educational institutions. In developed countries they invented cutting edge technology through research. So, the government should allocate more funds for research and the private sector should also come forward to cooperate in research facilities to develop new technology.
Md. Mahi Uddin
Department of Business Administration
Shahjalal University of Science & Technology
Sylhet


Submission Guideline:

Letters to the Editor, Star Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While The Star welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. The Star does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups ranges from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.
All materials should be sent to: The Star magazine, 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <thestarmagazine@gmail.com>
It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to The Star take a look at a sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine

 

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2010