WHO to help develop vaccines locally

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday committed Bangladesh to provide technical support for developing vaccines locally and strengthen comprehensive service through one-stop community clinics, reports BSS.
“WHO has sent three teams of experts to Bangladesh last year and gave a roadmap to the government how to develop vaccines locally,” Margaret Chan, director general of WHO, told journalists at a crowded press conference in the health ministry hours before she leave Dhaka after two-days official visit.
Chan, who was flanked by Health Minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haque, State Minister for Health Mujibur Rahman Fakir and other government and WHO officials, said the government has to invite private sector investment in the development of vaccines, the market of which can initially be in Bangladesh due to its huge population.
“You have to meet international requirement and provide quality assurance before you think of exporting vaccine made in Bangladesh,” Chan said adding Bangladesh has every facilities to develop vaccines. She, however, said the country would be required high investments for it and WHO would try to woo international agencies like USAID to fund for such projects.
The WHO chief executive said the H1N1 vaccines would reach Bangladesh by this month under WHO’s technical supports programme, but warned Bangladesh that it should not be complacent against swine flu virus. She said the country should remain vigilant against the novel flu that gripped almost every country in the world but now in a declining trend.
Chan, who visited model community clinics in Chowgachha in Jeassore and cyclone Aila affected areas in Ashashuni in Satkhira on Monday, said the one- stop centres in Chowgachha has impressed her. Now the challenge is, she said, is to replicate the good practices to other parts of the country and world as well.
“What I saw on the ground was very good,” she said adding Bangladesh has not only made progress in primary healthcare and millennium development goals 4 and 6 but also achieved certain progress in disaster management. She said the country is on the track to attain MDGs on child survival and infectious disease control.

Islami univ bill

Report placed in JS

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Education Ministry on Tuesday placed its report on ‘The Islami University (Amendment) Bill 2010’ in the House, reports BSS.
Committee Chairman Rashed Khan Menon placed the report with recommendations for passage of the bill in an amended form.
Earlier on January 25 last, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid introduced the bill with a proposal to turn Islami University into an educational and residential university with authority to incorporate the fazil and kamil madrasha courses into it.
The provisions on constituting syndicate, academic committee on madrasha, curriculum committee, formulating ordinance related to fazil and kamil courses, floating funds for madrasha education and related regulations have been proposed in the bill.

Weather

Dry weather likely

Prevailing dry weather is likely to continue over the country till 6pm today (Wednesday), reports UNB.
Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
The sun sets in the capital today at 6:06pm and rises on Thursday at 6:12am.
Country’s highest temperature 36.8 degree Celsius was recorded Tuesday at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 14.7 degrees at Srimongal.

Local students selected for Intl public speaking competition

Two local students have been selected on Tuesday for participating at the final round of an International Public Speaking Competition to be held in London, UK in May next, reports BSS.
UK-based English Speaking Union (ESU) will organize the global event of the competition in London while ESU Bangladesh chapter organized on Tuesday’s country based round for Bangladeshi students here at Scholastica School auditorium on Tuesday.
The jury board headed by Head of the English Department of Dhaka University Rebeca Huq selected two best performers as champion Aiman Ahmed of Scholastica School and runner up Ashiqul Alam of RAJUK Uttara Model School and College after the competition.
Sixteen Participants aged between 16 and 20 from three different schools and colleges took part at the on Tuesday’s public speaking competition on issues based on a broad-based topic titled “Speculation on Our Future”.
ESU Bangladesh Chapter President Asif A Chowdhury and General Secretary Maj Gen (retd) Jibon Kanai Das and other member of the chapter were present on the occasion.
ESU, which aims to create global understanding through English and promote the language as the medium for the country’s interaction with the outside world launched its Bangladesh chapter in January this year.

Global support sought for women empowerment

Bangladesh has sought increased global support for women empowerment, reports BSS.
“We are committed to eliminating gender discrimination as well as ensuring women empowerment and we have continued our endeavor in this regard,” Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Dr A K Abdul Momen said at the 54th assembly of UN commission on the Status of Women, according to a message received here on Tuesday.
Referring to various achievements of the Bangladesh government in women empowerment, he said world leaders need to come forward side by side the government efforts to establish women empowerment and eliminate gender discrimination.
Mentioning that the gender issue is one of the priorities of Sheikh Hasina’s government, he said the government is providing opportunity of free education to the female students up to higher secondary level. “The government is trying to extend the free education facilities for the women up to bachelor level,” he said.
He said women have occupied the posts of Prime Minister, leader of the opposition, deputy leader of the parliament, foreign minister, home minister, agriculture minister and women affairs minister in Bangladesh which proves that the government is sincere about women empowerment.
He also informed the assembly of various successful safety net programmes of Bangladesh, which are being run jointly by the government and non- government organizations.
He also informed that the success of non-formal education and micro credit has contributed significantly to the development of women.
Mentioning that a major part of limited resources of Bangladesh is being used to face the adverse effects of climate change, Dr Momen drew attention to the promise of the developed nations to provide assistance of two percent of their national income for the developing countries for attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Betar signs deal to broadcast Deutsche Welle programmes

Bangladesh Betar on Tuesday signed an agreement with Deutsche Welle to broadcast regularly the programmes of the German radio, reports BSS.
Bangladesh Betar Director General Md Mahbubul Alam and Managing Director of Deutsche Welle Academy Gerda Meuer signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.
Information Minister Abdul Kalam Azad, Information Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and German Ambassador in Dhaka Holger Michael were present at the signing ceremony, held at the information ministry.
Under the agreement, Betar will soon start broadcasting Deutsche Welle programmes through its FM network in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur. The 30-minute live programme can be heard on 97.6 megahertz twice daily starting at 8 am and 8 pm.
In addition, Deutsche Welle will extend journalist exchange programme that was established in 1975. The exchange programme will also facilitate training to technical staff of Betar and will support it with necessary technical support.
The three-year agreement will also generate over $52,000 revenues annually for Betar.
In 2007, Betar in collaboration with Deutsche Welle produced a programme on climate change. The programme titled “Living with the forces of Nature” received gold in 2008 at the International Radio Festival in New York.

Edn ministry now more transparent: Nahid

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Tuesday claimed that his ministry is now more transparent, corruption-free and dynamic in comparison to any time in the past, reports BSS.
The Ministry of Education is playing a pioneering role in shaping the country’s education system as well as image of the government.
An official handout in a clarification said that a section of newspapers published a report captioned ‘Education ministry is a den of corruption,’ quoting the education minister’s recent speech at Rangpur Carmichael College on March 6. The education minister in that speech, actually, referred to various irregularities, corruption and mismanagement in the National University during the time of the past four-party alliance government. The minister never uttered anything like ‘Education ministry is a den of corruption.’
The report was totally fabricated, false, misleading and motivated and it tarnished the image of the minister as well as the ministry, the handout said adding the education minister has expressed his utter resentment, dissatisfaction and frustration over it.
Nahid, after assuming office of the education ministry, took a clear stand against corruption, misuse and mismanagement. He made repeated warning against all sorts of irregularities.

Govt to bring 4,500 unions under ICT network

The government has undertaken a mega plan to bring the country’s 4,500 unions under modern information communication technology (ICT) , reports BSS.
Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) will soon invite tenders to install optical cable in 1,000 unions. Installation of the cable has already been completed in 259 upazilas.
Installation of the cable is an important step toward the implementation of the government’s election pledge for a digital Bangladesh, BTCL Managing Director ASM Khabiruzzaman told BSS.
He said that a high-level meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday with PM’s Principal Secretary MA Karim in the chair to review the progress of the work.
The PM’s principal secretary is the coordinator of Domestic Network Coordination Committee while the BTCL managing director member of the body.
The meeting authorized Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Maj Gen (Retd) Zia Ahmed to monitor cable installation by the public and private companies.
Concerned sources said the BTCL has undertaken a project to install a 200-line digital exchange and optical fibre cables in all unions at an initial cost of Taka 5,000 crore.
This project would provide technical assistance to connect all unions with capital Dhaka via internet, the BTCL managing director said.
The BTCL has already taken some more projects, including Taka 290-crore ‘Infophone’, to bring the country’s 4,498 unions under a single network, he added.
Taka 1700-crore Next Generation Network (NGN) project is awaiting approval of the Planning Commission.
A meeting was held at the post and telecommunications ministry last week to review progress of the work on installation of digital exchange and fibre optic cable at the union level.
Chaired by the ministry’s secretary Sunil Kanti Bose, the meeting asked the concerned officials to collect more information on different aspects from all unions to finalize a realistic project.

Entrepreneurs urged to uplift ICT dev

Post and Telecommunications Minister Raziuddin Ahmed Razu on Tuesday urged the private entrepreneurs to come forward, along with government efforts, to strengthen the country’s position in the information communication technology (ICT) highway, reports BSS.
“There is no alternative to ICT to face the challenges of 21st Century,” he said while inaugurating a project on the use of technology for development of small and marginal businessmen and entrepreneurs.
Bangladesh Telecentre Network (BTN) organised the function at Bangabandhu Navotheatre in the city, said an official release.

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