United News of Bangladesh

Jahangirnagar University Central Student Union (JUCSU) has nominated five representatives including Vice President (VP) and General Secretary (GS) to serve on the university’s Senate. The decision was taken during JUCSU’s third executive meeting on Sunday night, based on the consents from other elected members.  The nominated representatives are VP Abdur Rashid Jitu, GS Md Mazharul Islam, Joint GS (male) Ferdous Al Hasan, Joint GS (female) Ayesha Siddika Meghla, and Environment and Nature Conservation Secretary Md. Safayet Mir. After the meeting, GS Mazharul said the five representatives were selected based on the majority opinion of the elected members and their representation in the Senate is an important aspect of JUCSU. JUCSU: Newly-elected VP Zitu vows to end sycophantic student politics During the meeting, the executive committee also discussed matters including the trial process for teachers accused in the July attack, academic reforms, grade tampering, various university development projects, and JUCSU’s funds. Under the Jahangirnagar University Act 1973, JUCSU has the authority to nominate five student representatives to the Senate.    

To maintain peace, order, and security on the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus, the university’s highest policy-making body, the Syndicate, has imposed a ban on all events taking place after 10pm. The directive was announced in an urgent press release signed by the university’s acting registrar Dr. ABM Azizur Rahman on Saturday evening. The notice said that, “In the interest of peace, order, and security on the Jahangirnagar University campus, any event after 10 pm has been banned until further orders.” It further warned that action would be taken against any organizers who continue events beyond the permitted time, in accordance with existing university regulations and state law.

Students of Dhaka University’s Chemistry Department have accused Professor Md Ershad Halim of sexually harassing several male students. The allegations were raised at a press conference held on Thursday night at the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA) office, where students demanded the professor’s permanent expulsion and the highest punishment under the law. The university authorities have already instructed Prof Ershad to refrain from all academic and administrative activities after two students filed complaints of sexual harassment. At the press conference, Ovik Chakraborty, a student of the 2022–23 session, said, “Such a psychopath, rapist and pervert exists in the department! The students cannot accept him as a teacher.” DU extends deadline for undergraduate admission application and payment He said seniors had previously warned them about Prof Ershad, but they did not take the warnings seriously. According to Ovik, “Students with vulnerabilities — academic, financial or mental — were his targets. He would first call them to his room, then to his house. He phoned students at midnight without reason and talked nonsense.” Describing a recent incident involving a victim, Ovik said, “One day, Prof Ershad called the victim to his house, asked him to take off his shirt and undressed himself. He then began physically and sexually assaulting him. Afterwards, he started blackmailing the victim.” He added, “On another day, the victim did not pick up his calls. Prof Ershad phoned repeatedly from different numbers and continued blackmailing him. Eventually, the victim went to his house, where he was tortured more severely throughout the night and threatened to remain silent.” Fazlul Haq Hall Vice-President and Chemistry Department student Khandakar Muhammad Abu Naim, who was also present, said, “This is a threat not only to Dhaka University but to the entire country. He must be taken into custody under the law as soon as possible.”  

Dhaka University has extended by three days the deadline for submitting applications and payments for its 2025–26 undergraduate admission programme. Applicants can now complete their submissions until 11:59 pm on November 19, 2025. Muhammod Rafiqul Islam, acting director of the university’s Public Relations Office, confirmed the extension on Thursday evening. This year, admission tests will be conducted under five separate units. The test for the Fine Arts Unit will be held on November 29, followed by the Business Studies Unit on December 6, the Arts, Law and Social Science Unit on December 13, and the Science Unit on December 20. The test for the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) will take place on November 28. All admission tests, except for the IBA, will be held from 11 am to 12:30 pm, while the IBA test will run from 10 am to 12 pm.

Jahangirnagar University (JU) will begin its admission tests for first-year students of the 2025–26 academic session (55th batch) on December 21, said JU’s acting registrar ABM Azizur Rahman on Wednesday. Regarding the schedule for individual units, Azizur Rahman said, “No decision has been taken yet about the specific dates for each unit’s test. We will finalise the unit-wise dates after considering the number of applicants and coordinating with the exam schedules of other universities.” Jahangirnagar University: Students struggle as mosquitoes take over Due to a high number of applicants, he said, each unit’s test will again be held in multiple shifts, including morning and afternoon. University authorities have said it is not possible to accommodate all candidates in a single day because of limited seats and infrastructural constraints.    

Activists of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) staged a motorbike showdown and overnight sit-in at the university gates on Wednesday night, centring the Awami League’s lockdown programme announced ahead of Thursday’s court verdict concerning ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Around midnight, JUCSU representatives began a motorbike procession from the Bot Tola area, parading through different parts of the campus. Following the showdown, Jaksu and hall union leaders took positions at all university entrances, maintaining overnight vigil and patrols. Speaking on the occasion, JUCSU General Secretary Mazharul Islam said, “Tomorrow, the fallen autocrat and killer Hasina’s verdict date will be announced. Awami League and its allies are planning acts of sabotage centring the verdict. We hope that the people of Bangladesh will finally see justice. From Jahangirnagar University, we want to send a clear message — we are united against the Awami League and its associates.” Jahangirnagar University suspends 16 students over ragging of freshmen Earlier, around 11:30 pm, leaders and activists of the JU unit of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti brought out a bike procession from the ‘Bot Tola’ area on the same issue. The procession marched through several campus roads before ending at the university’s main gate, where they later took position. Addressing the gathering, Jatiya Chhatra Shakti’s JU unit Joint Convener Zia Uddin Ayan said, “Chhatra Shakti has always been uncompromising when it comes to the country’s independence, sovereignty and democracy. We were on the streets in July, and today we are here again to resist all forms of conspiracies by Hasina and her forces.” “Any organisation that remains silent on the Awami League’s actions or attempts to rehabilitate them will also face our resistance,” he warned.  

Islami Bank Bangladesh and Islamic University, Kushtia have signed an agreement on ‘Online Fee Collection’. Under the agreement, students of the university will be able to pay all types of fees and other charges through any branch, sub-branch, or agent outlet of the bank, as well as via its digital platforms—CellFin and mCash. In the presence of Professor Dr Nakib Muhammad Nasrullah, Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University, Dr M Kamal Uddin Jasim, Additional Managing Director of Islami Bank and Dr Jahangir Alam, Treasurer of the university, signed the memorandum on behalf of their respective institutions. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr M Yeaqub Ali along with executives and officials from both institutions, attended the signing ceremony, according to a press release.

The application fee for admission to all cadet colleges across the country can now be paid conveniently through Nagad, the digital financial service arm of the Bangladesh Postal Department. As in previous years, no additional charge will be applied for making payments through Nagad, said a press release on Monday. Bangladesh currently has twelve cadet colleges — nine for boys and three for girls. The online application process began on November 1 and will continue until December 10, 2025, the release added. Applicants can pay their fees seamlessly using Nagad, making the admission process faster, simpler, and more affordable for students and their families. To apply, candidates or their guardians can visit the official cadet college admission websites — https://cadetcollege.army.mil.bd or https://cadetcollegeadmission.army.mil.bd After clicking on ‘Apply Now/Sign Up’, they must provide basic information such as name, mobile number, password, email address, and date of birth. Once registered, applicants can log in using their user ID and password, select ‘Nagad’ from the Payment option, and instantly pay the BDT 2,000 application fee. Nagad users will not incur any additional service or transaction fee, and a confirmation SMS will be sent upon successful payment. Mohummed Shahin Sarwar Bhuiyan, Chief Commercial Officer of Nagad, said the operator has made cadet college admission payments completely charge-free to make the process easier and more accessible for families across the country. “Nagad is committed to making education-related digital payments more convenient for everyone,” he added.

Government primary school teachers in Patuakhali on Sunday went on work abstention on Sunday in protest against the Saturday’s police action on teachers in Shahbagh and to press home their three-point demand. Though 1,235 primary schools in the district remained open academic activities remained suspended as most of the 10,000 assistant teachers refrained from teaching. Many students returned home after finding no teachers at the classrooms. The protesting teachers said they would continue the strike until their demands are met. Primary teachers continue protests for pay upgrade, advisers’ resignation Rumana Ferdous, headmaster of Patuakhali Government Primary School (no-100), said headmasters have also joined the protest extending support to the protesting teachers. Their demands are upgrading assistant teachers to the 10th grade pay scale, removing complexities in obtaining higher grades after 10 and 16 years of service, and ensuring 100 percent departmental promotion.

The Islamic University in Kushtia on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC to launch a seamless, campus-wide e-payment system that will allow students to pay all academic and administrative fees online. The signing ceremony was held in the Vice-Chancellor’s conference room on the campus around 3 pm. IU Treasurer Professor Mohammed Jahangir Alam and Islami Bank Additional Managing Director and Chief Human Resources Officer Kamal Uddin Jasim signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions. Islami Bank Jashore Zone Head and Executive Vice President Shafiul Azam chaired the event. IU Vice-Chancellor Professor Nakib Muhammad Nasrullah, Pro-VC Professor M Yeaqub Ali, and others were present on the occasion. Welcoming the initiative, IU VC described the e-payment system as a long-awaited breakthrough in student services. “For years, students have waited for a reliable, accessible digital payment solution. Today, that dream is becoming a reality,” he said. Islamic University JCD unit's 48-hr ultimatum to cancel teacher recruitment boards “We are grateful to Islami Bank for responding promptly to our call. This collaboration marks a major step toward modernizing our financial infrastructure,” he added. The new platform is expected to go live within the coming week, enabling students to pay tuition, examination, hostel, and other university-related fees securely and conveniently, anytime and anywhere, without the need for cash or bank visits.