Memories of my father are keeping me awake tonight. Two hours to Fajr Azan on the Friday before Independence Day.

On January 13, 2010 a ban was imposed on corporal punishment by the divisional bench declaring it as “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and a clear violation of a child's fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom.”

Nowadays, one need not go beyond their locality to discover a signboard of yet another newly established school advertising their use of some “new technology”, specifically “digital blackboards” (apparently meant to act as a magical word). Their proclamations, along with the increasing roster of academics and educators who regularly endorse a change in the prevailing classroom dynamics of the country, begs the question: how do we effectively modernise the classroom in full view of their practical shortcomings?

The latest incident of the Rohingya refugee influx into Bangladesh has produced a scenario which is different from earlier influxes in two aspects: one is humanitarian, which can be legally interpreted in various ways, from forced displacement to genocide. Killings, torture, rape, forced expulsion and starvation has driven nearly one million Rohingyas to take refuge in Bangladesh since August 2017.

There are over 50 million people in Bangladesh who access and use financial services from their mobile phones.

On March 16, at the UN, the Committee for Development and Policy (CDP) in its First Triennial Assessment meeting cleared Bangladesh's eligibility for graduation to a developing country. After our independence in 1971, what could be more glorious than this announcement, since Bangladesh was once despised by Henry Kissinger as a “bottomless basket." Now, this is the moment of truth, rejoice and

Vygotsky, a Soviet educational psychologist, describes learning as a social process in his socio-cultural theory of human learning. According to this concept, learning takes place first at the social level through interactions with others. Another aspect of his theory is the idea that the learners are mentally prepared to a certain level and they require support from a teacher or more experienced peers in order to fully develop.

On Friday, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the United Nations human rights chief, called for allegations of atrocities committed against the Rohingyas to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution.

The increase in the burden of chronic diseases globally has called for greater measures in ensuring safe and effective patient treatment.

Dr Afzalunnessa, retired professor of anaesthesiology, was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University at its third convocation on February 19 in recognition for her four decades of service to anaesthesiology in Bangladesh.

Like many millennials who grew up reading Muhammed Zafar Iqbal's coming-of-age novels Hatkata Robin, Dipu Number Two, Amar Bondhu Rashed and his sci-fi books, I was once fascinated by every word that he wrote.

Violence against and violation of women result from “some of the worst forms of discrimination” that continue unabated in a variety of ways: mistreatment, harassment, lewd stares, groping, maiming, raping, and even murdering. With choices that matter to women in their hands, men seem to have been endowed with an arcane sense of entitlement to do as they wish with the lives of women.

There are few things that could make a college student so disgusted at her fellow countrymen to make her want to not live in that country anymore. Being molested by a mob of men on the streets—supposedly there in celebration of a major milestone of this country's independence—is definitely one of them.

Today is International Women's Day, a day to celebrate how far we have come in our journey towards gender equality. It is also an opportunity to take stock of how much more we need to do for a Planet 50-50 by 2030, where no woman or girl will suffer from gender-based discrimination and violence—a commitment that we made when UN Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2016.

As we reflect on International Women's Day and on the extraordinary and empowered women in our lives—leaders in politics, business, education, civil society, in entertainment and in our homes—we must also address the barriers other women face across the world.

The March 7 address by Bangabandhu—the great poetry of our emancipation—is a time-tested speech. This great speech still ignites people. It flames forth our unquenchable thirst for justice. It makes us move in tune with the spirit of the Liberation War. Martha Nussbaum calls it a 'love', and thus distinguishes it from the simple embrace of principles. This love involves the feeling that the nation is one's own.

People of Bangladesh know very well the intrinsic value of the historic speech delivered by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib on March 7, 1971. A country of the South and its leadership in the struggle for national emancipation has too often been presented through the prism of the North, the power base of most things on earth.

Since I left home to pursue higher studies, I have been visiting my parents, in the village, two to three times a year.

Although steps are being taken to initiate the return of Rohingya refugees, the likelihood of this happening remains low.

I would like to say with the utmost earnestness that a prosperous Bangladesh needs a very vibrant, free media. A thriving Bangladesh needs journalism of the highest standard. It does not need restrictive laws like the proposed Digital Security Act. Instead, a buoyant Bangladesh needs a very competitive private sector, a highly disciplined banking sector and an accountable and transparent administration.