As we enter the third year of this decade, we have only seven more years until 2030 to tackle the major global problems of climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

One significant dimension that has emerged in Bangladesh in recent decades is the expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Economists and policymakers, influenced by economists, tend to look at education as a homogeneous and highly aggregated category.

"[This] is an important collection of work to be made available to the architecture, planning and engineering community as a key cornerstone of continuing to build Bangladesh", Transcom GCEO Simeen Rahman writes in her foreword. 

Despite being small in terms of geography, Bangladesh currently ranks 8th in terms of population. Additionally, it is currently experiencing a demographic dividend, with 65.6% of its population being of working age.

It’s a tale of a little boy, moulded from the raw soils of a small town in the Jhenaidah district of Bangladesh, with lofty dreams. He swam against the currents of society at a very early age, to stay afloat in his river of artistic zeal. His dreams have carried him across seas in pursuit of liberty in the United States of America. He may have cloaked himself with the spell-bounding city lights of New York, but never forgot to nurture the small-town heart within.

Leading mobile financial service provider bKash has once again been ranked as the number one ‘Employer of Choice’ across all sectors for the third consecutive year, according to the results of the ‘Campus Track Survey B-school: 2022’ conducted by NielsenIQ.

“Competitions organised in our school have enriched our knowledge. We learned so many new things as well through this which turn our monotonous life into an interesting one. I really hope this continues and this happy learning journey keep continue in the long run”, said Lima Akhter, a student in 7th grade from Rangpur who attended annual campaigns in her school.

A five-year project has approached 331 School Management Committees (SMC) in the northern part of Bangladesh to ensure the health and other services for the students. SMCs of Nilphamari and Rangpur in the respective areas are becoming the changemakers through their leadership and cooperation jointly with the project titled Joint Action for Nutrition Outcome (JANO).

“We never had such in-depth knowledge about menstrual health or about physical and mental changes during the menstruation period. Sanitary napkins and other hygiene materials were not even accessible to us. Menstruation often caused being absent from the classes as well.”, expressed Akhi, a high school student of Ghonirampur Boro Gola High School of Taraganj Upazila under Rangpur.

“We are working for the adolescent, we’re listening to their physical and psychological issues carefully and trying to solve their problems within our reach. We are not only solving their problems but also discussing adolescent health and nutrition, physical and psychological changes in this period of life and many other things with them”, said Anowara Begum, a Family Welfare Officer in Motukpur Union Family Welfare Center under Domar upazila of Nilphamari.

Schools play a key role in educating children about basic knowledge like health, nutrition, hygiene, etc. With the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the people of Bangladesh, especially children, got impacted not only physically and mentally but also socially, economically and culturally. Social challenges like child marriage, child labor, dropout in schools, spreading of various superstitions, etc. increased simultaneously.

Bangladesh is all set to step into a new era of commuting with a new mode of public transport that has never been seen before -- the electricity-powered metro rail of Dhaka.

The Daily Star (TDS): Will the Dhaka Metro Rail bring a significant, qualitative change to the city’s traffic system?

The Daily Star (TDS): The MRT service is expected to save city dwellers from the menace of traffic congestion, improving the overall traffic situation of the city. How do you perceive the project’s impact?

Dhaka City’s horizon’s latest addition is the Metro Rail. Not only the modernization of the city’s infrastructure system, it also gives a clear message - we are proceeding to development as one of the most advanced cities that shows respect to its citizens.

The Daily Star (TDS): What changes will the MRT-6 bring to urban living experience?

When construction of the metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon began in the capital five years ago, the word ‘hardship’ became synonymous with the residents of Mirpur and the surrounding areas.

The long-awaited metro rail project is finally becoming a reality as the country’s first overhead electric train will be launched today, bringing with it excitement and also its share of challenges.

Sarah Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Practical Action, recently visited Bangladesh. During a conversation with The Daily Star’s Tanjim Ferdous, she discussed the various development initiatives that Practical Action is currently working on in Bangladesh, as well as their future plans for the country.