Haque Specialized Group's News

A  national daily reported recently that the government was going to create posts of senior teachers for government secondary schools. This is a welcome move as promotion of government school teachers was very limited. At present there are three tiers of teachers namely, assistant teacher, assistant headmaster and headmaster. After creation of the post the tires will be four, such as, assistant teacher, senior teacher, assistant headmaster and headmaster.  The newly created post will facilitate recruitment of new teachers in over two thousand vacant posts in government secondary schools across the country. It will also pave the way for promotion in the vacant posts of assistant headmasters and headmasters. An assistant teacher will get promotion to the post of senior teacher after serving for six years. Thanks to the government and particularly officials concerned for making such a forward looking proposal.  At this stage, I would like to request the authorities concerned to re-designate assistant teachers as teachers. If the authority accepts it, there will be the four tires for teachers as teacher, senior teacher, assistant headmaster and headmaster.  Md Ashraf Hossain    120, Central Bashabo, Dhaka-1214   mah120cb@yahoo.com  ....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:05

THIS refers to your editorial "Promoting women entrepreneurship" (FE- March 21). Women entrepreneurship has been recognised as an important source of economic growth. Women entrepreneurs create new jobs for themselves and others and also provide society with different solutions to management, organisation and business problems. However, they often face gender-based barriers. The write up referred to as above reveals the fact that today women hold up half the sky. They all have reached the top of the male-dominated world and delivering significant outcomes. It is rightly pointed out that "Financial institutions, including banks, should embark on a pro-active programme to bring women under their credit schemes by providing financial tools and training". There are several other women from different walks of life who hold the power to constantly inspire and influence the youths. Their accomplishments are formidable on their own, and even more so given how hard it can be to make inroads into industries and job titles traditionally dominated by men. Over time they have overpowered all the challenges and negative thinking and proved themselves beyond the expectations in all spheres of entrepreneurship. It is time to open our eyes, and change our mindset about women at every level. Vinod C. Dixit B-15 Jyotikalash Society Jodhpur Tekra, S. M. Road Ahmedabad, India dixitpatrakar@yahoo.in....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:04

International Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Gawher Rizvi on Friday said blood donors play the noble task of serving people in their hard time from the feeling of getting unbounded happiness. He said happiness that comes from materialistic success has limit but joy for humanitarian service like blood donation extends beyond anything else. "Materialistic success has a limit. But when we extend our help and go forward for others' welfare overlooking personal interests, we then get the unbounded joys. Blood donors also get such feelings donating blood regularly," The PM's adviser was addressing as the chief guest a reception for blood donors at National Press Club. Quantum Foundation organised the reception for 183 blood donor members of its silver and golden clubs for donating blood 10 times and 25 times respectively. They were honoured with crests, certificates and medals. President of Bangladesh Medical Association Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin addressed the function as special guest while Honorary Director of Quantum Foundation and professor of Haematology Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Dr ABM Yunus and Chief Coordinator of the foundation Nahar Al Bokhari spoke. Thalassemia patients Sabika Rahman Ashfia and Kawsar-as Sadia also spoke on behalf of blood recipients and donors on the occasion. The chief coordinator said blood cannot be collected by imposing any law. Only those caring for and having the feeling of serving the humanity can donate blood. At the function a data was projected which shows since 2000 Quantum Foundation has been able to serve people with 8,58,497 units of blood. It provides blood divided into eight components. The foundation thus has been saving lives of four people with one unit blood since 2003.....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:04

Four local private companies have expressed their interest to form joint venture (JV) company with the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) to buy or charter mother vessels for carrying crude oil, officials said. They submitted proposals to the BSC as the Corporation invited expression of interest (EoI) from national investors/bidders for operating (through chartering or procurement) of mother tankers to carry oil for the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), they added. The ministry of shipping (MoS) this week formed a six-member committee, led by BSC managing director H R Bhuiyan to evaluate the proposals. The committee has been asked to scrutinise those in line with the Public Procurement Rules-2008. Officials said Saif Powertec, Fazle Shipping Lines, and East Coast Shipping Lines are among the companies which expressed their interest to partner with BSC. Contacted over phone, Mr Bhuiyan told the FE an inter-ministerial committee will evaluate the proposals submitted to the BSC for partnership. "We have worked out a plan. Now we will see how befitting the proposals are with the plan. Whether the BSC will be a beneficiary (from the partnership) is of ultimate importance to us," he said.       He said the BSC will go for joint venture only after it finds the partnership bringing benefit for the Corporation. Mr Bhuiyan said the Corporation is now badly in need of vessels.   Earlier, Saif Powertec, a terminal operator at Chittagong port, first expressed its interest to go for a joint venture to buy or charter vessels for carrying crude oil. Following this, the BSC sought permission of the MoS to start negotiation with the company. Then the BSC invited EoI to find whether other companies were interested for partnership with it, officials said. The BSC, having only a few age-old ships, invited private sector companies two years back to go for joint venture to get vessels for carrying out its tasks. But none came forward for a tie-up with the Corporation for the same. Officials said presently the Corporation only gets commission for chartering vessels for carrying oil for the BPC. If the proposed JV company can buy vessels or charter vessels for transportation of crude oil, it will bring good profits for the Corporation. Presently, the BSC carries crude oil by chartering foreign vessels as it has no mother oil tanker in its fleet to do it. The BPC annually imports 1.3 million tonnes of crude oil from two Middle Eastern oil companies Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco.   Presently, the BSC has a mixed fleet of five vessels having carrying capacity of nearly 0.076 million tonnes. The fleet comprises one container vessel, two multipurpose cargo vessels and two lighterage tankers. Established in 1972, the BSC is entrusted with the responsibility of carrying bulk cargo, food grain and crude oil, chartering, tramping and feeder services, unloading and providing agency service and ship repairing.     syful-islam@outlook.com....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:04

The Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has noted that various projects are undertaken and their costs are estimated without making proper studies. The IMED observation has come after evaluation of nine ongoing projects. Undertaking of projects going beyond time and exceeding the expenditure mentioned in the original development project proformas (DPPs) leads to waste of public fund, it observed. The IMED also urged the land ministry not to change any project director (PD) before completion of a project. The Division noted that the PDs are frequently changed. The IMED placed before the parliamentary standing committee on public assurance in its 30th meeting the evaluation report on five ongoing projects for the FY 2015-16 and four projects for the FY 2016-17 which are to be completed by this fiscal. In 2015-16, only one project of land ministry was completed. It suggested appointment of full-time PDs for important projects and urged the ministry not to change them before completion of the projects. Citing an example, the IMED noted that the ministry transferred the PD of one project through an order issued on February 8 last although the project is supposed to be completed by June. The PD had been implementing the project since October 2012. But the ministry transferred him saying that the project might not be completed within the stipulated time by the new PD. The IMED also recommended action against officials involved in undertaking foreign trips violating the DPPs. The IMED made the evaluation as the European Union (EU) found irregularities while conducting an audit of an EU-funded project between November 2012 and October 2013 and suggested ministry action against it. The EU, on its part, restricted the power of the PD to spend the project money and took it back under its control since September 2014. As the land ministry has been implementing a number of land management modernisation projects at the field level by using different pieces of software, the IMED suggested use of one standard piece of software both centrally and at the field level. IMED also found that no provision was kept on appointing necessary manpower for projects. That's why the IMED recommended a provision for appointing the required manpower and suggested their recruitment as soon as the DPPs are approved. The land ministry has been implementing 11 projects for the FY 2015-16 at a cost of Tk 1.42 billion. In 2016-17, the ministry has been implementing 11 projects at a cost of Tk 2.45 billion. Of these projects of 2017 fiscal, seven will be implemented by the ministry and four by the land record and survey department.     msshova@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:04