Armed men kidnapped more than 280 students, according to a teacher and a local resident. Abductions for a ransom are frequent in Africa's most populous country. Gunmen kidnapped over 280 students in an assault on a school in northwest Nigeria, according to a teacher and a resident — a tally that would make it one of the largest mass abductions in the country. Mass abductions for ransom are a frequent occurrence in Nigeria, where criminal gangs often target schools. However, these incidents had reduced until recently.  Officials from the local government in Kaduna State confirmed the attack on Kuriga school on Thursday, but did not specify the exact number of children abducted. What do we know about the kidnapping Sani Abdullahi, a teacher at GSS Kuriga school in the Chikun district told local authorities they were trying to determine the number of children abducted. "At GSS Kuriga, 187 children are unaccounted for, while in the primary school, 125 children were missing, with 25 returning," Abdullahi disclosed.  He said several students had managed to escape with the school staff while the gunmen were firing in the air. The AFP news agency said a nearby resident had informed them that the number exceeded 280. Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani told reporters in a press briefing on Thursday, "We will ensure that every child will come back. We are working with the security agencies." President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected to office on the promise of addressing the lack of security in the country. Nigeria's armed forces are engaged in various conflicts, including an insurgency movement in the northeast. A few days ago, several women were reported missing after suspected Islamist insurgents carried out a mass kidnapping in a remote area of northeastern Nigeria's Borno state. Last September, gunmen abducted more than 30 from a university in Zamfara state. More than 300 students had been kidnapped from a girl's boarding school in the town of Jangebe in Zamfara in 2021.

At least 46 people have been killed in a massive fire that broke out at a multi-storey commercial building on Bailey Road in the capital. A teacher and 12 students were reported dead. The fire broke out at a multi-storey building on Bailey Road in the capital around 9:50pm on Thursday ( Feb 29 ). So far 46 people have died.  In addition, at least 22 people were seriously burnt. It is feared that the death toll may increase further as none of them is out of danger.  

Of the 513 students who took their lives in the country in 2023. Female students accounted for 60.2 percent of these tragic incidents, with 309 cases, while male student suicides stood at 204, the shocking information was disclosed in a virtual press conference organised by the private organization Anchal Foundation on Saturday (Jan 27). The predominant factors leading students down the path of suicide were identified as vanity and love.   This revelation brings attention to the complex emotional struggles that young individuals face in their academic journeys. The press conference, titled 'Student Suicide in 2023: Now is the Time to Act,' stressed the need for immediate and comprehensive measures to address this growing crisis. The statistics indicate a marginal decrease in the overall student suicide rate compared to the previous year, with 532 recorded cases in 2022.   However, the alarming figure of 513 suicides in 2023 demands urgent attention and intervention. The victims belonged to various educational institutions, with 44 percent being school students, 27 percent college students, 19 percent university students, and over 9 percent madrasa students.   Besides, a significant 67 percent of the victims were aged between 13 and 19 years, highlighting the vulnerability of young students to mental health challenges.   The data further reveals that 19 of the students who committed suicide in 2023 were from public universities, with Dhaka University and Chittagong University recording the highest numbers. The Anchal Foundation emphasized that pride was the leading cause behind these suicides, accounting for more than 32 percent. Other contributing factors included love affairs (15 percent), mental health problems (10 percent), family quarrels (6 percent), domestic violence (over 1 percent), academic pressure (5 percent), failure in exams (4 percent), sexual harassment (3 percent), and humiliation (1 percent).       They emphasised the importance of enhancing social skills to prevent students from feeling isolated and recommend the teaching of patience as a crucial life skill.   The rising number of student suicides in 2023 is a distressing reality that demands immediate attention from educators, policymakers, and society as a whole. Efforts to address the root causes, including pride, and to foster emotional resilience and support systems, must be prioritized to prevent further loss of young lives. The Anchal Foundation's call to action resonates as a wake-up call for all stakeholders to work collaboratively in creating a safer and more supportive environment for students across the country. MAIN CAUSES OF STUDENT SUICIDES 'Emotional distress' emerged as the primary reason behind student suicides in Bangladesh last year, contributing to over 32 percent (165 cases) of these tragedies. Relationships and affairs were the second leading cause, accounting for 14.8 percent of the incidents. Mental health issues were identified in 9.9 percent of the cases, while domestic arguments and abuse contributed to 6.2 percent and 1.4 percent of the suicides. Other significant factors leading to student suicides included academic pressures and performance. Family pressure regarding studies led to 4.5 percent of the cases, while exam failures and underachievement in public exams were responsible for 3.4 percent and 1.8 percent of the suicides. Sexual harassment was also a critical factor, accounting for 2.5 percent of the student suicides, while another 0.8 percent of the cases were due to feelings of humiliation.   DHAKA LEADS IN STUDENT SUICIDE CASES AGAIN In 2023, Dhaka division saw the highest number of student suicides among Bangladesh's eight divisions, with a total of 149 cases, followed Chattogram with 89. In Rajshahi, the number was 77, while Khulna saw 64 cases of student suicides. Both Barishal and Rangpur divisions reported 43 cases each. Mymensingh had 36 student suicides, and Sylhet recorded the lowest number with 12 cases.  

In what may come as another setback in the already strained relationship between Canada and China, the Canadian government has published a list of 85 Chinese research institutions that “may pose” a threat to sensitive research and national security. Besides the 85 Chinese institutions, the list also includes six Russian and twelve Iranian organizations alleged to have some connections to “military, national defense or state security entities.” Global News reported that the list was published on the afternoon of January 17.  According to the Ottawa administration, the listing is part of an effort to protect Canadian research and development against economic espionage and theft in critical industrial sectors, such as advanced weapons, aerospace and space technology, and quantum science and technology.     François-Philippe Champagne, the federal industry minister, in a statement that “While its excellence and collaborative nature defines Canadian-led research, its openness can make it a target for foreign influence, increasing the potential risks for research and development efforts to be misappropriated to the detriment of national security.” The Federal government, however, stopped short of giving more specific information. Intriguingly, the federal authorities claimed during a technical briefing the same day that they were unsure of the extent to which Canadian research involved participants from overseas institutions. Speaking anonymously, one source informed reporters that “in defining the list, there would be an understanding of risk factors and how they relate to Canadian institutions but also to international institutions.” Additionally, officials could not estimate the cost of the new regulations for Canadian research institutes. But they did point out that there was a price for sensitive research being “exfiltrated” by outside parties without making a specific reference to China.   Champagne stated to a House of Commons committee in November last year that the government would not target any particular nation or business regarding the listing. However, it is evident from the list’s high concentration of Chinese groups that Canadian intelligence services regard to be the biggest threat. For instance, many organizations, such as the National University of Defence Technology, People’s Public Security University of China, and Rocket Force Command College, are directly affiliated with the Chinese military.     The development came when the bilateral relationship between the two countries spiraled, with sporadic incidents of military confrontations in the Indo-Pacific. Most of 2023 saw diplomatic tussles exacerbated by Canada’s accusations that China was meddling with its elections. The list was published just days after the two sides affirmed that they wished to maintain consistent communication to support what Beijing referred to as the “current difficult situation” in their bilateral relations.    China’s foreign ministry quoted Wang Yi last week saying, “The fundamental reason why China-Canada relations have fallen to a low point in recent years is that there has been a serious deviation in Canada’s perception of China.” Wang Yi was reportedly speaking to Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.    Several Countries In The West Are Wary Of China Given the widening rift between China and its rivals in the west led by the United States, such instances are hardly uncommon. Last June, when the Dutch government announced that it was contemplating screening foreign students planning to study in technical fields for possible security risks, it was seen as an attempt at restricting Chinese students.   At the time, the Dutch government clarified that the measure would apply to all students in the European Union and not just Chinese academics. However, the decision followed a Dutch intelligence assessment that Dutch universities had become an “attractive target” for spying, with China being the most significant threat. In a more recent incident, a report in the German publication Der Spiegel noted that security officials in Bavaria were advised to be wary of the large influx of Chinese students. The officials were most concerned about the grants from the China Scholarship Council (CSC), a state-run organization. Under the initiative, over 5,000 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students have been sent to Germany. Last year, the education minister of Germany demanded that student exchange policies with China be revised, noting the heightened risk of scientific espionage posed by Chinese students receiving full state scholarships and coming to study in Germany.   “China is becoming more and more competitive and is a systemic rival in the domain of science and research,” Bettina Stark-Watzinger said in an interview at the time. Western officials and analysts have frequently mentioned a secret service statute implemented in China in 2017 as a cause of concern. The statute allegedly mandated that “any organization or citizen shall support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work, according to the law.”   It gives the Chinese government the power to order any citizen or company operating in China to cooperate with the intelligence services. Essentially, it is an unrestrained license to spy. Western officials have maintained that several Chinese expats, visiting scholars, students, and businesses contribute to the Chinese espionage network by transmitting information back to their country of origin. China’s principal adversary and rival, the United States, was among the first to address these concerns. In September 2020, more than 1,000 Chinese citizens had their visas revoked by the US under a presidential order that barred admission to researchers and students judged security threats.   The acting head of the US Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, said that Washington was blocking visas “for certain Chinese graduate students and researchers with ties to China’s military fusion strategy to prevent them from stealing and otherwise appropriating sensitive research.” On every such occasion that has occurred over the last few years, China has decried these decisions as an unwarranted targeting of its citizens and a violation of their human rights. The Canadian list, thus, could intensify the already escalating tensions between Beijing and Ottawa.  

The metro rail station on the Dhaka University (DU) campus is set to open its doors on Wednesday (Dec 13), non-resident students are ecstatic to see their daily commute time reducing significantly. Taibur Rahman Sifat, a student of Dhaka University said, “Many students from Mirpur and Uttara previously suffered due to severe traffic congestion, spending hours in jams to reach the campus. The metro rail will bring relief to them enabling them to commute in just 20 minutes from Mirpur and under half an hour from Uttara.”  Demanding half fare for students, he said: “High fare of metro rail can be difficult for students to bear.”  Taibur hoped that university authorities would collaborate with metro rail authorities soon. Another student, Jannatul Mawa initially opposed the metro station due to environmental concerns, now appreciates the convenience it offers.   She told, “Now that I see that I won't miss classes in the morning, I won't waste hours on the road due to traffic jams, then it feels good.” Dr Mihir Lal Saha, a professor in the Botany Department, shared his enthusiasm, describing the metro rail as a realization of a dream.  “A country's development system is visible when their transportation system is visible. Transport system is very important for teachers-students-staff at the University,” he added. Addressing initial opposition to the placement of the metro rail station at TSC, Dr Saha acknowledged concerns related to noise pollution and overcrowding.   However, he underscored that the overall outcomes have been overwhelmingly positive, making commuting more accessible and efficient for the university community. Additionally, he commended the safety of the metro rail, deeming it a crucial aspect of the university's transportation landscape. Philosophy student Tanveer Ahmed also expressed his gratitude, considering the metro rail at TSC a blessing for ordinary students, particularly those who reside off-campus. He highlighted the newfound convenience and speed with which students can now reach various destinations covered by the Metrorail.   Labhlu, an employee at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), shared his personal experience, describing the metro rail as a beautiful and revolutionary addition for Bangladesh. He said: “My home is in Uttara. I have to come to office in TSC every morning. I am often late due to traffic jams. Now I can come to office on time using metro rail.”  

DHAKA, November 28, 2023 – U.S. Embassy Dhaka’s Education USA center hosted a meet-up between American undergraduate students and their Bangladeshi counterparts at the new EMK Center on Gulshan Avenue. The 13 American economics students traveled to Dhaka from Carleton College, one of the top ten liberal arts colleges in the United States (according to U.S. News and World Report).   Carleton students met with Bangladeshi students from several local institutions, including Scholastica, Aga Khan Academy, the University of Dhaka, and Jahangirnagar University to exchange ideas and foster a deeper understanding of U.S. higher education. The session also included a presentation on how the U.S. government supports economic growth in Bangladesh.  For the past decade, the number of Bangladeshi students pursuing higher studies in the United States have increased by more than 300%.  According to the 2023 Open Doors Report, the number of Bangladeshi students in the United States reached an all-time high (13,563) in the 2022-2023 academic year.  Education USA centers across Bangladesh offer free virtual and in-person advising for Bangladeshi students and scholars about the U.S. higher education application process.  Sessions include information on different types of academic programs, funding and scholarship opportunities, and U.S. government-sponsored academic and professional exchange programs.  For more information, please visit:   https://www.facebook.com/EdUSABangladesh or e-mail [email protected]. EMK Center Address: Level 6, CES(A) 1/A, Road, 113 Gulshan Ave, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh

DHAKA, November 28, 2023 – U.S. Embassy Dhaka’s Education USA center hosted a meet-up between American undergraduate students and their Bangladeshi counterparts at the new EMK Center on Gulshan Avenue. The 13 American economics students traveled to Dhaka from Carleton College, one of the top ten liberal arts colleges in the United States (according to U.S. News and World Report).   Carleton students met with Bangladeshi students from several local institutions, including Scholastica, Aga Khan Academy, the University of Dhaka, and Jahangirnagar University to exchange ideas and foster a deeper understanding of U.S. higher education. The session also included a presentation on how the U.S. government supports economic growth in Bangladesh.  For the past decade, the number of Bangladeshi students pursuing higher studies in the United States have increased by more than 300%.  According to the 2023 Open Doors Report, the number of Bangladeshi students in the United States reached an all-time high (13,563) in the 2022-2023 academic year.  Education USA centers across Bangladesh offer free virtual and in-person advising for Bangladeshi students and scholars about the U.S. higher education application process.  Sessions include information on different types of academic programs, funding and scholarship opportunities, and U.S. government-sponsored academic and professional exchange programs.  For more information, please visit:   https://www.facebook.com/EdUSABangladesh or e-mail [email protected]. EMK Center Address: Level 6, CES(A) 1/A, Road, 113 Gulshan Ave, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the faculty and students at Northeastern University to make greater contributions to the full revitalization of northeast China and Chinese modernization. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the call in a reply letter sent Friday, in which he extended his congratulations on the university's 100th anniversary and greetings to its faculty members, students and alumni. Since its inception, Northeastern University has cultivated a large number of talents, making positive contributions to the country as well as the nation, Xi said in the letter. He expressed the hope that the university can nurture more high-caliber talent, keep on reforming and innovating, expand its leading edge in strong disciplines, and continue to produce high-level scientific research results. Northeastern University was founded in 1923. Its faculty and students recently wrote to Xi, vowing to seize the opportunities brought about by the full revitalization of the northeast and contribute more to the country.

Chinese business community and Bangladesh-China Alumni called for Overseas Bangladeshi students to return home and contribute to their homeland’s development at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023 which took place on Friday morning at Bangabandhu Bangladesh–China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal, Dhaka. HighlightingChinese companies’unwavering confidence in Bangladesh market, Mr. KeChangliang, the President of CEAB, unveiled a robust localization strategy being adopted by Chinese business communityin a move to tap into global expertise to drive localized solution that cater to unique business environment of Bangladesh.  “Most Chinese companies are going through reforms in Bangladesh in the direction for setting up regional HQ and deepening localization. During this BRI in Bangladesh Exhibition, there will be a job fair for Bangladeshi returnee students from China.I hope through this job fair, both Bangladeshi returnee students can get good offers and Chinese companies can source the right people. We will set up a long-term platform for such talent matching activities, ”He said in his opening speech. Mr. Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Chairman of Association of Bangladesh-China Alumni (ABCA) and former Ambassador of Bangladesh to China, welcomed Chinese business community’s localization trend and underscored the valuable skills and experiences that Bangladeshi returnee students could bring to their homeland as assets that align seamlessly with Bangladesh’s vision for growth and innovation. Executive Chairman of BIDA of Prime Minister’s OfficeMr. Lokman Hossain Miah, Minister Counsellor, Charge d’affaires of Chinese Embassy in BangladeshH.E. Mr. Yan Hualong,Vice Chairman of EPBMr. A.H.M Ahsan,Additonal Secretary and Wing Chief of ERD,Ministry of FinanceMr. Md. Anwar Hossain, and President of BCCCIMr. Gazi Golam Murtoza also addressed at the Seminar. The Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh Exhibition 2023, hosted by Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh in association with Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB)and  Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), brought together a total of 400 government officials, diplomats and business professionals to network and explore strategies for facilitating cooperation between Bangladeshi and Chinese business communities.  The Exhibition took place from 8-10 September 2023, aiming to review the fruitful results of the proposed Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh during its 10 years track and propose approaches to strengthen bilateral cooperation so as to  drive ever-lasting socio-economic growth of Bangladesh.

The results of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams were published on July 28, where the overall pass rate is 80.39 percent which is 7.05 percentage point lower than last year’s.   Last year, 87.44 percent students passed the SSC and equivalent exams.   Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni and Deputy Minister for Education Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury formally handed over the SSC results of 2023 to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban here this morning.   A total of 20 lakh 41 thousand 450 students participated in the exams. Of them, 16 lakh 41 thousand 140 students have passed.  Of the successful students, 7 lakh 96 thousand 404 are male and 8 lakh 44 thousand 736 are female.   This year, 1,83,578 students got the GPA-5. Of  them, 84,964 are male and 98,614 are female students.   In the nine general education boards, some 13,22,446 students passed out of  16,33,919 - where some 6,16,071 are male and some 7,06375 are females.    A total of 1,59,220 students got the highest Grade Point Average (GPA-5) in the SSC exams.   In the Madrasah Education Board, a total of 2,12,964students - 1,00,950 male and 1,12,014 female - passed out of 2,85,087 students. Of them, some 6213 students got GPA-5.   In the Technical Education Board, 1,05,730 students – 79,383 male and 26,347 female – passed out of total1,22,444 students. Of them, 18,145 students got the GPA-5.    The pass rates in different education boards of the country are: 77.50 percent in Dhaka Board, 90.1 percent in Barishal Board, 78.3 percent in Chattogram Board, 78.4 in Cumilla Board, 76.8 percent in Dinajpur Board, 86.2 percent in Jashore Board, 87.9 percent in Rajshahi Board, 76.1 percent in Sylhet Board, 85 percent in Mymensingh Board, 83.4 percent in the Technical Education Board, and 74.7 percent in the Madrasah Board.    A total of 375 students appeared in the exams through the exam centers abroad and of them, 320 students have passed.    Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni held a press briefing on the SSC and equivalents exams results at 11am at the International Mother Language Institute here. “We are pledge-bound to build a smart Bangladesh. The results have been published in a total paperless system,” said the education minister in her speech at the press briefing, adding the candidates will get their results directly on the mobile phones.   Deputy Minister for Education Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury, senior secretary of Technical and Madrasah Education Department M Kamal Hossain, Higher Secondary Education Secretary Suleman Khan and Chairmen of all education boards, among others, were present at the briefing.   Students of 29,798 institutions under 11 education boards, including nine general education boards, took part in this year's examination at 3,810 centers.