The government has initiated a plan to enhance housing, medical, and festival allowances for teachers and employees working in MPO-enlisted private educational institutions.

To facilitate this, the Ministry of Education has sent a formal request to the Ministry of Finance, seeking an additional allocation of Tk 769.34 crore in the 2025–26 fiscal budget. The letter, signed by the Education Adviser, emphasized that ensuring the welfare of teachers is a fundamental responsibility of the government.

The adviser pointed out that in the past, reductions in the education budget and a greater focus on infrastructure development created disparities in teachers’ living standards. Addressing these inequalities and strengthening the social status of teachers and staff, the letter stated, requires higher investment in the education sector.

The proposal also highlighted that while teachers’ festival allowances were previously raised from 25% to 50%, staff allowances did not exceed 50%, leaving many frustrated. To resolve this, a demand has been placed to raise staff festival allowances to 75%.

In a deeply symbolic moment, the younger brother of Felani—whose death at the border became a haunting reminder of BSF’s brutality—has officially joined the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

On Thursday, Arfan Hossain received his appointment letter from Lt. Colonel Mehedi Imam, commanding officer of the battalion.

“Serving my country was my parents’ dream. After Felani’s killing, we were determined to join BGB. Today, that dream has come true,” Arfan said emotionally.

Felani’s father, Nur Islam, recalled the tragic incident: “The BSF shot my underage daughter like a bird and left her hanging on the fence. That scene still haunts me. But the nation and BGB stood by us.”

BGB confirmed that Arfan passed the recruitment exam and will begin training on September 19.

Breaking from tradition, the Ekushey Book Fair will not be held in February next year.
The Bangla Academy announced that the 2026 edition will begin on December 17, 2025, and run until January 17, 2026, citing the upcoming national elections and Ramadan.
The decision was finalized at a meeting on the fair’s schedule.

Tension gripped Comilla’s Homna upazila on Thursday morning after mobs attacked and set fire to four shrines following announcements made over loudspeakers.
The violence erupted in Asadpur village after police detained a man named Mohsin over alleged derogatory remarks about religion on social media.
Agitators gathered at Kofil Uddin Shah’s shrine and later vandalized and torched three others—Kalai Shah, Hawali Shah, and Abdu Shah shrines. Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved.

Faiz Ahmad Tayyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, criticized the practice of allocating disproportionate development funds to ministers’ constituencies while neglecting other areas.
“Depriving people of development opportunities is unacceptable. This practice must stop,” he said.
He directed the Water Development Board to prepare for eviction drives in coordination with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, ordered rural electricity authorities to cut illegal connections, and urged the power division to ensure industrialists are not harassed.
Tayyeb also announced a marathon on the Gomti River this winter and called for peaceful cooperation to ensure smooth Durga Puja celebrations.

Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has expressed confidence that the upcoming Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) and Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) elections will be held fairly.

Chowdhury said there were no security concerns, noting that lessons learned from the Dhaka University (DUCSU) and Jagannath University (JUCSU) polls would be applied. He added that universities may opt for OMR-based result counting to expedite the process.

Education Adviser C. R. Abrar echoed the optimism, saying: “There is tremendous enthusiasm among students. We are expecting a vibrant and fair election.”

Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has said the commission will respect the High Court’s rulings regarding 18 writ petitions filed over constituency boundary disputes.

Although EC law states that such disputes are non-justiciable, Ahmed acknowledged citizens’ right to file writs as part of their fundamental rights. “We trust the court and will wait for its directives,” he added.

The secretary also discussed plans for expatriate voters, who will receive ballots by post without candidate names, only election symbols. Ballots must then be mailed back via the nearest post office. Similar provisions will apply to professionals unable to vote in person due to duty.

He further noted that citizens turning 18 by October 31 will be added to the voter list, and a European Union delegation will visit Bangladesh on September 22 to discuss election matters.

Explosive revelations have emerged linking Ilias Kanchan’s Janata Party to financial backing from a foreign intelligence agent.

Case investigator Akter Morshed disclosed that Enayet Karim Chowdhury, who arrived in Bangladesh under the guise of an intelligence operative, aimed to dismantle the current government and establish a national or caretaker administration. Enayet reportedly provided BDT 350,000 monthly to fund Janata Party, with the rest arranged by Kanchan himself.

Morshed further revealed that Enayet held secret meetings with senior officials, influential political leaders, and business figures. Enayet’s paid associate, Ghulam Mostafa Azad—who claimed to be linked with the CIA—has also been arrested and remanded. Interrogations revealed ties with at least two DIGs, along with a massive BDT 150 crore deal to shield a powerful secretary from an ACC case.

Chief Adviser will travel to New York on September 22 to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This year, four prominent political leaders have been invited to join his delegation.

They are BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Tarique Rahman’s international affairs advisor Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, and NCP’s member-secretary Akhtar Hossain.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam emphasized that the inclusion of opposition leaders underlines the significance of this year’s UN session. He also highlighted that the interim government has already approved reforms to two key election laws, with 24 out of 77 major reforms fully implemented and 14 partially enforced.

Nasimul Gani, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has embarked on a six-day official visit to Pakistan. He left Dhaka for Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon.

The visit, scheduled to continue until September 26, is aimed at signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries. Discussions will focus on easing visa processes for diplomatic and official passport holders, facilitating government visits, and enhancing cultural and educational exchanges.

He is accompanied by Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of Police-1 at the Home Ministry, Additional IGP Md. Rezaul Karim, and DIG Md. Jannatul Hasan.

To facilitate travel for students appearing in the 47th BCS examinations tomorrow, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University has arranged a special bus service.

On Friday, buses will depart from the university campus starting at 7:30 AM for Mymensingh city. After the exams, students will be brought back to campus. Transport administrator Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shakil Hasmi said the buses will head towards Mymensingh Town Hall exam center and stop at designated points along the way for students to board.

As the exam day coincides with Friday prayers, buses will halt near mosques for students to offer prayers before resuming their journey. The initiative has been warmly welcomed by students.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of civil society group SUJAN, stressed that corruption must be eliminated from politics and elections if Bangladesh’s democratic process is to be restored.

He noted that despite adequate legal frameworks, corruption tainted the past three elections. “If corruption persists in the coming election, democracy cannot be strengthened,” he warned, adding that unethical practices in politics threaten state stability.

In a high-profile crimes against humanity case, political leader Nahid Islam appeared for a second day of testimony against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two others.

Nahid, the final witness for the prosecution, earlier described alleged repression of students during the July uprising. On Thursday, he continued detailing events before the tribunal, which had heard his hour-and-a-half-long testimony the previous day.

Meanwhile, the tribunal is set to deliver a ruling today on whether charges will be framed against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman and four others in a separate murder case.

Police detained Kabir Hossain Patwari, the recently suspended Divisional Forest Officer of Barishal, on Wednesday night amid allegations of contracting 17 marriages.

Authorities say Kabir attempted to leave Barishal under cover of darkness but was intercepted by locals, including contractors, who accused him of borrowing large sums of money without repayment. A scuffle broke out at the scene before police intervened and took him into custody.

Police stated the move was made to prevent unrest and that the complaints against Kabir will be investigated further.

A special drive by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) in Banani led to the seizure of 15 kilograms of shisha from two popular lounges on Wednesday evening.

The raid, which began around 7:30 PM, simultaneously targeted Al Gecino and Habana Shisha Bar. Officials recovered 10.5 kg of shisha, 10 packs of coal, and various smoking paraphernalia from Al Gecino, while 4.5 kg of shisha was seized from Habana.

Two individuals—Miraz and Rizvi—were detained from Habana during the operation, according to DNC sources.