Rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of Bangladesh remained suspended for about 16 hours following a train accident in Madhabpur, Habiganj. Thousands of passengers faced severe disruption as six wagons, including a guard brake, of a Chattogram-bound oil train derailed and overturned shortly after leaving Montola station on Wednesday night. Railway authorities immediately began rescue operations and initiated repairs to the damaged track.

A five-member investigation committee led by transport officer Mehedi Hasan has been formed to determine the cause of the accident, with instructions to submit its report within three days. Local residents were seen collecting spilled oil from the overturned wagons, each of which reportedly carried around 40,000 liters of diesel. Security forces including police, army, BGB, and fire service personnel worked to secure the area and remove the public from the site.

According to railway sources, the findings of the investigation will guide measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, while efforts continue to restore normal train services on the route.

The government has finalized a decision to bring all teachers and employees of MPO-listed educational institutions, including heads of institutions, under a unified transfer system through a dedicated software. The decision was made at a meeting of the Ministry of Education held on Wednesday, chaired by Additional Secretary (Private Secondary) Md. Mizanur Rahman. The meeting also emphasized the need to update the transfer software and to publish a revised transfer policy soon.

According to meeting sources, the inclusion of institution heads, assistant heads, and employees in the transfer process will require new contracts, as transfers without such agreements would be considered irregular. The vendor company responsible for the software has demanded additional payment of around 2 to 2.5 million taka for the necessary updates. Once the new contracts are completed, the software will be updated to include all relevant personnel.

Officials present at the meeting indicated that the revised policy and updated software will ensure that both senior officials and other employees are regularly included in the transfer process.

Rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of Bangladesh has remained suspended for 12 hours after five wagons of a fuel-carrying train derailed at Shahpur in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj. The incident occurred around 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, when the Chattogram–Sylhet train went off the tracks near Montola station. As of Thursday morning, April 2, train operations had not resumed, and officials could not confirm when services would return to normal.

According to railway sources, two of the overturned wagons have been recovered so far, while one fell into a roadside ditch. Locals reportedly attempted to collect spilled fuel before Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law enforcement agencies intervened to control the situation. BGB personnel recovered about 1,000 liters of fuel from the site. Fire service teams and railway workers are continuing the recovery operation.

Station officials said the restoration of rail traffic depends on the completion of the salvage work, which was still ongoing as of Thursday morning.

Two students of Jagannath University’s Mathematics Department, Md. Tanfir Niaz Fahim and Md. Mahfuzur Rahman Mitul, were seriously injured when plaster from the seminar room ceiling collapsed on Wednesday morning. They received primary treatment at the university medical center before being sent home by ambulance.

Student leader Abdul Alim Arif confirmed the incident and urged immediate safety measures, noting that many university buildings remain risky and require renovation. Chief Engineer Helal Uddin Patwary said emergency repairs had already begun in highly vulnerable areas and that a funding request was being processed through the University Grants Commission. He attributed the accident to a plastic false ceiling that concealed cracks in the main roof.

Proctor Professor Nasir Uddin stated that the Vice-Chancellor visited the site and ordered the area closed from the next day. He emphasized the need for permanent structural solutions and directed the engineering office to identify and repair other risky buildings promptly.

Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon held a meeting with primary school teachers and headmasters to discuss introducing both online and in-person classes in government primary schools across metropolitan areas. The proposal aims to address the national energy crisis affecting the country. The meeting took place at the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, where the minister outlined a plan for six weekly classes, with three conducted online and three in person.

Teachers expressed opposition to the online class proposal, citing difficulties in implementing such a system at the primary level. They noted that young students lack the skills to use digital devices and that many families cannot afford or manage online participation. Several teachers requested government support to provide necessary devices if the plan moves forward.

According to an official from the Directorate of Primary Education, no final decision has been made yet. The minister had earlier mentioned that similar hybrid arrangements were being considered for all metropolitan educational institutions except universities to manage the ongoing energy crisis.

The Bangladesh English Medium School Parents’ Forum has opposed the Education Ministry’s proposal for a 3+3 online class model, under which students would attend three days of online and three days of in-person classes each week. In a statement issued on Wednesday, forum president A.K.M. Ashraful Haque demanded cancellation of the plan and presented four alternative measures aimed at saving electricity without disrupting students’ education.

The forum argued that the proposed model would increase financial pressure on parents due to the cost of high-speed internet and digital devices, while working parents would struggle to supervise online classes. Instead, they suggested holding four days of in-person classes weekly and keeping schools closed for the remaining three days to reduce travel and institutional electricity use. Additional proposals included shortening school hours, limiting air conditioner use, and maximizing natural light and ventilation.

The statement warned that implementing the 3+3 model could harm students’ academic progress, especially with upcoming O- and A-Level exams and session finals approaching in May.

A Chattogram-bound train named Udayan Express, which departed from Sylhet, left three of its coaches behind near Hasanpur station in Nangalkot upazila of Comilla on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 6 a.m. when the coaches became detached, causing severe inconvenience to passengers. The separated section included the guard brake coach, which houses the train director, a canteen, and 15 passenger seats. Thousands of passengers narrowly escaped a major accident.

Following the detachment, the train was delayed in reaching Chattogram. Railway staff worked for nearly two hours to reconnect the separated coaches to the main engine. Once reattached, the train resumed its journey toward Chattogram from the Hasanpur area. According to Hasanpur station master Nasir Uddin, the train split between Hasanpur and Gunabati, outside the station area, and normal train movement resumed about 20 minutes after the incident.

Train operations on the down line later returned to normal, and no further disruptions were reported in the area.

The World Bank has assessed the overall implementation progress of Bangladesh’s Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project as “moderately satisfactory.” The evaluation was presented during a courtesy meeting between a World Bank delegation and University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed on April 1, 2026. The three-member team was led by Senior Education Specialist and Task Team Leader T.M. Asaduzzaman, who noted that the project had earlier been considered problematic but showed visible progress after August 2024 due to effective UGC initiatives.

Asaduzzaman described HEAT as a frontline investment by the World Bank in Bangladesh’s higher education sector, aimed at developing skilled human resources and expanding employment opportunities. He announced that the project’s mid-term review would begin in April and sought cooperation to complete activities on schedule. UGC Chairman Mamun Ahmed emphasized that the project is vital for improving higher education quality and addressing structural issues, highlighting positive impacts from teacher training programs.

The World Bank delegation added that over the next two years, the project will focus on strengthening research, basic teacher training, and modern campus development.

The administration of Fulchhari upazila in Gaibandha has initiated a humanitarian program to rehabilitate beggars affected by river erosion in the char areas. The initiative, led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mostafizur Rahman, began on Monday at Ketkir Hat in Konchipara Union, where beggar Abdul Gafur received a newly built shop and goods to start a small business. The inauguration ceremony was attended by local officials and community representatives.

According to the UNO, the rehabilitation of beggars is being prioritized, with three individuals already selected under the project. Each beneficiary will receive approximately Tk 47,000 in assistance to help them become self-reliant. The Department of Social Services confirmed that one beggar in the upazila town had previously been rehabilitated under the same program.

Local residents have welcomed the initiative, expressing optimism that it will improve the living standards of beggars in the area.

The Ministry of Education has decided to implement a hybrid learning model across all school-level educational institutions in Bangladesh, combining three days of online classes with three days of in-person instruction. The decision was made on Tuesday during a coordination meeting attended by teachers, board officials, and ministry representatives in Dhaka.

The move follows earlier remarks from the Education Minister, who had indicated that changes to the teaching system were under discussion due to the ongoing global energy crisis. The ministry’s decision aims to balance educational continuity with energy conservation amid international supply challenges.

Implementation details and timelines were not specified in the announcement, but the decision marks a significant shift in the country’s approach to classroom instruction in response to global energy pressures.

The government of Bangladesh is considering introducing a blended education system combining online and offline classes in response to the global energy crisis. Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon said the proposal will be presented at the upcoming cabinet meeting on Thursday. He made the remarks after a meeting with Prime Minister Tareq Rahman at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

The minister noted that recent holidays, protests, and other disruptions have affected class schedules. To recover lost time, the government is considering six-day school weeks instead of five and expanding virtual classes. A survey found that about 55 percent of students and parents support partial online learning, though concerns remain about social isolation if education becomes fully online. The blended approach is being prioritized for schools, with possible extension to colleges, while universities may adopt separate arrangements.

Milon added that alternative transport options such as electric and solar-powered buses and metro systems are being explored to address traffic congestion and energy challenges in major cities.

Bangladesh’s Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan, known for his past anti-cheating stance, is preparing to conduct the upcoming Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations from April 21, 2026, in a fully cheat- and leak-free environment. Within two months of assuming office, he has declared a zero-tolerance policy against exam malpractice and held multiple meetings with education boards and administrators to ensure strict compliance.

The Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) have issued 11-point directives to all exam centers, mandating CCTV installation, strict mobile phone restrictions, and enhanced security measures. Each exam room must have functioning cameras and clocks, and female teachers will conduct body searches for female students. Education boards have also formed inspection teams to visit centers between March 29 and April 13 and submit detailed reports.

Officials emphasize that any negligence in implementing these measures will result in legal action. The initiative aims to restore integrity in public examinations and strengthen public confidence in the education system.

Professor Mahbubur Razzak has called for reforms to ensure fairness in public examination results across Bangladesh’s 11 education boards. He noted that in the 2025 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams, the average pass rate was 58.83 percent, with significant variation among boards. Dhaka Board recorded a 64.62 percent pass rate, while Comilla Board had only 48.86 percent. The Madrasa Board achieved the highest rate at 75.61 percent, and the Technical Board 62.67 percent. Razzak argued that such disparities raise questions about consistency in question difficulty and grading standards.

He emphasized that differences in pass rates between boards and across years create inequities for students competing for university admission and employment. Authorities attributed last year’s poor results to long-term learning deficiencies, but Razzak urged the new education minister to take balanced measures so that stricter exam administration does not unfairly penalize any group of students.

He proposed adjusting grade boundaries annually based on question difficulty to align pass and GPA-5 rates across boards. This, he said, would make the grading system more equitable and prevent lasting disadvantages for students from certain boards or exam years.

Train communication between Sylhet and the rest of the country was restored after being suspended for more than three hours due to an engine failure on the Dhaka-bound Upaban Express. The incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, between Bhanugach and Shamshernagar railway stations in Moulvibazar district. A replacement engine from Sylhet brought the train to Shamshernagar station, allowing normal operations to resume by 9:15 a.m.

According to Shamshernagar Assistant Station Master Sagar Singh, the alternative engine successfully moved the stranded train. Passenger M A Ahad reported that the train stopped suddenly, causing panic among travelers when sparks appeared from friction between the jammed wheels and the rail. However, no fire or injuries were reported. Hundreds of passengers experienced significant delays and discomfort during the disruption.

Kulaura Station Master Roman Ahmed confirmed that no major schedule disruptions occurred, as the 3010-series engine from Sylhet restored movement and normalized train schedules shortly afterward.

Former interim government adviser on religious affairs Dr. A. F. M. Khalid Hossain said that proper recognition of students’ merit and achievements not only honors their success but also strengthens their confidence and determination. He made the remarks on March 30 at an event held at the BIAM Auditorium in Dhaka, organized by Maktabatul Fatah Bangladesh, a branch of Al Fatah Group, where scholarships and honors were awarded to outstanding students.

The event was presided over by Al Fatah Group Managing Director M. A. Saeed and attended by Islamic scholars including Mufti Hifzur Rahman, Mufti Rafiqul Islam Madani, Maulana Ashraf Ali Nizampuri, and Maulana Abdul Jalil Faruqi. Dr. Khalid urged meritorious students to gain proficiency in Arabic, English, and Bangla to showcase their talent globally, emphasizing that qualified individuals never remain unemployed.

During the ceremony, top three male and female students from the 2026 Dawra-e-Hadith examination under Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia were honored, while 33 top students from Befaq examinations received one-time merit scholarships. Winners of a quiz competition also received cash awards under the “Education Scholarship 2025” program.