The Ministry of Education has issued a new policy titled 'Financial Transparency and Accountability Policy for Educational Institutions' to curb financial irregularities and strengthen transparency and accountability across the country's educational institutions. The directive, released on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, by the Secondary and Higher Education Division, states that no institution may collect re-admission fees from enrolled students under any circumstances.

According to the policy, private institutions including schools, school and colleges, higher secondary colleges, and degree colleges at the higher secondary level may only charge tuition fees as specified in the 'Tuition Fee Policy 2024'. Institutions are prohibited from creating new categories of fees or collecting money beyond approved heads. All income and expenditure must follow existing government financial regulations, and accounts must be jointly operated by the head of the institution and the governing body president.

The policy further requires that all fees and donations be deposited through scheduled banks, preferably state-owned ones, or via government-approved payment gateways such as the Sonali Payment Gateway. Any financial irregularities will make both the governing body president and the institution head jointly responsible under prevailing regulations.

A long traffic jam has formed on the Narayanganj section of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, stretching from Signboard to Langalbandh Bridge. Police reported that the congestion intensified on February 18, 2026, as truck movement on the Asian Highway in the Madanpur area increased sharply following the end of election holidays. The combination of heavy truck traffic and morning office-hour vehicles caused severe delays around Kanchpur Bridge and nearby areas.

Passengers and drivers said it is taking nearly twice the usual time to cover a few kilometers. Commuters described being stuck for hours, with some reporting physical discomfort from sitting in stationary vehicles. Truck drivers noted that several parts of the Asian Highway in Madanpur are badly damaged, forcing them to drive slowly and worsening the backlog.

Kanchpur Highway Police Traffic In-Charge Bishnupada Sharma stated that multiple teams are working to manage the situation. He attributed the congestion to the sudden increase in industrial and freight transport activity and the poor road conditions in parts of the Asian Highway.

Colleges across Bangladesh have started their holidays for the holy month of Ramadan from Wednesday, February 18, 2026. According to the Ministry of Education’s official holiday calendar for government and private colleges, institutions will remain closed from February 18 to March 25, combining Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and summer vacations. Colleges will also observe a one-day closure on March 26 for Independence and National Day, followed by the regular weekend on March 27 and 28. Classes are scheduled to resume on Sunday, March 29.

The calendar further outlines a 10-day break from May 24 to June 5 for Eid-ul-Azha, a 10-day holiday from October 18 to 29 for Durga Puja, Bijoya Dashami, Prabarana Purnima, and Laxmi Puja, and an 11-day winter vacation from December 17 to 31. Additionally, three discretionary holidays have been reserved for institutional heads to allocate as needed.

Meanwhile, primary and secondary schools will begin their Eid-ul-Fitr holidays on March 8, as the High Court’s earlier order to keep schools closed throughout Ramadan has been suspended, maintaining the previously set schedule.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) announced that from February 19, the first day of Ramadan, the capital’s metro rail service will operate under a new schedule aligned with Ramadan office hours. According to a directive signed by DMTCL Director (Administration) A.K.M. Khairul Alam, passengers will be allowed to carry a maximum of 250 milliliters of water for iftar during travel.

Under the revised schedule, trains from Uttara North to Motijheel will run from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., while trains from Motijheel to Uttara North will operate from 7:15 a.m. to 10:10 p.m. The directive details varying headways throughout the day, ranging between 5.5 and 20 minutes depending on the time period. Passengers are instructed to dispose of used bottles in designated bins and are prohibited from consuming any other food inside trains or stations.

The notice also states that schedules for Fridays, Saturdays, and other public holidays will remain unchanged during Ramadan.

Dhaka University has revised the 2024 honours third-year examination schedule for its seven affiliated government colleges in the capital. The change was announced on Sunday, February 15, in a notice issued by Acting Controller of Examinations Himadri Shekhar Chakraborty. The revision followed recommendations from the interim administrator of the seven colleges and the principal of Dhaka College.

According to the notice, the previously scheduled February 15 examination will now be held on Saturday, February 28, starting at 10:30 a.m. Additionally, due to the holy month of Ramadan, all ongoing examinations from February 19 onward will begin at 10:30 a.m. instead of the earlier scheduled time. The new timing applies to both the 2024 honours third-year and master’s final examinations.

Earlier, students had requested a postponement of the February 15 exam, citing difficulties returning to Dhaka from different parts of the country after the election holidays. The seven colleges under Dhaka University include Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Begum Badrunnesa Mohila College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Government Bangla College, and Government Titumir College.

An editorial from Amader Desh Online on February 15, 2026, argues that Bangladesh urgently needs an independent and permanent National Education Commission to ensure sustainable improvement in its education system. The article highlights that despite completing a political milestone through the 13th National Parliament election, the nation’s true progress depends on classroom outcomes. It notes that frequent policy changes, declining quality, and confusion over curricula have created instability, while low budget allocations—around 1.76% to 2% of GDP—fall far below UNESCO’s recommended 4% to 6%.

The piece stresses that most education spending goes to infrastructure and salaries, leaving little for research, teacher training, laboratories, or digital content. It calls for a commission composed of diverse experts, including educators, psychologists, and technologists, to design reforms that integrate coding, AI, and data science from early education. The Bangladesh Student Welfare Trust has also advocated for such a commission, emphasizing its potential to align national education with global standards.

The article concludes that political will is essential for implementing the commission’s recommendations, warning that indecision could cost future generations.

The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has announced the tentative date for the 50th BCS written examination. According to a notice issued on Tuesday, the exam is scheduled to be held on April 9, 2026. The announcement follows the recent publication of the preliminary examination results, with the commission allowing two months for candidates to prepare for the written stage.

As per the published results, a total of 12,385 candidates passed the preliminary test. The preliminary examination took place on January 30 across 190 centers in eight divisional cities—Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh. This year’s BCS recruitment process saw 290,951 applicants in total.

The PSC aims to complete the entire 50th BCS recruitment process within one year, reflecting its effort to streamline the national civil service examination schedule.

All educational institutions across Bangladesh are scheduled to reopen on February 16, following a five-day closure that began on February 11. The closure covered February 11 and 12 for the 13th National Parliamentary Election, followed by the regular weekend holidays on February 13 and 14, and the observance of Shree Shree Shivratri Brata on February 15, as listed in the school and college holiday calendar.

According to the Ministry of Education’s holiday schedule, this marks the first major break of the year for educational institutions and is the fifth listed holiday period. The reopening will resume regular class activities nationwide after the extended break.

Meanwhile, government, semi-government, autonomous, and private offices are set to reopen on February 15 after a four-day holiday stretch, restoring normal administrative and institutional operations across the country.

A severe traffic jam stretching about seven kilometers has formed on the Dhaka-Tangail highway between Elenga and Rabna Bypass due to an influx of vehicles during the election holiday period. The congestion began on Tuesday morning and worsened in the afternoon as more vehicles entered the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge route, leaving thousands of northbound travelers stranded for hours.

Many passengers, unable to find public transport, resorted to traveling in open trucks and pickup vans. Reports have also surfaced of transport operators charging extra fares, citing a shortage of public buses. Highway police attributed the situation to the continuous public holidays for the election, which prompted a large number of people to travel to their hometowns.

The prolonged gridlock has caused significant distress for homebound passengers from northern Bangladesh, with authorities struggling to manage the heavy traffic flow along the major highway corridor.

Education Adviser Professor Dr. C R Abrar has emphasized that education is not merely a secondary sector but a vital foundation for nation-building. Speaking on Tuesday at the Ministry of Education’s Secondary and Higher Education Division during a dissemination meeting on the final report of the consultation committee, he said that quality education is essential for survival in a technology-driven and globally competitive world. He added that education should aim to develop individuals with human values, empathy, tolerance, moral strength, and an open outlook.

The meeting was chaired by Secretary Rehana Parveen and marked the submission of the committee’s final report on improving secondary education quality, management, and structure. Abrar expressed gratitude to the committee members for completing a complex, multidimensional task within three months, noting their dedication and professionalism. He highlighted that the initiative was entirely based on local expertise and resources, without reliance on international consultancy.

The committee’s policy framework will be treated as a “living document,” open to stakeholder feedback before final online publication. Abrar expressed hope that policymakers would use it to build a strong legal and institutional foundation for education reform in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF) has received final approval from the advisory council, marking a major step toward aligning the country’s education and skills development system with international standards. Developed over eight years through research, stakeholder consultations, and policy discussions, the framework aims to standardize knowledge, skills, and learning outcomes so that Bangladeshi citizens can compete equally in domestic and global labor markets.

The BNQF integrates general, technical, madrasa, and higher education under a unified structure, facilitating credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, and international equivalence of qualifications. Since 2024, the National Skills Development Authority has begun issuing certificates under BNQF levels 1–5, while the Bangladesh Accreditation Council has adopted it as the foundation for higher education quality improvement. The framework draws on analyses of 41 national and regional models, including those from Europe, ASEAN, and several other countries, to create a system suited to Bangladesh’s context.

The BNQF is expected to enhance international recognition of Bangladeshi degrees, expand employment opportunities, and strengthen the country’s position in global education and skills competitiveness.

The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) has published the results of the 50th BCS Preliminary Test (MCQ type) on February 10, 2026. The examination was held on January 30, 2026, under the 2025 BCS cycle. According to the official announcement, a total of 12,385 candidates have been declared provisionally qualified in the preliminary stage.

The full results and related information are available on the commission’s official website (https://bpsc.gov.bd) and also on Teletalk Bangladesh Limited’s website (http://bpsc.teletalk.com.bd/). The BPSC has stated that it reserves the right to make corrections to the published results if any justified reason arises.

This publication marks the completion of the preliminary phase of the 50th BCS examination process, with successful candidates now eligible to participate in the next stages as per the commission’s schedule.

A massive traffic jam stretching about 32 kilometers has paralyzed the Dhaka–Tangail highway from Gazipur’s Chowrasta through Chandra to Hatuvanga in Tangail. The congestion was observed around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Chandra Trimor area, where long lines of buses, trucks, private cars, autorickshaws, and motorcycles were seen. Passengers faced severe delays, with some reporting hours-long standstills and overcrowding similar to holiday periods.

Local sources said the gridlock resulted from a surge of travelers heading home after many factories declared a three-day holiday ahead of the upcoming national election. Many workers were traveling to their hometowns to cast votes and visit families. Reports also emerged of some transport operators charging extra fares due to the increased demand and shortage of vehicles.

Highway police officer-in-charge Saugat Hossain stated that the traffic buildup was caused by simultaneous travel pressure linked to the election and factory holidays. He said highway and traffic police were working jointly to ease congestion, had warned transport operators against overcharging, and deployed additional forces to maintain order and prevent passenger harassment.

A severe traffic jam developed on Tuesday morning at the Chandra intersection of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Kaliakair, Gazipur. The congestion was triggered by a surge of homebound travelers taking advantage of a four-day holiday declared ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Long lines of buses, trucks, private cars, and motorcycles stretched across the area, resembling the heavy traffic typically seen during Eid holidays.

Local sources said the government declared the holiday to facilitate travel for voters and families returning to their hometowns. Some travelers were heading home to cast their votes, while others were visiting relatives. Passengers complained that several transport operators were charging inflated fares, with ticket prices rising from the usual 200 taka to as high as 500 taka.

Kona Bari Naojor Highway Police Officer-in-Charge Saugat Hossain stated that highway and traffic police were jointly working to ease the congestion. He added that extra police had been deployed to maintain normal traffic flow and that legal action would be taken against transport companies found overcharging passengers.

The government has issued the 'Dhaka Central University Ordinance, 2026', establishing a new university to oversee higher education and research management for seven public colleges in Dhaka. The ordinance was published in the official gazette by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on Sunday, February 8. Although the draft proposed dividing the colleges into four schools, the final version retains each college’s individual identity while linking them academically to Dhaka Central University.

The seven colleges included are Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College, Mirpur Government Bangla College, and Government Titumir College. These institutions were previously affiliated with the National University before being brought under Dhaka University in 2017. Students had long demanded a separate university, citing academic harassment under Dhaka University.

Students described the formation of Dhaka Central University as a significant advancement in higher education and the fulfillment of their longstanding demand.