IQRA Editorials

Teachers' protest continues
Their grievances (দুঃখ দুর্দশাসমূহ) need immediate redress (লাঘব করা)
The Daily Star, 06-10-2015

TEACHERS from the university to the primary levels have been agitating_for (আন্দোলন করা) over a month. In the background of the World Teachers' Day that was observed yesterday, we feel sorry to see the way teachers at public schools, colleges and universities are treated in the country. Manhandling and physically abusing teachers at educational intuitions by goons belonging to some student organisations have been on the rise. As though these ghastly incidents are not enough, the new pay scale approved this year deprives the teachers of some perks they have been enjoying for a long time.

So grave is their predicament that the teachers have been forced to resort to protests to make home their demands against the eighth pay scale. However, their demands, it seems, have fallen on deaf ears. They are set to abstain from administering admission tests slated to start in two days. The primary school teachers might not take part in the primary terminal examinations this year.

It is indeed surprising that while public servants have witnessed a significant rise in their salary under the new pay scale, teachers, who build the future leaders of our country, have been deprived of some facilities that they had been enjoying.

In its electoral pledge, the Awami League had promised a separate pay scale for the teachers. It is high time that the government came good on that. We earnestly hope that it will sit with the teachers to address their legitimate demands, sooner rather than later.

Illegal occupation of public space
When will this trend stop?
The Daily Star, 01-10-2015

The sight of horse carts and horses occupying main thoroughfares in Dhaka city further crystallises the reality that is the dangerously shrinking public space in the capital. The photograph of mules being kept under a major flyover in Old Dhaka, along with the horse carts, published yesterday in this daily, illustrates the extent of the problem.

Although the practice of misusing public spaces isn't anything new, the gravity of the situation increases by the day in light of a growing population, buildings and number of vehicles on the streets. This paper has highlighted over the years the illegal encroachment of public space by small businesses, adding to a long list of contending issues Dhakaites have to live with everyday.

That millions of inhabitants of one of the fastest growing megacities in the world should have to navigate roads taken up by livestock is absurd. Such actions not only diminish public space but also exacerbate the degrading environmental conditions and poor air quality, posing the threat of respiratory diseases and other ailments. With reeking garbage carelessly piling up on the streets, parked horse carts and livestock add to the filthy smell polluting the air.

Along with crises of waterlogging, scarcity of drinking water, waste mismanagement, traffic congestion and power cuts, dwindling public space is yet another avoidable, public nuisance that affects ordinary people the most.

The municipal corporations and relevant authorities can no longer continue to ignore their responsibility of preventing thoroughfares and pavements from illegal occupation by horse carts, welding shops, food carts or what have you. The authorities should move quickly to free the roads encroached upon and restore them to their rightful users.

Salish shouldn’t save criminals
Daily Prothom Alo, 28-09-2015

Having abducted a schoolgirl, in the village Phulbari of Lalpur, Natore, the accused are now putting pressure on to have the case withdrawn. The local police are playing a shady role too.
According to a report by Prothom Alo’s Natore correspondent, Abdul Jabbar Ukil of Phulbari filed a case against Shariful Islam and Faruk Hossain of the same village, accusing them of abducting a schoolgirl. The two accused were even arrested. Recently, however, they were released on bail and were putting pressure on Abdul Jabbar to withdraw the case. When he refused, they called for a salish or arbitration.

The arbitration, however, sided with the accused. There was also a public announcement that if anyone spoke to Abdul Jabbar or his family, they would be fined for one thousand taka. The accused also poured toxic pesticide all over Abdul Jabbar’s masur dal (lentils) fields.

Not able to fight in legal manner, the accused have adopted all sorts of illegal means. The local police station remains blind. In fact, they have supported the move to have Abdul Jabbar apolgise and withdraw the case.

Such a compromise cannot be accepted when it involved the abduction of a schoolgirl. The crime must be tried and the criminals must be punished.

SDGs reflect universal aspirations
Fulfill the pledge for common action
The Daily Star, 29-09-2015

The world has adopted a bold new agenda to end poverty and preserve the planet. The ambitious 15 year plan, adopted unanimously by 193 member states of the UN, comes with great challenges, the biggest of which is funding the efforts to realise the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are accompanied by 169 specific targets. Implementing the goals is expected to cost a whopping $3.5 trillion to $5 trillion every year until 2030. Member states will therefore have to now work out the details of how this huge amount will be raised. This will no doubt, involve significant financial commitments from international financial institutions as well as sincerity of all nations to spend available funds as efficiently and as transparently as possible.

For Bangladesh specifically, it is laudable that the country has made significant inroads into several areas of social development. This includes decreasing child mortality, increasing enrollment of girls in school, successful disaster management, achieving food self-sufficiency and reducing extreme poverty. It is however, important to acknowledge that it is not enough to just meet goals that are measured in numbers – the ultimate target has to be to bring qualitative strides in each area of development.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the way of realising SDGs is widespread corruption in every sphere of development. This is true of most developing nations that all too often are held back by poor governance. Most of these countries, Bangladesh included, are working hard to fight poverty through innumerable projects and programmes. But unless there is a sincere effort to eradicate the systemic bottlenecks, such efforts will be nullified and the prospect of meeting the SDG targets will be all the more difficult.