Wen Jiabao's Indo-Pak visit

Wen Jiabao’s visit focuses more on economic than political diplomacy

In the present global perspective China, the giant neighbor of India, witnesses its growing importance in the world trade and politics. India, another giant in Asia, is also going ahead with her trade and military power. She is vying with China to curb her importance and occupy the same position as China or to supersede her. For strategic reasons these two big neighbours have a souring relations between them. The border dispute led them to wage a war in 1962 which brought victory for China. Keeping all the practical perspectives in consideration the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made his three -day important tour to India which was followed by his Pakistan visit. Ahead of Wen’s visit, Mr. Zhang Yan, the Chinese ambassador to India had said December 13 that relations between the two countries are very fragile and need special care. Really China-India relations are very fragile and very easy to be damaged and very difficult to repair. Therefore, they need special care in this information age. China is India’s largest trade partner with two –way trade rising from $18.7 billion in 2005 to $51.8 billion in 2008 and expected to cross $60 billion by 2010 end. Wen and Singh have exchanged diplomatic platitude about their bilateral relations and places in the world but gave no indications that any of the mostly China made issues that had seriously soured their relations recently would be resolved any time soon. As noted by an IANS news service report on December 16 after the meeting between the two prime ministers the two sides took a long range view of their relationship and focused on economic diplomacy to offset divergences on contentious issues. My current visit is aimed at prompting friendship expanding cooperation building on our past achievements and opening up new dimensions for mutual benefit and common development of the two countries. In reality however, trade and economic relations were the primary focus of the visit. Almost nothing was achieved on the very contentious issues India looked forward to raising with Wen. That was only to be expected for the main area of agreement between the two sides is the desire of both nations to boost economic ties which India’ Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vishu Prakash called the bedrock of India- China relations .Contentious issues were no doubt referred to but merely glossed over. In this connection, Wen made the right noises about China and India being cooperative partners instead of rivals while not forgetting to call for efforts to further enhance bilateral trade links and jointly fight protectionism as reported by the official China Daily .
Prime Minister Manomohan Singh and Wen talked for about an hour and half at Hyderbad House to forge strategic consensus on a range of issues including the problem of stapled visas for residents of Jammu and Kashmir, the widening trade deficit, global terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation and climate change. At the end of it, the two leaders were reported to have agreed that there was enough space in the world for the development of both India and China and enough areas for both to cooperate. A joint communiqué issued at the end of talk said that the two sides decided to establish the mechanism of regular exchange of visits between Heads of Government , welcomed the opening of a telephone hotline between the Chinese primer and Indian Prime Minister, agreed on regular consultation on issues of importance to both sides, endorsed the launching of a mechanism of annual exchange of visits between their foreign ministers and agreed to initiate a strategic economic dialogue to enhance macro-economic policy coordination and try to bring their annual trade to 100 million US dollar by 2015.
India was reported to have expressed displeasure at China’s virtually questioning Indian sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir by giving stapled visas to residents of the state seeking to visit that country and China accelerated investment in Pakistan –controlled Kashmir that New Delhi sees as strategic threat. China, while claiming to take the Indian concern seriously only said that officials of the two sides should have in depth consolations so that this issue can be resolved satisfactorily. China is building dams on the Brahmaputra and if India doesn’t voice out against this then the whole of north-eastern region of India could one day become a desert if India is deprived of the water flowing from Tibet’s glaciers. On December 15 Wen conferred China-India Friendship Awards to the Indian personalities from various fields for their contribution to promoting India-China friendship and understanding . However, Senior Congress leader and MP Karan Singh declined the award. He felt that a Parliamentarian should not accept such decorations as he runs the risk of being seen as farvouring one particular country. The serious issues such as the stapled visa and boundary disputes souring relations between the two sides were again raised by India’s External affairs minister Mr. SM Krishna.After the bilateral talks the two sides signed six pacts in areas ranging from media and cultural exchanges to green technologies the sharing of hydrological data on the Sutlej River and collaboration between the river banks. Singh and Wen did not hold a joint press conference perhaps because it may prove to be embarrassing to both for the lack of any meaningful progress on the very contentious issues. Of course, they made about fifty agreements mostly centering on trade and commerce.
International affairs experts comment that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Pakistan will bolster its confidence in facing the current challenges and will be a good counter to US president Barack Obama’s recent trip to India . The visit will send a reassuring signal to Pakistan which is surrounded by a host of problems, challenges and difficulties. It will serve as a good counter to Obama’s high profile visit to India. Dr. Riffat Hussain, head of department of Defense and Strategic Studies of the Quaide Azam University Islamabad told when questioned on exportations of Wen’s trip at a time Pakistan was facing economic difficulties and serious threat of extremism. In Pakistan, China announces its cooperation in 36 development projects; it’s only ‘all-weather’ partner and sign agreements in energy, infrastructure and other sectors.
Wen’s three-day India visit centered on Beijing’s efforts to further expand its burgeoning trade relations with New Delhi. But Pakistan has nothing to worry about Sino-Indian relations as Dr. Lodhi is confident of the strength of Pak-Chinese relationship. Answering to a question on Indian quest to get permanent membership at the UN Security Council, Riffat said Chinese leader’s visit would give the two countries an opportunity to discuss a joint strategy in this regard. China will watch carefully how Obama’s endorsement of India’s claim to representation the SC plays out in coming months.
Frequent contacts between Pakistan and China at the highest level speak of an ever growing relationship between the two sides because China over the decades has emerged as a trusted and reliable friend of Islamabad. He continued “It comes at a critical time for Pakistan, the region and also for China which is being targeted by hawks in Washington as a rising challenger.”“Wen’s visit will solidify the already robust relations between Islamabad and Beijing and direct these towards an expansion in trade and investment ties, “Dr. Maleehad Lodhi said who served as Islamabad envoy to both London and Washington. Today China is in the best position to meet Pakistan’s development and investment requirements having emerged as global economic power and a role model for developing nations.

Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program
(The writer regularly writes on various national and international issues )
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

St. Petersburg Tiger Summit

Saving the tigers from extinction

The drastic reduction of wildlife is a global concern as it contributes greatly to environmental degradation. Among other reasons, the fast growing industries and economic boom in the developing and promising countries can be attributed to the reduction of wildlife . Tigers figure out prominent in the wildlife population. For centuries, villagers living in Asia’s forest , mountains and icy tundra have learned to fear and respect the mighty tiger. But rapid economic growth and modernization have reduced the number of tiger to as few as 3200 in the wild, mostly in India, Russia and Indonesia. Currently there are fourteen tiger range countries in the world such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. The climate change across the globe, environmental pollution and the endangered wildlife are directly linked with each other.
With a view to responding to the existing deplorable condition of tigers, Russia hosted a summit from 21-24 November, focusing on how to save this animal for extinction. Government’s officials from fourteen tiger range states along with the World Bank Group, Smithsonian Institution, the WWF, National Geographic and other conservation and development partners and stakeholders gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia to have a high-level discussion on a global plan to save tigers. The participating countries have outlined plans to double the wild tiger population by 2022. The task will not end in Petersburg. They will need to ensure robust implementation and regular stocktaking in the next three to five critical years to ensure success. Success would mark a turning point, where countries secure wildlife and biodiversity, and their very valuable but fragile natural wealth. The plight of tigers casts a spotlight on the broader biodiversity crisis that often goes unnoticed among the failure to safeguard biodiversity and balanced development.
The debate over how to save the tiger has resonance in India, home to over 1400 wild tigers. Its delegates to St. Petersburg was led by the head of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, an agency created in 1973 in response to a drastic fall in tiger numbers. India has 39 reserve and six conservation zones for tigers, though some have been depleted by poaching. “This commitment predates India’s recent rapid economic takeoff, we have been spending money on tigers even when the chops were down, “says Ravi Singh, secretary general of WWF in India. But India’s economic boom is not necessarily a plus for its rich wildlife. A rush to develop rural areas dig mines and build road has eaten away at forest reserves where tigers roam, often over hundreds of miles in search of prey. Corruption and low morale is also responsible for the failure of forest rangers to protect wildlife.
As Rudyard Killing’s The Jungle Book begins, Mother and Father Wolf are troubled to learn that the tiger, “ Shere Khan, the Big One, has shifted his hunting grounds. The wolves fear the tiger’s presence in their midst may anger local villagers and cause man to seek revenge, threatening animal and land alike.”In 1894, when this collection of short stories was published, 100000 tigers roamed the wild. Today, that number has plummeted to 3200 and Shere Khan’s hunting grounds the habitats in which all wild tigers live are vanishing. Tigers now occupy only 7% of their original range. We are fast approaching a time when the roar of a tiger in the wild be replaced forever by silence. Just over a century, there were eight species of tigers namely Amur Bali, Caspian, Indo-Chinese , Javan, Royal Bengal, South China and Sumatran with an estimated world population of 100000 tigers in the wild. However, regrettably, within a short span of 40 years, three species of tiger, Bali in 1940, Caspian in 1970 and Javan in 1980 became extinct form their natural habitat. The present world populations of tigers have abruptly come down and consequently their distribution and habitat have shrunk dramatically.
Around the globe, individuals, governments, the World Bank Group, the Global Environment Facility and conservation groups have already invested considerable resources in tiger protection- and there have been successes. The Amur, or Siberain tiger has been brought back from the brink of extinction though the combined anti-poaching and conservation efforts of the Russian government, local and international NGOs and local communities in the Russian far east. The Tetari Arc Landscape project in Nepal offers another possible model as how human communities can coexist alongside core tiger habitats. For this project, conservationists in the public and private sectors are working together to restore, reconnect and manage 11 national parks into one continuous corridor of protected areas to benefit humans and wildlife. These examples show that tiger populations can recover if habitats can be protected, when and outside protect areas and if poaching of tigers and their prey is stopped. But while there are some important successes, the bigger picture remains bleak. Habitat degradation and fragmentation continue conservation efforts are continually being undermined by poaching and illegal trade
William Blake’s evocative poem “ Tiger” may appear irrelevant in the present day world but it certainly shows how charismatic and magnificent was the Tiger all along. Therefore, it is extremely significant at this moment to generate awareness about the species since the whole world is in the mood of joining the vanguard for saving tigers. Now there is a dire need to show firm commitment to keep the wild tigers in our forests as the plight of the world’s last wild tigers is close to catastrophe. Saving the wild tiger is a global challenge. Just as with many of the other challengers of sustainability such as climate change, pandemic disease or poverty-the crisis facing tigers overwhelms local capabilities and transcends national boundaries. The country of Royal Bengal Tiger also promises to join the procession.
Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program

Seoul G-20 Summit

Significant achievements evaded in Seoul G-20 Summit

The fifth annual G20 Summit, a meeting of the G20 heads of government to discuss the world economy, was held in Seoul, Korea on November 11-12, 2010. The political leaders came here with the desire to make advances from the last summit in Toronto, where they set out a long-term goal of sustaining the global economic recovery. Significant achievements evaded them on the two most contentious issues on their agenda in Seoul such as exchange rates and trade imbalances. But they failed to reach an accord on settling their disagreement over these two issues. Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged at the end of the meetings on November 12 that he and his fellow leader had fallen short. The major industrialized and developing nations have recognized that these are tough issues that cannot be ignored.
The world’s largest rich and emerging economies including China vowed in the summit to ‘spare no effort ‘at upcoming climate talks in Mexico, a year after Beijing stymied a deal in Copenhagen. ‘We will spare effort to reach a balanced and successful outcome in Cancun.” The vow came less than three weeks before 194 countries meet in the Mexican resort city of Cancun for a second go at hammering out an agreement to curb greenhouse gases after 2012 when the current agreement expires. The climate gathering will take place in the lingering shadow of last December’s Copenhagen Summit which ended in near fiasco due to Chinese reluctance to agree to binding commitments. Addressing the threat of global climate change is an urgent priority for all nations. Despite the promise, China has led in curbing greenhouse gases. Developed countries have their historic responsibility over climate change but the question is how much they are shouldering their responsibilities. China and US clashed at a UN Climate gathering last month in the Chinese city of Tianjin, accusing each other of blocking progress ahead of the Cancun Summit. The US wants China the world’s largest source of the greenhouse gases blamed for climate change, to commit to curbing carbon emissions and developing countries to agree to more scrutiny of their climate claims. China has rejected pressure for outside verification. She says it was US attempt to divert attention for the fact the US has so far failed to get emissions cut legislation through congress.
G-20 leaders vowed to avoid tit-for tat currency devaluation but China’s strong objections to any brakes on its export machine undermined a US push to redress skewed global trade and emerging economies agreed to pursue ‘ Indicative guidelines to reorient trade between surplus and deficit nations. Chinese president Hu-Jintao had presented his own counter-proposals in Seoul, calling on the United States to adopt ‘responsible policies’ and maintain a stable dollar.Hu, who presides over the world’s second largest economy and its largest exporter, demanded global resistance to trade barriers as he painted a bleak picture of the economic outlook. International financial markets are volatile, the fluctuations in the major currencies are large, prices of commodities are high and there is a clear rise in protectionism.
Obama having suffered an economy lined drubbing in US midterm elections said there should be no controversy about fixing imbalances ‘ that helped to contribute to the crisis that we just went through .’ But controversy was rife in the G-20 after the Federal Reserve instituted a 600-billion dollar attempt to relate the US economy radical monetary step . Chinese officials sought to throw the onus back on the US by arguing that Beijing has an ‘unwiring commitment to reform it’s much criticized currency regime but needs stability in the world economy. “ The US plan to curtail trade imbalance was a back-door way of forcing China to realign its currency which criticizes it’s deliberately cheap Chinese exporters.
The world’s biggest rich and emerging powers actually ‘escalated a war of words over trade and currencies on November 11. Leaders opened a G-20 summit struggling to iron out distortions that threaten global growth. The US striving recover from it worse economic crisis in decades locked horns anew with exporting giant China and Germany over a plan to rebalance skewed commerce between deficit and surplus countries Obama grafting to salvage a deal at the G20 after suffering an economy lined drubbing in US Elections last week .Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the risk was of ‘competitive devaluation’ of currencies reminiscent of the Great Depression. Brazilian president Luiz Inancio Lula de Silva said the world economy was shadowed for ‘bankruptcy’ unless rich nations raise consumer demand rather than reclining and exports to power their recoveries. These predictions call for due attention not only for the interest of industrialized but also developing nations.

Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Obama's India tour

Obama attaches more importance to India than other Asian nations!
India has the reason to catch the Obama fever as she is now entertaining the world’s most powerful leader. Obama’s three day stop in India is the longest amount of time he spent in a foreign country since taking office. It also shows the longer time of his 10-day Aisa tour. Hence time and starting the visit with India attaches importance to global and bilateral relations between these two democracies. The main significance of the trip is to demonstrate and show the importance the United States and particularly president Obama, attaches to India. He is visiting key Asian democracies. It is India, Japan, and Indonesia—there’s a subtle signing that values matter in foreign policy and that democracies are especially important to the United States. . It is also a signal to China of the importance the US places on democracies.
Foreign relation expert Geroge Perkovich pointed out that US-India relations are important in several ways. First it’s important that they aren’t negative and that there is a sense that these two countries are on a positive trajectory-this is very important in the positive direction, the trend is most important. He explained that ‘it’s not a question of war and peace as it is impossible to imagine the United States and India going to war. And the two of them are not going to solve the global economic crisis together. So, there isn’t; any particular problem that they are going to solve together or particular crisis that they could create together. We want to see the general upward trend of the relationship.
On the India US relations, foreign relation expert Perkovinch said, “ US-India relations were on a positive trajectory from the middle part of the Clinton administration onward and this was very good thing.” The success of American Presidents such as Bill Clinton, Geroge Bush and Obama and Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, AB Vajapyee and Dr. Manomohan Singh basically helped the two countries on a positive trajectory. The expert says that the two countries in the short term have a lot of divergent interests. In the long term, both countries want the same kind of world and they both want each other to succeed. But in democracies especially politics is all about the short term. On trade issues India wants its workers to have more access to the US, especially its educated workers including accountants, IT professionals, and lawyers and so on. The US is worried about unemployment and protecting jobs. So it frustrates India by not changing the terms under which Indian workers can come to the US. The United States would like greater access to the Indian market for American farmed goods and other goods but India has 400 million small farmers and is worried about employment in India so it doesn’t accommodate the US position.
Obama pledged to work more closely with India to combat global terrorism and offered long-standing dispute over Kashir without intervening directly. Speaking at a news conference alongside Indian prime Minister Manomohan Sing, Obama said that while both India and Pakistan have an interest in reducing tensions in the region., the U.S cannot impose a solution to these problems. We are happy to play any role the parties think is appropriate. Kashmir is a long standing issue which the world considers more as a human rights violation than the political games between India and Pakistan. Both the neighbours are politically concerned about Kashmir issue but the unarmed and youths are tortured continuously in their own homeland. Since in 1947 the issue has been standing as a time bomb but no such peaceful solution is offered by any party. Both India and Pakistan are equally responsible for this issue. India, the desiring member of Security Council must resolve the security problem of its own people and the people around her.
The president praised the relationship between the US an India as one of e defining partnerships of the 21st century. He and Singh said they would co-host an international education summit next year and said the Department of Homeland Security and India’s Ministry Of Home Affairs would collaborate to combat terrorism by improving security at airports and seaports. Obama also said the US will continue to share intelligence with India and Singh said his country would establish new center to focus more attention on the issues of nuclear proliferation and disease. The leaders also reaffirmed their pledges of new fund of economic cooperation. Obama speaks on counterterrorism, regional security, clean energy, climate change and economic growth. He has announced that America will support India’s inclusion in the Security Council as its permanent member. The present scenario of world politics and the time also demand another permanent member of UNSC. India qualifies for the position in many respects such as its size, population, scientific development and its growing economy. On the contrary, the bitter bilateral relations with its neighbours and big brotherly attitude still makes the neighurs feel insecure. Its gaining atomic power in no way makes south Asian countries sleep soundly. It only increases tensions between its arch rival Pakistan.
Chinas’ emergence and rise is the focus of attention not only of the United States but among all countries in the region; none of them wants to have hostile or adversarial relations with China. At the same time none wants to be dominated by China. It is natural. India’s hegemony is also not expected by her neighbours. Border dispute, water sharing issues and imbalanced trade have made unequal relations between India and with South Asian nations. Washington’s trying to develop close relation with India is sure to irk China who wishes to gain more international influence and regional leadership which Obama cannot ignore.
Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program. He regularly writes on various national and international issues
( Former professor of English at Ghatail Cantonment College, Sylhet Cadet College, Comilla Cadet College and Mirzapur Cadet College, Rajuk Uttara Model College and Tutor BELT Program, BOU)

Army Housing

Healing the wounds of army and civilian relations
No sooner had the nation witnessed with grave concern the saddest incident of Sirajgonj than another one of an exceptional kind took place at Rupgonj. Both the sad incidents call for national concern, not political or military or Railway department separately and individually. Army is the sacred wealth and institution of a nation particularly in third world countries where political chaos reigns supreme. The nation sometimes witnesses political chaos which becomes the order of the day and the army then becomes the solution. We have not forgotten the political violence unleashed several times since we achieved independence. During that critical period of the nation the army became the custodian of our security and brought discipline . General people have a specialized honour and fear for the army. So, this institution has been utilized for any critical moment of the nation. Think of Chittagong Port. It went into standstill, only the army intervention made it operational. When we think of making our national ID we must remember them for their commendable job. At present they are working for making our electronic passport. One of my colleague just commented on their service that we think we have come to an office of a civilized country to make a passport which was one of the severest pains and harassments of the country. Now the passport office seems to be a clean place because of army intervention. So, in no way the army should be placed on the confronting situation with the citizens. People will withdraw their respect from the army when the incidence of Rupgonj occurs. We must not put the army in the place of police in the eyes of the people. General people don’t have any respect and they don’t any believe in the police. They become the victims of many odds and accidents but don’t want to meet the police for further fear of harassment. It is an established but sad truth of the nation.
I consider Bangladesh Army as an industry. Many think our army only consumes our national wealth. Actually, by virtue of the world class professional service of our armed forces, they have become one of the biggest foreign exchange earners by working in the UN missions. In the UN missions Bangladesh Army is one of the most vital forces. They had to earn that reputation at the cost of their dedication and honesty. Being the members of a poor country they have earned global reputation which call for our attention and we really take price in them. We must save our army at any cost. But to save the army the institution itself has to follow some guidelines and code of conduct being the citizens of an independent nation. A retired army officer has claimed the Army Housing Scheme project was taken up to meet the urgent need of the officer’s housing. The acquisition of land has been a factor which could not be met for years together. Land has become scarce for a long time. Yes, land has become scarce in the country which needs to be addressed by raising multi-storied buildings, or thinking to make housing on water or something like that. We cannot afford to encourage occupying agricultural land to make housing. The proposed site of the Army Housing Scheme in Rupgonj includes designated flood flow zone, water bodies and rural homesteads where no construction is permitted by the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan. Alternation of flood flow zone would have an adverse effect on conservation of water bodies, river and biodiversity. It would increase vulnerability to urban flooding, hinder percolation of ground water level and escalate river pollution. Of the total area of the 24 moujas 65percent flood flow zone, 12 percent water bodies and 13 percent rural settlements. A canal flows from Beraid to Dakshin Nabagram across the proposed site in Rupgonj upazila of Narayangonj where the army plans to implement a 12000 bighas housing project.. Army Housing Scheme authority did not consult Rajuk, the custodian of the Detailed Area Plan, about the project although it was obliged to do so in line with private Housing Development Rules 2004 . It also raises questions that the armed forces did not consult the custodian. They should not consider themselves as a separate entity in this regard. They must show honour to the national laws and rules. Again, how uniformed higher level officers can be the chairman and managing director of the said housing? The army must take the whole affair into consideration.
Brining in any situation under control is utmost important for any kind of administration. Upto a certain degree, things remain controlled under the administration. The barometer will say when the mercury rises. We never should allow raising the mercury to such a level as cannot be controlled. The initial stages could have been controlled which the authorities concerned both civil and military ignored. After the barometer has risen so high that means people turned into unruly mob went fully beyond control and then brutal way of controlling was resorted. Both the actions and after effect bring serious return. The same thing happened to Sirajgonj. A huge meeting was going on. Stopping the train was absolutely impossible but the innocent drivers became the victims. The total administration, government agencies and the BNP party men all were seriously negligent of the impending danger and after the incident they just started playing filthy blame games. They hardly consider the loss of national wealth and the families of the dead and wounded and the hapless drivers. Everybody concerned was responsible for the incident. In Rupgonj also no authority was careful and active. When everything went beyond control, everybody and every organization started shouting and sidetracking the responsibility. It means another serious mess. The images of burning Army temporary Camp or the burning of military vehicles or the embarrassment of the military have seriously mesmerized the army and civilians relations which we don’t expect. It is hard to heal the wound already made. But we must heal it not at the cost of hostility but through the tools of friendship.

Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program, PACE
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Nagoya Summit 2010

Nagoya biodiversity summit targets ecosystem preservation

The chain of natural disasters, climate change and food insecurity have made the inhabitants of this planet perplexed .These phenomena pose to be a grave concern for all of us. To save the biodiversity from extinction and to discuss how to stop environmental destruction and the loss of plants and animal species Japan played a leadership role hosting a summit last week in Nagoya, the central Japanese city. Senior ministers and government officials from more than 190 countries gathered there to discuss the crucial issues. Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity reached agreement on the adoption of a protocol for the equitable sharing of benefits derived from the use of genetic resources such as plants from which big business develop drugs, cosmetic and other products. On the final day of the 12-day talks, Matsumoto Chairman of the meeting and Japanese environment minister presented his own proposal to try to break the deadlock after negotiations failed to reach agreement. The adoption of the protocol on access and benefit - sharing of genetic resources was described as a ' long-cherished dream’ by Matsumoto. We know that the Convention on Biological Diversity was born out of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, along with the United Nations climate change convention with three main objectives such as conserving biological diversity, using biological diversity in a sustainable way and sharing the benefits of genetic resources fairly and equitably.

This agreement the Nagoya Protocol is the second major global environment agreement the Japan has played a leadership role in brokering. The extended session of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 10 also yielded an agreement on the so-called Aichi targets for ecosystem preservation. As a result, efforts to protect biodiversity will likely have a major impact on business around the world, similar to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. Delegates struck a deal on ecosystem preservation targets for the 2011-2020 periods, agreeing to set aside 17 percent of land and 10 percent of the sea for preserving biodiversity.

Finance is essential for addressing these challenges. It is learnt that the Global Environment Facility will spend $1.2 billion on biodiversity over the 2010-14 period, following its successful replenishment with 4.30 billion dollars The UK increased its contribution by 50% and the GEF has also established a new $250 million program for sustainable forest management which will deliver climate change and biodiversity benefits. We must reach agreement on a protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing ensuring fair and transparent access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from their use.

Environment ministers from almost 200 nations agreed late to adopt a new United Nations strategy that aims to stem the worst loss of life on earth since the demise of the dinosaurs. Frantic negotiations also saw the UN’s COP 10 biodiversity conference adopt a new treaty, the Nagoya Protocol, to manage the world’s genetic resources and share the multibillion- dollar benefits with developing nations and indigenous communities. Governments have been discussing this subject for 18 years, but it has been held up until now because it ran across issues of trade, health, traditional medicine and hence pitted multinational pharmaceuticals companies against indigenous communities. The Nagoya Protocol will see governments considering ways to provide recompense for genetic material and traditional medical knowledge collected in the past that is now being used, patented and sold. This is likely to be done through a special fund for developing nations that could be used for conservation or scientific research centers.


Without the adoption of the protocol on access and benefit sharing, termed an anti-bio-piracy protocol by activists, the Nagoya conference would not be considered a success, many participants commented. The European Union first demanded 20 percent of coastal and marine areas are protected by 2020 but later compromised, dropping to 15 percent while China insisted on 6 percent. The conference actually did not specify how much money would be provided to achieve its goals to save habitats and species. Instead governments agreed to draw up a funding plan, with sums, baselines and other details by 2012. The host country Japan has pledged $20 billion this week for biodiversity while the UK and France have earmarked smaller sums for related projects already mentioned in the third paragraph.


Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International of course has said that the agreement reaffirms the fundamental need to conserve nature as the very foundation of our economy and our society. Governments have sent a strong message that protecting the health of the planet has a place in international politics and countries are ready to join forces to save life on Earth. The Nagoya Protocol is an historic achievement ensuring that the often immense value of genetic resources I more equally shared. Director General of WWF International welcomed the overall deal. This agreement reaffirms the fundamental need to conserve nature as the very foundation of our economy and our society. Government has sent a strong message that protecting the health of the planet has a place in international politics and countries are ready to join forces to save life on Earth. Other groups emphasized that implementation was the key. ‘Participants must be working to save life on this planet from November 1 morning with new efforts and vigour.’--- said IUCNs Director of Conservation Policy, Jane Smart. There is a momentum here which we can’t afford to lose in fact we have to build on it if we stand any change of success in halting the extinction crisis. In earlier reports the IUCN noted that a fifth of the world vertebrates are under threat and the die-off of all species is at the level not seen in 65 million years.

In order to achieve success it is essential that biodiversity, climate change, food security and poverty reduction should be tackled together. The Summit last month in New York, this meeting in Nagoya last week and Cancun next month provide us with a tremendous opportunity to address these interlinked challenges .We cannot but seize the opportunity to make this planet habitable for us and our friends- plants and animals.



Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program, PACE
( The writer regularly writes on various national, international, social and environmental issues)
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Nobel Peace Prize 2010

Is Nobel Peace Prize 2010 really controversial?

Md. Masum Billah

Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been named the winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Making the announcement in Oslo, the head of the Norwegian Nobel committee said Mr. Lu was 'the foremost symbol of the human rights struggle in China."Several countries including the US, France and Germany called for his immediate release. Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland admitted he knew the choice would be controversial. He told local television before the announcement you would understand when you hear the name. Mr. Liu, 54 perhaps China's best known dissident is serving a 11-year term on subversion charges, in a cell 500 miles from Beijing and remains unknown to most Chinese.Liu Xiaobo is one of three people to have received the prize while incarcerated by their own government, after the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991 and the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky in 1935. By awarding the prize to Mr Liu, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has provided an unmistakable rebuke to Beijing's authoritarian leaders at a time of growing intolerance for domestic dissent and a spreading unease internationally over the muscular diplomacy that has accompanied China's economic rise.

The Nobel peace prize committee's announcement on October 8th vehemently infuriated Chinese leaders. It may well give extra ammunition to hardliners in China who argue that the West is bent on undermining Communist Party rule. The award of the peace to Liu Xiaobo , therefore, is a nice way to undermine China, the greatest threat to the U.S. in Asia. Any dissident who helps portray countries antagonizing the US as brutal is eligible and many have gotten Nobel Peace prizes. Did any Latin American dissent of the US Dictators ever receive a Nobel Prize? No, they were all exterminated by CIA trained and funded Death Squads.

Did Mao Tse-Tung, Mohandas Ghandi and other men who liberated their people and who are considered by historian 'Men of Universal Destiny' receive a Nobel? Of course, not. Did Henry Kissinger receive a Nobel for the US war and defeat in Vietnam? Sure he did.

China reacted with outrage in 1989 when the Nobel peace prize was awarded to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan leader in exile, to all appearances as a rebuke to the government for having crushed the Tiananmen Square protests earlier that year. Though China regards Tibet as an integral part of the nation, Mr. Liu stands apart as an ethnic Han Chinese who has devoted himself to addressing the politics of China .Mr. is precisely the kind of dissident that they partly regards as most threatening. He is a seasoned campaigner, a veteran of the Tiananmen protests who has shown no sign of succumbing to the party's intimation in spite of three period of incarceration over the past two decades. He is a mildly spoken literary critic. Who has created the sort of consensus that is unusual to forge among China's infighting intellectuals? Mr. Liu's Charter 08, a document that calls for democracy was signed initially by more than 300 liberal thinkers. It struck a reasoned tone to which radicals and moderate alike could subscribe.

The debate over universal values that it helped to fuel still rages within the party today. Mr. Liu was arrested in December 2008 two days before the charter 08 was made public. The authorities chose Christies Day 2009 to announce his 11 year jail term for 'inciting subversion of state power.'

There is likely to be much online comment in support of Mr. Liu's award in China but the Nobel prize is unlikely to galvanize any concerted protest acting such as the party would find difficult to suppress. There will be an upsurge in demands from abroad for Mr. Liu's release. Yet major Western powers are little inclined to jeopardize their relationships with China for the sake of individual dissidents. Just two months after Mr. Lu's arrest, Hillary Clinton, America's secretary of state said after a visit to Beijing that she had raised human rights but 'our prestige on these issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis.'China is a past master of defecting Western concern about its treatment of dissidents. In the late 1980s, Deng Xiaoping spoke dismissively to his colleagues about the West's response to the sentencing in 1979 of a dissident, Wei Jingsheng to 15 years in prison. "We put Wei Jingsheng behind bars, didn't we, he boasted, did that damage China's reputation? We haven't released him but China's image has not been tarnished by that. Our reputation improves day by day.

In a move that in retrospect appears to have been counterproductive, a senior Chinese official had warned the Norwegian committees' secretary that giving the prize to Mr. Liu would adversely affect relations between the two countries. The committee in announcing the prize Friday noted that China the world's second biggest economy should be commended for lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But it chastised the government for ignoring basic rights guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution and in the international conventions to which Beijing is a party. In practice, these freedoms have proved to be distinctly curtailed for China's citizen. Committee members said adding China's new status must entail increased responsibility.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to the news, calling it a desecration of the peace prize and said it would harm Norwegian -Chinese relations. The Chinese government summoned Norway's ambassador to protest the award, a spokesman for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry told. The Nobel Committee giving the peace prize to such a person runs completely contrary to the aims of the prize, Ma Xhaoxu, a spokesman said. Liu Xiaobo is a criminal who has been sentenced by Chinese judicial departments for violating Chinese law.Headlines about the reward were nowhere to be found in the Chinese-language state media or on the country's main internet portals. Broadcasts about Liu Xiaobo on CNN which reach only luxury compound and hotels in China were blackened out throughout evening. The prize is an enormous psychological boost for China' beleaguered reform movement and an affirmation of the two decades Mr. Liu has spent advocating peaceful political change in the face of unremitting hostility from enshrining Chinese Communist Party.

Blacklisted from the academic and barred from publishing in China, Mr. Liu has been harassed and detained repeatedly since 1989 when he stepped into the dram playing out on Tiananmen Square by staging a hunger strike and then negotiating the peaceful retreat of student demonstrators as thousands of soldiers stood by with rifles drawn.' "Tiananmen Square would have been a field of blood on June 4 if not for the work of Liua dn the others to broker a peaceful withdrawal from the square", said Gao Yu, a veteran journalist and fellow dissident who was arrested in the hours before the tanks began moving through the city.

Common people put forward comments on the announcement. Here goes one comment against the decision. "Every country has its own faith and culture. You Western countries shouldn't look at us through your own eyes. We have our own faith and culture to follow. Since Liu Xiaobo is Chinese, he must follow Chinese rules. So he is not the human rights fighter and he doesn't' deserve the prize. " says Penghong, Chngdu, Sichuan. On the contrary, Hoien L Cadogan, Hong Kong China says "What else can be more encouraging and touching to happen to the democracy in China? This is a beginning of worldwide recognition of the striving democratic movement in China. The award will certainly bring more attention from the world on the democratic situation in China." Actually, it does not necessarily suggest a safer candidate that demands worldwide consensus, but a candidate that more likely represents what the Nobel Peace Prize represents.



(Md. Masum Billah can be reached at mmbillah2000 @yahoo.com)

Tareq Aziz

World leaders appeal for Tareq Aziz’s life
Iraq is still on the centre stage of world politics. Iraq’s Supreme Court found its former deputy premier Tareq Aziz guilty of deliberate murder and crimes against humanity sentencing to death the long-time international face of the Saddam Hussein regime. There is no word as of yet when Tariq Aziz will be hanged. Aziz surrendered to American forces in 2003 after Baghdad fell. His boss Saadam Hussein, was captured later that year, higing deep inside a hole in the ground and was hanged in 2006.A stone-faced and haggard –looking Aziz listened as Judge Mahmoud Saleh al-Hasan read the verdict. After sufficient evidence against Tareq Aziz that he committed and participated in deliberate murder and crimes against humanity the court decided to issue the death sentence. His role in eliminating religious parties has also been raised. He suffered a stroke on October 22 and was transferred to a hospital in the US base at Balad, 70 kilometers north of Baghdad, a US run prison in the Iraqi capital where he has been detained.
Tareq Aziz was born on April 28, 1936 near Mosul. For eight years, foreign minister during the First Gulf War, he was subsequently appointed deputy prime minister. A Chaldean Christian, he has always made little account of his religious affiliation, in favor of his Arab and Iraqi sentiments. In February 2003 he was also received by Pope John Paul II in last minute attempts by the regime to prevent the invasion of the country. He was the Foreign Minister from 1983 to 1991 and Deputy Prime Minister since 1979 to 2003 of Iraq. He was a staunch activist of the then –banned Ba’ath Arab Socialist Party. His actual name was Mikhail Yuhanna, but he changed his name to Tareq Aziz to allay any hostile sentiments towards his Christian heritage. Aziz studied English at the Baghdad University of Fine Arts and later worked as a journalist, before joining the Ba’ath Party in 1957. In 1963 he was the editor of the newspaper Aj-Jamahir and al Thawra, the newspaper of the Ba’th party. In April 1980 he survived an Iranian –backed assassination attempt carried out by members of the Islamic Dawa Party. In the attack, members of Islamic Dawa Party threw a grenade at Aziz in central Baghdad. The attack killed several people. Aziz had known Saddam since the 1950s, but was kept outside the close Sunni Muslim circle of the president’s fellow clansmen from the central town of Tikrit even as he rose to become the top Christian in the Ba’athist government. Critics of the US-led occupation claimed Aziz was held as a political prisoner to avenge his often eloquent and erudite verbal assaults on Washington and London. After British and US air strikes on Baghdad in 1998, he laid into the international community. In early 2003, Aziz embarked on a high profile of European capitals in a failed bid to prevent the US-led invasion.
Tareq Aziz began to rise through the ranks of Iraqi politics after the Ba’ath party came to power in 1968. He served as a member of the Regional Commander, the Ba’ath Party’s highest governing organization from 974 to 1977 and in 1977 became a member of Saddam’s Revolutionary Command Council. In 1979 Aziz became Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and worked as a diplomat to explain Iraq’s policies to the world. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Tareq Aziz served as the international spokesman in support of the military action. He claimed the invasion was justified because Kuwait’s increased oil production was harming Iraqi oil revenues. He consumed Arab states for ‘subservience to the US hegemony the Middle East and their support for punitive sanctions. On January 9, 1991 Aziz was involved in the Geneva Peace Conference which included the United States Secretary of State, James Baker. The goal of the meeting was to discuss a possible resolution to the occupation of Kuwait. On February 14, 2003 Aziz had an audience with Pope John Paul II and other officials in Vatican City. Where according to a Vatican sentiment he communicated the wish of the Iraqi government to co-operate with international communities . Because of security concerns, Saddam rarely left Iraq, so Aziz would often represented Iraq at high-level diplomatic summits.
In his first interview since Aziz was captured shortly after the fall of Baghdad more than seven years ago, Iraq’s former deputy prime minister and longtime face to the world said ‘the United States would cause the death of Iraq if it continued to withdraw its combat forces.’ ‘We are all victims of America and Britain,’ they killed our country in many ways, when you make a mistake you need to correct a mistake not leave Iraq to its death.’he told the Guardian from his prison cell in Baghdad. Speaking only days after Obama confirmed that the US would be ending its combat mission in Iraq this month with the withdrawal of thousands of troops; Aziz said the country was in a worse state than before the war. For thirty years Saddam built Iraq and now it is destroyed. There are more than sick than before, hungrier. The people don’t have services. People are being killed every day in the tens, if not hundreds. He clandestinely said that Obama is a hypocrite as he is leaving Iraq to the wolves.
‘Wars are wars, and there are reasons for them. He said that Saddam did not lie. He claimed. He did not change the facts. ‘He is someone for whom I have a great respect and love. He is a man who history will show served his country.’ Thus Aziz still proves his loyalty to Saddam. Saddam built the countryman deserved the people. ‘I cannot accept your judgment that he was wrong.’ He threw questions to the world. Didn’t Churchill make mistakes? Didn’t Brown make mistakes? Did the British ministers stand up at that and point out the lives of their leaders? He gives the solution also saying ‘No. they spoke later.’
His love for the country and his clinging to political ideology deserve world’s attention. ‘I was the foreign minister of the country and I had to defend the country and do everything possible to explain our position. I stayed on the side of right.’ Throughout the next decade of UN-enforced sanctions and the oil for food program, Aziz claimed he and Saddam managed to nourish all Iraqis and maintain stability throughout the country. Even during the time of sanctions which is a difficult time in the life of any country every man woman and child was taking 2000 calories per day. Aziz confirmed they had waged war on Iraq for eight years, so Iraqis had right to deter them. Saddam had to defend the dignity of Iraq. He had to show that he was neither wrong nor weak. Bush and Blair lied intentionally. They were both pro-Zionist. They wanted to destroy Iraq for the sake of Israelis, not for the sake of the US and Britain. His tone reflects true love for the country, loyalty towards his boss and attachment to his ideology really deserve salute. The foreign ministry of Moscow, Greek president and Vatican appeal for Tareq Aziz’a life and not to carry out the death sentence on humanitarian grounds. We also endorse their views .
Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Program
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Lest we forget Aminul Alam

Lest we forget Aminul Alam, Executive Director- BRAC International

Our dear Amin Bhai , the Executive Director of BRAC International, passed away on October 02, 2010 ending his eventful life which was dedicated to the welfare and service of the toiling masses and the down trodden . The BRAC family members, well wishers and beneficiaries of BRAC received the news of his sad demise with extremely heavy heart. Aminul Alam was a potential, brave, confident and gigantic personality who gave the dream of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed’s hope to make a hunger free country into reality . BRAC has imprinted its footprint across Bangladesh and beyond. The remotest part of the country where electricity is a rare phenomenon and modern communication is far remote has been touched by BRAC. Presently ten countries in the world proclaim their recognition practically in the poverty alleviation procession of BRAC reaching the hard core poor community who experienced life just as a vacuum of frustration. BRAC poverty alleviation model and BRAC Primary School model have been replicated in various countries in African countries in particular all over the globe in general.

Amin Bhai, was bold and quick enough to take any decision which contributed a great deal to the fast expansion of BRAC both at home and abroad. He introduced just the reverse learning of slow pace of official work without any paper documentation. He used to hold everything in his brain just like a computer. Paper work was hardly available with him. He could remember thousands of BRAC staff by name. One cannot but get astonished to see his sharp memory. This god gifted treasure he sacrificed for the poor whose cry hardly reach the metropolitan snobs. Yes, he really has taken a permanent position in the heart of these ever neglected populace. I could not control my tears when I found the poor women was continuously shedding tears learning and witnessing his dead body.During the flood BRAC people spent sleepless night under his guidance. When some young people made a little bit delay in performing their duties he just cried ‘How do you mange to wear ironed shirt when the affected people are striving to survive, when their cattle heads are being washed away by flood? Work for them and with them if you are really BRAC staff.”

From a small seed to the present gigantic body of BRAC is greatly indebted to his untiring and ceaseless effort and uncompromising attitude towards the staff. He believed in ‘ Work is life’ he started his career as a Program Organizer working far from the madding crowd and living with the poor ,helpless and landless which taught him how to love the poor, how to stand beside them and how to win their heart. This learning and experience contributed to raise him to the envious position of Executive Director, BRAC International. Unthinkable rise indeed! Who saw him and worked with him in the field could not make their eyes believe how potential, active, energetic, brave and quick decision maker a person was Mr. Aminul Alam! Tremendous mental strength helped him win the insurmountable odds.


Still I remember how long time he spent in the Viva-Voce examination when he was selecting me for BRAC Education Programme. He asked me “How much actually do you earn now.’ Listening to my answer he told me ‘We cannot offer you so much money now. He also told me that English teachers are scarce in the city of Dhaka. You are an English teacher, definitely your earning is very handsome but BRAC will offer you a minimum salary. I don’t know whether it would satisfy you. Learning my writing potential he just uttered, “You would be a suitable person to develop our education materials.”


Actually he left no branch of BRAC untouched. Everywhere his footprint and constant physical and mental presence made everybody always ready and active. Usually, people kept themselves busy and limited within their particular world of work and hardly bother about other phenomena. But Amin Bhia used to roam about each and every corner of BRAC efforts and as an upshot of it, BRAC now enjoys international status and earned world recognition as the resort to alleviating poverty, offering health service to the outreach and quality education for the vast number of children who remained away from the formal way of learning and ensuring quality education in the secondary and tertiary levels. He took keen interest everywhere and every corner to prove his utmost dedication to the organization.

He has suddenly jumped into his eternal journey making us followers. As we are also rushing towards that path, we pray to Almighty Who knows better and Whose everything seems extremely mysterious to us is earnestly requested to rest him peace in heaven which is the ultimate goal of all. Amin Bhai rest in peace ,you did not make time to rest here. Now sleep. All the family members of BRAC pray for you. Abed Bhai has greatly shocked as you stood beside him just like a strong pillar. Really you were the Field Marshall of BRAC as Mary Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard University has said. You are a legend of BRAC.


Md. Masum Billah
Programme Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Why Communicative English

Why Communicative English

As a global language the position of English now stands supreme. How to communicate more effectively and using less effort among the individuals, institutions and nations has been a grave concern over the ages. Still the pronunciation and ways of teaching English differ from country to country and institution to institution in the same country even.. The way of teaching English has been used as grammar translation method which gives the learners the idea of accuracy rather than using it more comfortably in the real life situation. Of course, accuracy cannot be avoided in any way. The main components of teaching and learning English are translating the ideas and contents from a language into English, which sheds spontaneity. Spontaneous use of language gives the users more freedom. Usually and naturally an individual uses his/her mother tongue more spontaneously than any other language he/she learns through efforts. Necessarily learning a language spontaneously tends to give a comfort, which narrows the gap between mother tongue and that particular language.

It is not necessary to learn mother tongue in educational institutions for communicating ideas. Rather it is learnt from the situation and environment. It is mainly for communication. Accuracy is ignored here. This language may not be appropriate in the universal situation. Suppose the local language of Chittagong or Noakhali or Barisal may not be well comprehensive to the people of other parts of Bangladesh. But the people of these areas very effectively communicate with each other to satisfy their practical needs. Again, these languages may not be used in writing purposes .English has also assumed different pronunciations in different parts of the world which are obviously different from the native speakers. Even in native countries it is pronounced differently. In the midst of these situations a common comprehensive English has evolved throughout the globe. This situation has been termed as mutual intelligibility i.e. a kind of English understandable to the people of different parts of the world. The pronunciation and accent may not be same but nobody bothers about it or nobody minds it. The purpose of communication is the focal point here. If the purpose is served, the use of language is successful.

So the main focus of learning English is for communication purpose. As we don’t have English environment to teach the people English in real situation, a controlled situation is created in the classroom to teach it. From controlled to semi-guided and then to free practice has been pursued in teaching the communicative English.

As each language is based on particular structures, the communicative English cannot avoid to teach the learners those structural patters. But the way of teaching and practicing them is different from what they were done and taught before coming this method. Teaching exclusive grammatical rules and putting much importance on them is termed by the specialists traditional way to teach English. In this methodology learners gained much more accuracy but not so fluency and spontaneity in using the language for which it is meant. Many learners gathered both accuracy and fluency through the traditional method. Of course common learners lacked it .

It is generally expected that the common learners should learn English for their practical purposes like getting jobs, running business and marinating all kinds of individual , organizational and stately affairs very effectively. The skills earned in using English broadens the way of getting good jobs.

As fully English learning environment cannot be created to contribute to practical teaching , a controlled situation is created to teach English to the students. Structures and grammars are taught from the context that is from the lessons they are taught. Teacher is to work a lot for this kind of teaching and learning. As teachers are to find out the ways and grammars used and hidden in the context. To develop that kind of skill and competency in the teachers, specialised training is a must. Due to the lack of the training the objectives of teaching communicative English may not reach its desired goal. But it is a matter of good news that training programmes have already been taken up by both in the government and private sectors and they are leading the training programmes gradually towards the way of success.

After the introduction of Communicative English in the secondary and Higher Secondary levels how far the change in teaching and learning English has been brought remains a questions to the conscious citizens of the country. Have our students who have passed the SSC or HSC examinations developed their four skills necessary for communication? Of course, time is not ripe enough to ask these questions but we should see whether the path is leading to the right direction. However, several training programmes have been taken up by ELTIP( English Language Teaching Improvement Project), BRAC and UKBET( United Kingdom and Bangladesh Education Trust) to prepare our secondary school teachers to deal with the English For Today and to develop their teaching abilities. The materials produced on the basis of the techniques of EFT. Again, question arises how far the training materials address the practical issues.

English For Today has been produced on the basis of four skills namely speaking. reading, listening and writing . We are making our teachers acquainted with the four skills and the ways how to deal with the different lessons and units of EFT in the class. Teachers are made acquainted with different techniques of teaching like pair work, group work, chain drill, choral drill, elicitation etc. to deal with the text and four skills and the trained teachers have already formed some ideas about theses things. We are not sure whether they are implementing the techniques in the class fully or partially but we have at least sensitised them. Removing the shyness of the students as well as of the teachers through training has been at least partially successful as our trained teachers speak or try to speak English in the class . I observed the situation in the teacher’s forum and visiting different schools.

The introduction of communicative English has not yet been embraced by most of the teachers, students and guardians .It is very usual because since the people of our country started learning English they had been following traditional method. The present day scholars who are at the helm of affairs are the product of that English. They developed a solid foundation of English through the grammar translation method. Now the world has changed a lot. Global communication has assumed a very important shape and phenomenon. Bangladesh as a poor country has to communicate with the outside world for having donation, relief, job , scientific cooperation, mass communication and what not. The channels of communication have multiplied as well. People having the quality of communication in English is necessarily preferred and hence the English knowing people and individuals are in good demand in the world market. The graduates produced by our colleges and universities miserably lack this phenomenon. The graduates of our neighbouring countries like India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan prove their worth in this line which has opened scope world wide for them. Necessarily these countries also earn much foreign exchange through the exportation of their English skilled manpower. Even Dhaka city sees many Indian and Sri Lankan people in many of the executive posts mainly because of their having strong ability to communicate in English. Now it has come to the realisation of our policy makers that we are being deprived globally in many fields due to the lack of communicative ability of our graduates.

Communication does necessarily not mean only oral communication. It can be of written or even through signs and beckons. But oral communication attaches much importance. The English we used to teach our students could not directly help them develop their oral communication in English. The present approach wants to develop that side of our students through some controlled and created practice and situation. It should be in everybody’s consideration that written communication is also not less important and it cannot be done trough inaccurate English. Accuracy earned or learned through communicative English is a new idea. Accuracy learned or earned through it calls for huge study and practice as students are encouraged to memorise or learn grammatical rules. They must learn them through the context and situation. Teaching through context and situation has evolved as a great challenge as trained, innovative and hard working teachers are hardly available in our educational arena particularly in the primary and secondary levels. To train them up has further appeared as a big challenge both for the government as well as for the organizations concerned. However, conducting research on these issues and finding out ways and means to address the situation s has started appearing though in limited scales.

Curriculum and textbooks need to be revised simultaneously with teachers training. Books which fail to give interest to the students will hardly bring benefit for them . Ample colourful pictures, stories along with practical situational lessons and dialogues may rouse interest among the learners Trained teachers will create the controlled and guided situations in the classroom. These multifarious steps can come to our learners with the message of communicate approach which will really help them communicate in their real life situations.


Md. Masum Billah
Programme Manager:
Post Primary Basic And Continuing Education(PACE) Programme
BRAC Head Office, Dhaka.
Phone: 9355253 (home)
01714-091431(cell)

Using games in teaching English

There goes a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. Almost all the guardians, school authorities and even many teachers strongly hold this opinion. Hence, they don’t want the teachers to sue any game in the classroom particularly in the language class. They think it to be the wastage of time in the class. But nowadays language specialists, researchers and textbook writers opine that using games in the language class is one of the most essential and effective tools to teach language. Though playing games it is possible to learn and teach a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time. One of the best ways to do this is through games. Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice many types of communication. Language learning is really a difficult task, effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work. Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand what others are saying or have written and they must speak or write in order to express their own point of view or give information.
Many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argued that games are not just time-filing activities but a have a great education value. W.R. Lee holds that most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms (19179:2). He also says that games should be treated as central not peripheral to the foreign language teaching programme. A similar opinion is expressed by Rchard Amato, who believes games to be fun but warns against overlooking their pedagogical value, particularly in foreign language teaching. There are many advantages of using games; games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely. They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings. They normally don’t want to express themselves. But through games their hidden potential can be discovered and they feel encouraged and secure to tell their opinions. Games also enable learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign language which are not always possible during a typical lesson. Furthermore, to quote Richard Amato, ‘they add diversion to the regular classroom activities, break the ice,’ they to introduce new ideas. In an easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students’ member things faster and better. So, using games seems to be a good medicine teaches a language in a friendly atmosphere.
Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for many of these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming. It’s a very important thing that learners think English to be a very boring subject. It is full of problems. When games are introduced, they definitely dispel these notions from their minds and will prepare to learn it through fun and interest. Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. Rixon suggests that games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen. Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning vocabulary in various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second, games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third, vocabularies games bring real world context into the classroom and enhance students’ use of English in a flexible, communicative ways.
Therefore, the role of games in teaching and learning vocabulary cannot be denied. However, in order to achieve the most from vocabulary games, it is essential that suitable games are chosen. Whenever, a game is to be conducted, the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings are factors that should be taken into account. In conclusion, learning vocabulary through game is an effective and interesting way that can be applied in any classrooms. It is suggested that games are used not only for mere fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons, thus leading toward the goal of improving learners’ communicative competence. Games are fun and children like to play them. Through games children experiment, discover and interact with their environment. ‘The game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children. It brings the target language to life.’--- Lewis 1999.The game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children.
Through playing games, students can learn English the way children learn their mother tongue without being aware they are studying , thus without stress, they can learn a lot. Even, shy students can participate positively. But a game must be more than just fun, a game should involve ‘friendly’ competition, it should keep all of the students involved and interested. A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice or review specific language materials. In an effort to supplement lesson plans in the English as Second Language classroom, teachers often turn to games. The justification for using games in the classroom has been well demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more cooperative group dynamics.

Md. Masum Billah
Programme Manager: BRAC Education Program, PACE
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

Using games in teaching English

Using games in teaching English

There goes a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. Almost all the guardians, school authorities and even many teachers strongly hold this opinion. Hence, they don’t want the teachers to sue any game in the classroom particularly in the language class. They think it to be the wastage of time in the class. But nowadays language specialists, researchers and textbook writers opine that using games in the language class is one of the most essential and effective tools to teach language. Though playing games it is possible to learn and teach a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time. One of the best ways to do this is through games. Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice many types of communication. Language learning is really a difficult task, effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work. Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand what others are saying or have written and they must speak or write in order to express their own point of view or give information.
Many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argued that games are not just time-filing activities but a have a great education value. W.R. Lee holds that most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms (19179:2). He also says that games should be treated as central not peripheral to the foreign language teaching programme. A similar opinion is expressed by Rchard Amato, who believes games to be fun but warns against overlooking their pedagogical value, particularly in foreign language teaching. There are many advantages of using games; games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely. They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings. They normally don’t want to express themselves. But through games their hidden potential can be discovered and they feel encouraged and secure to tell their opinions. Games also enable learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign language which are not always possible during a typical lesson. Furthermore, to quote Richard Amato, ‘they add diversion to the regular classroom activities, break the ice,’ they to introduce new ideas. In an easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students’ member things faster and better. So, using games seems to be a good medicine teaches a language in a friendly atmosphere.
Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for many of these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming. It’s a very important thing that learners think English to be a very boring subject. It is full of problems. When games are introduced, they definitely dispel these notions from their minds and will prepare to learn it through fun and interest. Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. Rixon suggests that games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen. Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning vocabulary in various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second, games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third, vocabularies games bring real world context into the classroom and enhance students’ use of English in a flexible, communicative ways.
Therefore, the role of games in teaching and learning vocabulary cannot be denied. However, in order to achieve the most from vocabulary games, it is essential that suitable games are chosen. Whenever, a game is to be conducted, the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings are factors that should be taken into account. In conclusion, learning vocabulary through game is an effective and interesting way that can be applied in any classrooms. It is suggested that games are used not only for mere fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons, thus leading toward the goal of improving learners’ communicative competence. Games are fun and children like to play them. Through games children experiment, discover and interact with their environment. ‘The game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children. It brings the target language to life.’--- Lewis 1999.The game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children.
Through playing games, students can learn English the way children learn their mother tongue without being aware they are studying , thus without stress, they can learn a lot. Even, shy students can participate positively. But a game must be more than just fun, a game should involve ‘friendly’ competition, it should keep all of the students involved and interested. A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice or review specific language materials. In an effort to supplement lesson plans in the English as Second Language classroom, teachers often turn to games. The justification for using games in the classroom has been well demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more cooperative group dynamics.

Md. Masum Billah
Programme Manager: BRAC Education Program, PACE
Cell: 01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

BRAC Education ( Ranking Universities)

Ranking Higher Educational Institutions

Ranking the universities is a crucial task. It entails one’s thinking on how to rank the universities. What should be the criteria--- results, research, number of students, size of the university, infra-structure, quality of teachers or students, graduated students’ employment history, the age of the university should come under ranking criteria. To rank a university these points need to be taken into consideration very critically or some of these in a cluster to be considered. These criteria differ from university to university and from public to private universities. However, ranking has to be done with a view to developing the standard and quality through competition, which remains quite absent at present. University Grants Commission should shoulder the vital task regarding this issue. Actually, question arises what the UGC does in connection with ensuring quality of education of the universities. A strong body comprising education experts of various levels and categories needs to be established as third eye to monitor the overall performance and general activities of the universities. Topmost importance should be given so that no political colour can touch the body. But how far can it be ensured?

According to the survey/research of The Times Higher Education (THE), top two hundred universities have been identified on thirteen criteria. Unfortunately, none of these two hundred universities exist in the South-Asia , let alone Bangladesh. Top of the list stands Harvard University, second position goes to California Institute of Technology, third Massachusetts Institute of Technology, fourth Stanford University and fifth category goes to Princeton university. It is more interesting that all the top five universities stand in the United States. Oxford and Cambridge occupy combine sixth position. In Asia University of Hong Kong tops the list but it stands 21st in the world standard. Second Asia University of Tokyo, third Pohao university of South Korea, fourth National University of Singapore and fifth Peking University of China. All these universities fall between 25 and 35th in the global ranking. The universities which publish less than fifty articles in the international standard journal have not been counted. None of the universities of Bangladesh stands even in the 1000th in the global ranking. What a shame for us. I don’t know whether it will sensitize the authorities concerned of the educational arena or not.It clandestinely shows how much less importance is given to research in our universities. Importance is given whether students have gone to welcome our leaders coming from foreign visit contributing to already unbearable traffic jam. When students don’t go there due to their examinations and other appointments they are detained by the student cadres of a particular party. How beautiful! Being a citizen of an independent country and studying in the highest seat of learning is to endure the detention of unruly student cadres, then there remains no place in the world to show the face. Definitely the position of our universities will stand hundreds of miles away from world ranking. Yes, our universities would occupy the top ten ranking if the criteria reverse. The contribution of present day student politics and how strong and expert our students are in using various sorts of arms including local lathies and also toll collecting from various sources to fatten their income. Some of our leaders once expressed that our student organization is enough to face the opposition. How beautiful! It is true that in many western countries political parties have research wings comprising of party intellectuals. On the basis of their research party decisions are made. What happens in our country?

There is no particular ranking among the private universities in Bangladesh, not among the public universities. Comparatively sound academic atmosphere prevails in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and almost uniformed quality of students get admission here who value more academic affairs than political games in the campus. And the general universities more or less get plagued with various ills mostly originated from student politics. University Grants Commission conducted a ranking survey in 2004 only in private universities which ranked North-South University as first. But it hardly imprints any significance as the general beliefs and notion convince us all that North-South University occupies the first ranking university because of its academic excellence, faculties and brilliant productions. Another one is vying with North South that is BRAC University.

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings system published their annual ranking result for 2010-2011 on September 16 in collaboration with new ranking data provider Thomson Reuters. They collected data from more than 50 leading figures in the sector from 15 countries across every continent and through ten months of extensive consultation. The guiding principles THE followed in ranking the world universities are-----Teaching: the learning environment worth(30%) of the overall ranking score, Research: Volume, income and reputation (worth 30%),Citation: research influence (worth 32.5%)Industry income: innovation (worth(2.5%) and International mix: students and staff worth 5%.Scoring should be
-on research and innovative activities
--on the quality of teachers
--on the number of students admitted each year
--on campus quality and status (including libraries and all other facilities
-overall score ( DS Oliur Rahman September 24, 2010)

I think students’ employment status in the job market should be taken into consideration. Student’s entering the job market for the last five to ten years must be taken into consideration as it amply indicates the standard and imparting knowledge to the learners by the universities keeping pace with the present day world. Number of unemployed and low-employment matters much to the ranking

Once cadet college authorities expressed their dissatisfaction over not the brilliant cadet’s joining the armed forces and commented that cadet colleges were not coaching centers. Coaching centers just prepare the students for the examinations but educational institutions give holistic education to the learners, which contribute to their mental and psychological development. So, only result that means how many first classes or higher grades have been awarded to the learners may not be the only standard to rank the universities. Most of our private universities impart just the commercial subjects without giving them education in humanities. They don’t study literature or social science or science, just BBA and MBA and subjects like this, which can make a learner a businessman or business dealer, not a holistic man. Ranking the universities must receive these points.

With possible exception our private universities don’ t have any open campus to practice any physical games or sports or any kind of outdoor games and to roam about in the campus freely. Library facilities, gymnasiums, open theatre stages prove to be absolutely absent phenomena in private universities which the ranking between public and private universities, therefore, tend to be different.

Ranking of universities on some set and assumed criteria should be the order of the day. Private universities have mushroomed to respond to the fast expanding demand of tertiary level education without hiding some commercial or social status purpose may have the secret reason behind it. Different authorities to make regular surveys on academic and higher education related activities need to be emerged or to address the ebbing trend of quality education and hence creating a competition among the private universities. The set criteria must be well known to all so that any kind of lobbying and influencing and even corruption cannot happen when ranking will be done. Maintaining discipline in the campus must stand as one of the significant factors of ranking a university as discipline plays a key role to ensure a sound academic environment. In a chaotic campus students cannot give full attention to act of learning. Rater it stands in the way of imparting education normally.


BRAC offers a scholarship to the poor but meritorious students. So far it has distributed ‘ Medhabikash’ scholarship to twelve hundred students since its inception in 2005. On the basis of experiences gained through the process BRAC has decided to expand its scholarship program along with increasing the amount. Necessarily it is felt the amount of scholarship should vary according to the institutions students belong to. Hence, ranking plays a key factor. The Director of BRAC Education Program, Dr. Safiqul Islam , asked us to submit him the ranking of the higher educational institution of the country which really has thrown us into a perplexed situation as no such ranking has been done reasonably. It is greatly felt that it should have been.

It has been greatly felt that there must be a body or an organization to rank the higher educational institutions in the country, which should carefully and reasonably know how to differentiate between the technical such as BUET, KUET, CUET, RUET and general educational institutes. Then again medical colleges and agricultural universities and colleges and the general colleges offering honors courses should have separate ranking system. Until and unless the ranking is done nothing is understood which institution is teaching what and what sort of or amount of contribution it is giving to the nation. Very much traditionally institutions are being run year after year without any definite aims and objectives. No responsibility rests upon anybody. No competition among the institutions as it is found in the private schools and colleges and accordingly they vie with each other promising to offer better education and educational facilities. In respect of university and colleges such arrangements and competition must bring desired result. Under the initiative of the Ministry of Education an independent body must be formed to rank the higher educational institutions of the country on the basis of complex issues keeping the dividing line between private and public, college and universities.


Md. Masum Billah
Program Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE
Cell:01714-091431
Email: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com

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Avgiv Avm‡j Z…Zxq ‡Kvb cÖwZôv‡bi gwbUwis ev ch©‡e¶b Pvw”Q bv †Kb? ZvÕn‡j Avgiv wK Avgv‡`i `vwqZ¡ mwVKfve cvjb Kwi bv? gwbUwis Ges wdWe¨vK memgqB Avmj Ges mwVK nq kyaygvÎ ZLbB hLb Ab¨ †Kvb †PvL Agvi Kvh©vejx ch©‡&¶b K‡i Avi Zvi g‡a¨B Avgiv mwZ¨Kv‡ii wdWe¨vK cvB ms‡kvab Ges Dbœq‡bi Rb¨|

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Avgv‡`i †`‡ki cÖv_wgK wk¶v †emiKvix ch©v‡q cwiPvwjZ n‡e Avgiv GUv PvBbv, Avevi eZ©gv‡b †h Ae¯’vq cÖv_wgK we`¨vjq¸‡jv Pj‡Q †m Ae¯’vqI Pj‡Z †`qv hvqbv | G Ae¯’vi cwieZ©b NUv‡Z n‡e | cÖv_wgK we`¨vjq¸‡jv‡K AvKl©Yxq Ki‡Z n‡e, wk¶K wb‡qv‡M hZœkxj n‡Z n‡e, wk¶K cÖwk¶‡bi welqwU‡K me©v‡MÖ ¸i“Z¡ w`‡Z n‡e Ges m‡e©vcwi gvbm¤§Z wk¶v`vb wbwðZ Ki‡Z n‡e | G¸‡jv Kivi Rb¨ miKvix ev †emiKvix ej‡Z wKQz †bB, Avgv‡`i ‡hŠ_fv‡e KvR Ki‡Z n‡e | GLv‡b c¶ ev cÖwZc¶ ej‡Z wKQz †bB | ‡`k Avgv‡`i, mgm¨v Avgv‡`i, cÖv_wgK wk¶v Avgv‡`i AZGe Avgv‡`i mKj‡KB GwM‡q Avm‡Z n‡e |



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