Readers’ Voice
23 December 2022
Reviewing fees of public colleges and universities
A few years back a former Finance Minister had said that fees of public (government) universities including medical colleges would be five times higher from next financial year. He pointed out that the monthly tuition fee was Tk 16 at public universities. For unknown reason the government did not increase tuition and other fees at public schools, colleges and universities during the last five decades.
Mostly students from affluent families study in public universities as they get more facilities for developing their potential and secure admission in public universities competing with common students. That is, the kids of affluent families get the opportunity to study in low cost but high standard public universities. Private universities usually charge Tk 40,000/ to Tk 120,000/ per semester from a student. Government needs to support more common students. Monthly tuition fee should not be less than Tk 1,500 in public universities. In this backdrop I would like to urge the government to increase tuition fees in public institutions many fold, not five times as the Finance Minister stated a few years back. Simultaneously 50 per cent students who are from poor families should be given a chance to study free of tuition fee in those government schools, colleges and universities.
Md Ashraf Hossain
Middle Bashabo, Dhaka
Risky venture
Almost everything today is powered by batteries: phones, vehicles, clean energy projects. These have a long lifespan and immense storage capacity. But there is a fatal flaw in their persistent use: currently made of lithium, the batteries take hundreds of thousands of years to degrade, and the way they are disposed of currently poses an environmental risk. Researchers recently chanced upon an alternate source - one that uses a material found in crab shells - to store energy. But one wonders what this will mean for crab populations that are already threatened by over fishing.
