Bangladesh has banned beating in schools after an upsurge of “inhuman” treatment of pupils by teachers, an official said Tuesday.

“Corporal punishment hinders the progress of a student,” education secretary Syed Ataur Rahman said in a government order issued late Monday to schools nationwide.

“Teachers should help the physical and mental growth of the students to flourish — they should be grooming them so they grow up as worthy citizens of the country,” the order said.

Rahman told AFP that the ban on beating and caning was because the government had “seen that these punishments can be inhuman”.

“Some parents have even attacked teachers for beating their child,” he said, adding that corporal punishment could also cause truancy, as pupils avoided classes at which they had been beaten.

The move comes after the country’s High Court urged the government to tackle growing cases of excessive corporal punishment in schools.

In March, eight Bangladeshi children received treatment in hospital after being caned by their headmistress for forgetting to bring coloured pencils to school.

Bangladesh has more than 30 million students in schools and madrassas — and nine out of 10 are physically beaten in school, according to a report released last October by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report, which surveyed more than 3,800 children aged between nine and 18, found that the most common form of physical punishment was with a cane or stick.

It also found that seven out of ten children were physically punished at home.

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A workshop on quality enhancement in higher education was held today at the Bangladesh University Grants Commission (UGC) with participation of vice chancellors, deans and senior professors of different universities.
Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman of the UGC was present at the workshop as the chief guest while it was chaired by Professor Dr. Atful Hye Shibly, member of the UGC. The workshop was also addressed by Professor Dr Md. Tajul Islam member and Ruknud Deen Ahmed.
Among others, the workshop was attended by Prof Dr. M. Abdus Sobhan, Vice chancellor of Rajshahi University, Prof Dr Md. Saifuddin Shah, Vice chancellor of Khulna University, Prof. Dr Shah-E-Alam, Vice chancellor of Sher- E-Bangla Agriculture University, Prof. Dr Mozaffar Hussain, Vice chancellor of Pabna University, Prof. Dr Nitesh Chandra Debnath, Vice Chancellor of Chittagong Veterinary & Animal Science university, Prof. Dr M Afzal Hossain, Vice chancellor of Haji Danesh Science & Technology University, Prof. Dr Sanjoy Kumar Adhikary, Vice chancellor of Noakhali Science & Technology University, Prof. Dr Syed Giasuddin Ahmed, Vice chancellor of Jatiyo Kabi Kazi Nazrul University, Prof. Dr Syed Sakhawat Hussain, Vice chancellor of Patuakhali Scicence & Technology University, Prof. Dr Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, Vice chancellor of Gono University, Prof. Dr MA Jalil Miah, Vice chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Prof. Dr Amir Hossain Khan, Vice chancellor of Comilla university.
The UGC chairman in his speech said the pragmatic role of the universities is to meet the challenges in enhancing the quality of higher education.
Mentioning the higher education quality enhancement project (HEQEP) as the first ever highest allocated project, he said, transparency and accountability will be ensured at sub-project selection, evaluation and implementation level.
Mentionable that the HEQEP is a project with an allocation of Taka 681 crore and being implementing by the UGC with the support of the World Bank for a period from 2009 to 2013.
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To face the challenges of globalization raising the quality of our higher education to world standard is very important. Bangladesh government has, therefore, taken initiatives to develop the quality of tertiary education. Government plans to build up our university graduates in a manner so that they can compete successfully in the context of international knowledge society.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education, with the assistance of the World Bank, has undertaken a Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP). The objectives of the project is to improve the quality of teaching-learning and research capabilities of the tertiary education institutions of the country through encouraging both innovation and accountability and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher education sector.

The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh is the implementing agency of the project. A HEQEP Unit has been established in UGC to arrange implementation, management and monitoring and evaluation of the activities.

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