News Briefs (7-10-2017)

BRAC opens first Kumon centre

The first centre in the country to facilitate learning in Kumon method, a comprehensive learning technique introduced by Japanese math teacher Toru Kumon, opened recently in Bangladesh. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of development organisation BRAC, was present as the chief guest at the opening ceremony organised Tuesday at the BRAC-Kumon Centre at Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Sir Abed, in his speech said, since BRAC started its education programme in 1984, it has put importance on quality education. Japanese mathematics teacher Toru Kumon developed this method of learning mathematics and formally introduced it in his country in 1958. Originally named after its developer and initiator, Kumon method has been introduced in Bangladesh under the BRAC-Kumon initiative. Organisers said the second BRAC-Kumon Centre will open at Uttara in the city this month October. These two centres will be run under a 27-month pilot project of BRAC-Kumon that started in July this year. In the next phase, spanning from 2019 to 2021, 20 more centres will gradually open in the country's different cities including Dhaka. Apart from mathematics, English will be introduced gradually as a subject of learning in these centres. BRAC in 2014 ran a pre-pilot project on Kumon method to explore its potentials to enhance children's skills for mathematical calculation, critical thinking and logical reasoning and boost a self-learning attitude in them. In 2015, the first pilot project was run under which a survey of the learning outcomes in Kumon method was conducted among 510 children in 17 BRAC schools. — Statement

Land minister praises scientists to help raise crop output

Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sherif said Friday agriculture scientists had made "valuable contribution" to increase crop production. "The country has achieved self-sufficiency in food as agriculture scientists have invented different varieties of high-yielding crops," he told at the senior agriculture scientist conference-2017 at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) in Dhaka, according to a statement. KIB President AM Saleh, Secretary-General Khairul Alam Prince, Dr Mirza A Jalil and agriculture scientists addressed the function, with Liakat Ali Juwel in the chair. Sherif said that Bangladesh has witnessed a significant rise in crop production as a result of sincere and effective efforts made by the present government. He said that the government has taken initiatives for ensuring the diversification of crop production aiming to achieve self-sufficiency in food. "As farming lands are shrinking across the country, we are attaching priority to introduce high-yielding varieties of crops to attain the goal of self-sufficiency in food," the minister added. — BSS