We have done well to ensure people have access to education. But we have not yet managed to provide quality education for all segments of the population. Providing quality education is without a doubt the biggest challenge.

How can you put a value on the oxygen that the trees of the forest produce? Or the food it supplies to the animals?

US President Donald Trump has recently recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, drawing sharp international criticism and threatening Yousef Ramadan, Head of Mission at the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Bangladesh, talks to Badiuzzaman Bay of The Daily Star about the unilateral US decision, its implications, and what Bangladesh can learn from the Palestinian experience to deal with the Rohingya crisis.

Corruption is pervasive in Bangladesh, a key challenge against development and social transformation. Corruption is so deep and wide at both micro and micro levels that it threatens to become a way of life.

First, I have been a human rights and political activist for the last 29 years. I can't call myself a human rights defender and turn my back on my own country's genocide, like most human rights defenders in Myanmar are doing today.

Gender-based violence can happen to anyone—rich or poor. It happens in trains, buses, public places and inside homes. It does not have any class boundaries. It is a global pandemic.

The Daily Star (TDS): What is the state of progress in the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project and the Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project,

Iqbal Mahmood, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, in an interview with Eresh Omar Jamal of The Daily Star, talks about corruption in the country and how the ACC and the society at large can fight against it.

The 16th Amendment verdict has saved one important pillar of independence of Higher Judiciary, although much will also depend on activating the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for dealing with allegations against the Judges.

One of the most pressing and least addressed problems facing the nation currently is the increasing violence against children. Some children, such as those engaged in domestic work, are more vulnerable to abuse than others. Shagufe Hossain of The Daily Star talks to Salma Ali, Executive Director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association, to further explore the issue.

A butterfly's origin is in its caterpillar beginnings. Soldiering through sunlight and rain for a certain period, suddenly it comes out of its cocoon as a colourful winged creature. And we come to love the once ugly entity in its new form. Like the painful transformation of a butterfly, the artist too undergoes a similar ordeal to produce a masterpiece.

"I grew up as a young girl in Bangladesh, a post-war country at the time ravished by famine, and saw everyone trying to do their part to rebuild the country."

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that the government will take steps to recognise the Dawrah-e-Hadith of Qwami madrasah education as equivalent to a Masters degree. The Daily Star talks to Professor Ali Riaz and Professor Salimullah Khan about the controversy surrounding the issue.

From the particular perspective of Bangladesh, two types of challenges impede her bilateral trade with India.

The Daily Star talks to three experts - a researcher, a labour activist and a development professional - about the progress Bangladesh has made and the challenges it still faces.

After the Rana Plaza tragedy, in July 2013, the government signed a plan of action on fire safety and structural integrity in the garment sector with the employers' and workers' organisations.

Why is Pahela Baishakh an important practice? Why is it still relevant today?

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India from April 7 to 10 has raised our expectations of resolutions of various prickly issues. Engr M Inamul Haque, Chairman, Institute of Water & Environment, talks to The Daily Star's Naznin Tithi about the long awaited Teesta treaty and other water sharing related issues that should be discussed during this visit.

Group Captain (retd) Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam is a decorated Air Force freedom fighter who recently received the Swadhinata Padak 2017. Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam speaks to Mir Aftabuddin Ahmed about some key moments in his life leading up to Bangladesh's independence.

"It is absolutely wrong to say that there is no IS presence or that the Holey Artisan attack was carried by home-grown terrorists. There is nothing "home-grown" about that attack. The attackers did not reflect anything home-grown."