Five Bangladeshi terrorists killed 22 people in Dhaka. The identity of these terrorists revealed that they were regular guys, came from affluent families, actively used social media, and attended Bangladesh’s top-notch educational institutes. One terrorist, Nibras Islam, caused an uproar when people found out that he attended one of the first elite private universities of Bangladesh – North South University in Dhaka. Many well-off families in Bangladesh send their children to North South University (NSU) as it is considered the ‘center of excellence in higher education.’
Curious, I wanted to know more about the university – who are the people running such a top-notch educational institution? Who are the students? How do they maintain their excellence? I searched “North South University Dhaka” online for their website. Boom, it is just there! After browsing the site, here is what I’ve learned.
North South University
Faculty
North South University boasts that 90% of its faculty members hold degrees from British, American, Australian, and Canadian universities. Visiting faculty members are also from foreign universities! Out of 399 faculty members in four schools, 270 are lecturers. That means many faculty members are also perhaps young and energetic. But surprisingly, the university does not reflect the energy of a modern, contemporary space for learning. There is no way to know what the faculty members are doing. What is their vibe? What is new with them? There is no blog – not from the university or any faculty members! All Quiet on the North-South Front!
Website
North South University has a carelessly designed website, poorly maintained, and rarely updated. The university’s homepage is primarily a bulletin board for notices and messages that behave strangely as the page is loaded with all kinds of design tricks – tickers, tabs, slides! The University’s mismatched home page and the rest of the page have many no-info links! The university’s Center for Information and Communication Technology, Academic Council, Curriculum Committee, Disciplinary Committee, etc. will not give visitors any information. The university will not provide social media links (they are at the bottom but do not work!).
Once a visitor is at the website’s admission section, there is no way to return to the home page! You must take admission!
All are there, from dead links, missing info, skewed pictures, and scripted typeface to misplaced commas. Sometimes visitors have no idea whether a link will take them to a webpage or a PDF file, a WORD document, or a JPEG document!
Student/Alumni
North South University’s student enrollment is about 15,000. There is no way to know what their campus life feels like! Visitors will not know anything about student activities – the sports they play, the drama they stage, the movies they watch, the volunteering work they do, the clubs they run, and the life they lead.
The university added a few links to their student alumni organizations: One here and another here. Another private alumni here is not mentioned on the university’s website. Another alumni link can be found on the LinkedIn page. Shockingly, that link is an adult website now! How come the ‘center of excellence in higher education’ of Bangladesh has a porn site linked with its alumni website!
What happens?
A quick check of the domain name history tells me that the Alumni Association of North South University (AANSU) perhaps once owned the domain name. AANSU.org was active without any changes for years until 2013! The alumni of NSU proudly added the link to their LinkedIn page and then forgot about it. Then the name perhaps expired, other entities owned it, and they started hosting whatever content they liked! No one from North South University ever cared or had time to update the link. Once (.org) expired, they entered another domain name (.net). BTW, does anyone remember the white house dot com saga?
Old and new alumni website of NSU
The university authority may have forgotten to update the information, but this was not intentional. Mistakes, typos, and oversights are done mainly by the lower-level clerks in Bangladesh! But these are undoubtedly embarrassing for any center of excellence. Why can not a university with all the PhD holders, imported overseas teachers, foreign-educated teachers, and IT department provide and present their information convincingly? If the university can not update its website information, how will it upgrade and uplift its students?
Like education, the internet is a great equalizer – it deserves constant attention.
Bangladesh embassies, consulates, high commissions, permanent missions in different countries, and international organizations represent Bangladesh and its people. These missions are controlled by the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). According to MOFA’s website, 65 embassies, consulates, high commissions, deputy high commissions, and permanent missions are stationed in 51 countries. (List below. However, this list may not be updated!) All these foreign missions have physical locations (buildings, offices), and many have online presence (websites). Through their physical and virtual locations, these foreign offices provide various services to people.
This article, in general, will review the state and effectiveness of the websites of Bangladesh embassies and consulates. It will touch upon the language, social engagement, quality of information, and related issues. At the end, it will attempt to provide some suggestions.
There are 48 embassies, consulates, high commissions, deputy high commissions, and permanent missions of the Bangladesh government, which can be found online (Sources: MOFA website and internet search). A gallery of screenshots of Bangladesh Embassies and Consulates can be found here.
Due to a lack of information regarding the website policy of the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), this article has to rely on the WYSIWYG method to write about the conditions of websites.
First, apart from James Bond 007, Mr. Daniel Craig’s visit to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, the online presence of Bangladesh foreign missions is not admirable. Many missions have no web presence. Those who have are plugged with difficulties – dead links, no links, outdated information, slow speed, hacked domain, expired domain, disorganized information structure, no public engagement, and security concern are a few to mention. Following are some more prominent problems:
Naming Principles of Bangladesh Embassies and Consulates
Nomenclature? Bangladesh embassies and consulates have adopted various names for different missions—for example, bdembassy, bangladeshembassy, bangladoot, bangladesh, bdembassyuae, cgbdubai etc.
Moreover, when a domain name was expired or hacked, another name was taken, and a website was launched. For example:
Bangladesh High Commission in India, New Delhi
www.bhcdelhi.org >> www.bdhcdelhi.org
Consulate General of Bangladesh in LA, USA
www.bdcgla.org >> www.bangladeshconsulatela.com
Embassy of Bangladesh in Japan
www.bdembjp.com >> www.bdembassy.jp
Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata, India
www.bdhckolkata.org >> www.bdhc-kolkata.org
Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in Geneva, Switzerland
Domain Policy of Bangladesh Embassies and Consulates
Acquiring and implementing a systematic, well-organized, appropriate top-level domain (TLD) policy is vital to any website. At the government level, it is also a question of public trust, national security, and standardization. Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not secured and implemented any consistent domain name plan for its foreign mission websites.
Bangladesh MOFA seems to use every top-level domain name available for missions abroad. Here are some samples of top-level domain names in use for MOFA foreign missions today:
Name (Entity)
Name (Entity)
.com (commercial)
.org (organization)
.bh (Bahrain)
.be (Belgium)
.bt (Bhutan)
.bn (Brunei Darussalam)
.ca (Canada)
.cn (China)
.de (Germany)
.lk (Sri Lanka)
.np (Nepal)
.nl (Netherlands)
.ru (Russia)
.sa (South Africa)
.sg (Singapore)
.se (Sweden)
.ch (Switzerland)
.tr (Turkey)
.uk (United Kingdom)
.uz (Uzbekistan)
.vn (Vietnam)
Language Support
All websites of Bangladesh embassies and consulates are in English. None of them has Bangla language support except the Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal. Other missions sometimes post government circulars, notices, press releases, directives, etc., in Bangla. However, they are all in jpeg or pdf format.
Considering its international importance, English is the right choice. However, the Bangla language is a big issue in Bangladesh, and possibly most visitors are Bangladeshi (an unscientific assumption!). It is the national language of Bangladesh, so the Bangla language could have been used to support all websites. And if possible, all websites can provide local language support as well. For example, the Bangladesh Embassy in Japan can be in Japanese, English, or Bangla.
Ironically, the Bangladesh MOFA website is entirely in English, but they have attempted to provide Bangla language support!
Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Bangla Help
Social media, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, etc., are powerful tools to connect and stay in touch with clients or fans of any service organization. Almost no Bangladesh embassies and consulates have social media connections except Kenya (Facebook) and Nepal (Facebook, Twitter, Google+). Interestingly, the Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait has no website but only a Facebook page!
Information and Website Structure
All MOFA websites have serious consistency problems regarding information and website structure.
Information
The information provided on various websites of Bangladeshi missions abroad is widely varied. Basic details on Bangladesh’s economy, culture, and tradition are not uniform. In some instances, they are missing.
Structure
Like information, website structures are widely different, confusing, and have no harmony. Let’s take one example – contact is one of the most critical links/menus in the navigational structure of any website. One can see a wild ride of the link; here are a few examples:
Bangladesh Embassy in Sweden and Turkey: ‘Contact Us‘ on top right horizontal level. Good.
Bangladesh Embassy in UAE: ‘Contact Us‘ is on the footer only!!
Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia: there is no ‘Contact Us.’ If they have, it is HARD to find.
Bangladesh Embassy in Sri Lanka: ‘Contact Us’ is not on the navigation menu, just pasted on the front page. Easy to lose.
Website structures can differ, but all must pass usability tests and be user-friendly. Navigation must not be the same or even similar, but it must be intuitive. The ‘Keep looking until you find’ policy is not a great idea.
Control and Management
Who controls the Bangladesh embassy and consulate websites? According to the MOFA website, Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have no websites. However, they have websites and can be found online. Is Bangladesh MOFA in control of these websites? Or is this simply an issue of a lack of update?
There is no information about the Bangladesh Consulate in Milan, Italy, on the MOFA website. However, one website of the Consulate Milan was found online! The website works and seems legitimate, but the question remains: why is there no information about this consulate on the MOFA website?
Management of the websites can be delegated to other entities, but who controls and owns these domain names and websites is unclear. Many websites are created, credited, sponsored, and donated by other entities. No copyright, disclaimer, terms, and conditions, or privacy policy are posted on many websites, including the MOFA’s website.
If these websites are owned and controlled by Bangladesh MOFA, that information should be mentioned as a rule of thumb. Allowing a person’s or organization’s name to appear on a government website is not professional.
When writing this article, at least 19 MOFA foreign mission websites have the name of a person or organization printed at the footer – including some foreign web developers. Even the footer of MOFA’s website has the personal seal of a creator! Nothing is wrong in mentioning who is the designer or developer of the website, however, it is very unconventional for a government website.
Proper control and maintenance of Bangladesh’s foreign mission websites are a national security issue.
Other Observations:
Many issues can be mentioned that are affecting good web experience for visitors, such as
Websites have many dead links, lousy request links,
Websites are almost static,
There are no interactive options on any websites,
There are many kinds of platforms in use,
No cookie policy compliance regarding EU countries,
Sites are not secured (https) to do any data transaction, if necessary.
Ways to Improve Websites of Bangladesh Embassies and Consulates
There are many ways to improve the websites of Bangladesh embassies and consulates. Consult with some industry experts can be one way to go. Below are some obvious suggestions:
The naming principle can be made uniform and consistent. For example, using mofa.gov.bd as a top-level domain, all foreign missions can be named with the city they are stationed in. Here are a few examples:
Abu Dhabi
https://www.abudhabi.mofa.gov.bd
Karachi
https://www.karachi.mofa.gov.bd
London
https://www.london.mofa.gov.bd
Los Angeles
https://www.losangeles.mofa.gov.bd
New York
https://www.newyork.mofa.gov.bd
Nairobi
https://www.nairobi.mofa.gov.bd
Washington D. C.
https://www.washingtondc.mofa.gov.bd
General information about Bangladesh’s history, politics, geography, culture, tradition, literature, government structure, investment policy, etc., can be furnished by Bangladesh MOFA. This information can be data-rich, synchronized, and well-researched. Rest can be given to each mission to add information according to their need. Website structure can be professional, user-friendly, modern, and, if possible, aesthetically appealing!
Websites can be made in English with Bangla and local language support. Bangla language will help Bangladeshis in need, and the local language may assist foreign investors, tourists, and information seekers. For example:
Embassy
Language 1
Language 2
Language 3
USA
English
Bangla
UAE
English
Bangla
Arabic
Sweden
English
Bangla
Swedish
Tajikistan
English
Bangla
Russian
Malaysia
English
Bangla
Malay/Chinese
A rating system, FAQ, QA, and social media sections can be added to better serve the clients.
All websites should be responsive and mobile-friendly as more people access the web via cell phones and tablets.
According to industry experts, appropriate measurements can be implemented to make websites fast, secure, and hacker-proof. (like https, CDN etc.)
Copyright, terms and conditions, disclaimer, etc., should be clearly stated on all Bangladesh MOFA foreign mission websites.
All foreign missions can have a web presence. At present, 17 embassies and consulates have no websites.
The online presence of a nation like Bangladesh is significant as more people seek information online. For many investors, tourists, researchers, expatriates, and businessmen, a website is the first and prime source of information. Therefore, it will be wise for Bangladesh MOFA to create fast, secure, accurate, comprehensive, and working websites for all of its embassies and consulates as soon as possible, including its own.
