Online Desk  :  Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar took oath as a new adviser to the interim government on Wednesday morning. He will take charge of the education ministry. The oath-taking ceremony was held 11AM at the Bangabhaban. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, also known as CR Abrar, is a former professor of the University of Dhaka’s International Relations Department and the president of Odhikar, the human rights organisation founded by Adilur Rahman Khan, the adviser for the ministries of industries and housing and public works.

Abrar earned degrees from the University of Dhaka and the University of Sussex, later completing his PhD at Griffith University. In 1995, he co-founded RMMRU alongside professor Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui, Shahdeen Malik, Sumaiya Khair, and Yasmin Ali Haque. He will take over from Wahiduddin Mahmud as the education adviser. With Rafiqul Abrar’s appointment, the number of advisors in Yunus’s advisory council has now reached 22. Currently, Wahiduddin Mahmud oversees both the ministries of education and planning. Once Abrar officially takes over the education portfolio, the chief advisor will reassign responsibilities.