Postal Progress and Preservation: Bangladesh Marks World Post Day with Vision and Value

The two-day national celebration of World Post Day concluded in Dhaka with a thematic rally, the unveiling of commemorative stamps, discussions, competitions, and an award ceremony. The closing event took place on Friday evening, September 10, at the Postal Directorate building in Agargaon.

At the closing ceremony, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, presented awards to the top three winners of the 54th International Letter Writing Competition as well as to outstanding postal employees and officers across various categories.

“Preserve Addresses, Protect the Environment” — Rizwana Hasan

Delivering her address as the chief guest, Syeda Rizwana Hasan urged for the preservation of physical addresses by maintaining environmental balance so that “we do not lose our identities to the consequences of climate change.”

Recalling the power of personal expression, she said, “When Anne Frank’s diary was discovered, many thought that no one would ever need to write such a diary again. But now, perhaps in Palestine, someone is writing one — and maybe we will read it years later. This act of expressing one’s inner thoughts in writing is profoundly significant.”

She continued, “Nowadays I write in ministry files and type on the computer all day — I can hardly recognize my own handwriting anymore. Back when we wrote letters, even the beauty of handwriting mattered. In today’s mechanical era, the beauty of handwriting is irrelevant, but communication is what’s important. Quick communication is essential, but so is accuracy in communication.”

The climate change advisor further warned, “Our addresses are not updated. If the severity of climate change continues, many coastal districts could go underwater, causing countless people to lose their homes. To preserve our addresses, we must preserve our environment — because these addresses hold our history.”

“GPO to Become Postal Museum” — Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb

Speaking as the special guest, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, announced that the historic General Post Office (GPO) in Dhaka’s “Zero Point” area will be preserved and transformed into a postal museum.

He emphasized two key issues, stating, “Work is underway to eliminate long-standing disparities among postal employees. Moreover, the uncertainty among postal staff regarding the expansion of the Secretariat into the GPO premises has now been resolved.”

He added, “The GPO will be preserved as a collective memory through the establishment of a postal museum.”

Addressing the matter of lost addresses raised by the chief guest, Taiyeb said, “The current structure of address management is not compatible with the digital economy. Hence, efforts are being made to digitize address management using the experience of private courier services. Area codes, street codes, and house codes will be integrated with geofencing for every address. Since personal data protection is crucial, this initiative will be incorporated into the updated Postal and Courier Act.”

He also stated, “Currently, 50–60% of mail and parcel tracking is operational. Work is ongoing to enhance the tracking management software to achieve nearly 100% accuracy.”

Taiyeb further mentioned initiatives to integrate the postal department with the e-commerce ecosystem to reduce disparities between urban and rural populations.

Awardees Honored for Excellence

During the ceremony, children and youth winners of the drawing and quiz competitions were honored, alongside the best postal employees of 2025.

Among the administrative awardees were machinist Md. Abul Kalam, office assistant Kazi Abdul Bashar, and driver Md. Alamgir Kabir. Junior accountants Naznin Shafi (Dhaka) and Mithun Chandra Das (Gazipur), as well as storekeeper Shamim Kawsar (Rajshahi), were also recognized for excellence.

In addition, divisional agent Mst. Rowshan Ara (Dinajpur), postal operator Sajedul Islam (Rangpur), senior assistant Krishna Gopal Sarkar, upazila postmaster Ibrahim Khalil, and senior assistant Abdul Gaffar (Dhaka) were named top administrative employees.

From the Dhaka Metropolitan Circle, senior assistant Sohel Ahmed Sardar, postal operator Kamrun Nahar Sultana, driver Abdur Razzak, electrician Kazi Golam Sarwar, postman Imtiaz Uddin Bhuiyan, mail operator Abdur Rahim Mia, mail carrier Md. Abu Taher, EDA Khaleda Yasmin, and EDDA Nur Nabi received awards for outstanding service.

In the 54th International Letter Writing Competition, winners included Nusrat Jahan Nur (Grade 6, Monipur High School and College, Mirpur), Maha Islam (Grade 8, Shaheed Bir Uttam Lt. Anwar Girls College), and Shuchishmita Roy Raika (Grade 9, Anandaniketan, Sylhet).

Other awardees included Rumana Begum (Senior Assistant, Chattogram East), Abdus Sattar (Assistant Postmaster, Sylhet GPO), Md. Abdul Hannan (Postal Operator, Chattogram Foreign Mail), Ashish Barua (Driver, Bandarban), Rahul Barua (Mail Motor Supervisor, Chattogram GPO), Shafiqul Alam Khan (Postman), Md. Shahjahan (Runner, Cumilla), Laila Nur Akhtar (EDA), Hosneara Begum (EDDA, Sylhet), and Nuruchhafa Begum (EDMC, Bandarban).

List of Best Employees of Rajshahi Circle, Northern Region — 2025

1. Best Administrative Employee

2. Best Sub-Postmaster/Upazila Postmaster

3. Best Postal Operator

4. Best Runner

5. Best EDA (Extra Departmental Agent)

6. Best EDDA (Extra Departmental Delivery Agent)