CU department of Economics holds 1st national economics fest 2025

Young Economists' Society(YES), a student-based organisation of the Department Of Economics, University Of Chittagong, promotes economic-based solutions to today's problems.

It has successfully organised its "1st National Economics Fest 2025" at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Chittagong auditorium, in association with the Chittagong University Ex-Economics Students Association (CUEESA). The theme of this event was based on Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus's renowned "Three Zero" policy. The event was supported by Media Partners News 24, Kalbela, Chittagong University Journalists Association, Print and Online Media Partner The Business Standard, and Youth Engagement Partner TBS graduates.

The Fest started at 9 a.m. with its much-awaited inauguration ceremony. Nearly 400 audience members attended the Fest. The Registrar of the University of Chittagong, Dr. Saiful Islam, made his remarks during the morning session. He strongly emphasised implementing the "Three Zero" policy in his speech and praised Dr Yunus's initiatives toward building a new Bangladesh. The President of YES, Safayet Hussain Tushar, encouraged the participants to engage enthusiastically in the segments.

The event consisted of four main segments, beginning with the Quiz Competition. The event then moved into the final round of Policy Competition, where teams presented their policies based on the "Three Zero" policy. Following the Policy Competition, the Fest proceeded to the final round of the Wall Magazine Competition, where talented students showcased their creative works based on the Three Zero Policy. Next came the Policy Debate Show, featuring invited debaters. This engaging debate greatly enriched the young minds in attendance. The Policy Debate Show concluded the morning session, followed by a one-hour break for Dhuhr prayer and lunch.

After lunch, the audience and the guests rejoined this significant event. The afternoon session began with a speech from Rezwanul Haque Rafi, General Secretary of the Young Economists Society(YES), who shared behind-the-scenes insights about the event and thanked everyone involved for their help. The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences gave his speech, in which he rightly emphasised the need for the 3-zero policy for the betterment of the world. He presented his opinion regarding education and employment.

Dr Mohammad Yunus, Research Director at BIDS, delivered an inspiring keynote speech urging students to be job creators. He discussed social business, Bangladesh's labour market, global economics, digital knowledge, and post-WWII economic history. He also addressed the Rohingya and Palestinian causes, favourable economics, and net-zero carbon emissions, earning resounding applause. After his highly anticipated speech, a panel discussion was held in the auditorium. The honourable panellists were Dr Mohammad Yunus, Dr Mohammad Abul Hossain, Dr Amirul Islam, Dr Md Alauddin Majumdar, Dr Mohammed Saiful Islam, Dr Mohammad Taslim Uddin, Md Mazadul Hoque, explored complex issues from various angles. The discussion ended with a Q&A session, allowing the audience to interact by asking questions about economics. Dr Saiful Islam stated in his speech, "Money Laundering, Loan default, and fund trafficking are the three biggest devils of an economy." Mr Mazadul Hoque said, "Policy implementation problems are mainly caused by lack of monetary and fiscal policy coordination."

Agha Azizul Islam Chowdhury, General Secretary of CUEESA, shared his insights about Bangladesh's past and present economy. Then, top students of the Department of Economics were awarded scholarships from the USA. Later, the Young Economists Society (YES) officially launched its magazine in the presence of all the guests, teachers and students. The top three articles from the Article Competition were featured in the magazine. The President of the Young Economists' Society(YES), Safayet Hossain Tushar, shared his final remarks, wishing everyone good luck and expressing gratitude to the guests and sponsors.

Following this, prizes were awarded to the champions and runners-up of all competition segments for their brilliant performance. The Policy Competition winners were EquiTea, the 1st was Econ Knights, and the 2nd runner-up was Policy Makers. On the other hand, the winners of the Magazine Competition were Economads, while the 1st runner-up was Brain in Jars, and the 2nd runner-up was Team Gargantua. The winner of the quiz competition was Oshmita Biswas, and the two runners-up were Abu Hasnat Fazle Rabbi and Kazi Muhammad Alauddin. The winner of the article competition was Maisha Tasneem, while the runners-up were Laiya Mustarin and Nahida Yesmin.

The winners were visibly overjoyed, their faces beaming with happiness. The event concluded with a cultural programme in the evening, fittingly ending the 1st National Economics Fest 2025. Speaking to students after the event, many expressed their hope that similar events would be organised annually to enhance co-curricular activities in the future.