Ferdous Ara Begum
Ferdous Ara Begum | |
|---|---|
ফেরদৌস আরা বেগম | |
| Director General of Bangladesh Television | |
| Personal details | |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Economist, gender specialist, government official |
Ferdous Ara Begum is a Bangladeshi economist, gender specialist, and retired civil servant.[1] She was a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and is an expert consultant on Gender Issues for the United Nations Population Fund.[1] She was the first woman director-general of the state-owned Bangladesh Television.[2][3] She is a former joint secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.[4]
Early life
Begum completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Dhaka.[5] She later earned a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[5]
Career
In 1994, Begum became the first woman commissioner of taxes in Bangladesh.[5]
While serving as joint secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (2002–2004), Begum played a pivotal role in 34 gender-specific projects aimed at enhancing the social and legal protection of women and children, particularly in rural Bangladesh.[5][1] She worked on the initiatives to implement the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women's concluding observations in Bangladesh.[5] She was posted at the Economic Relations Division, but the Ministry of Finance refused to accept her.[6]
In 2005, Begum became the first female director general of Bangladesh Television (BTV), the state-owned national television.[5] She introduced Sesame Street to BTV.[7]
Begum was awarded the Begum Rokeya Shining Personality Award in 2005 by Narikantha Foundation.[8]
In April 2026, Begum was elected as the president of executive council of the Bangladesh Senior Citizens Forum for the term 2026-27.[9]
Personal life
Begum is married to Tajul Islam, advocate and former press secretary to the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.[6] They both received promotions under the President's quota after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 Charanji, Kavita (4 August 2016). "Bangladesh gains representation in the committee". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Reform discriminatory laws against women". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Ferdous Ara first woman DG of BTV". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Exclusive industrial zone for women demanded". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ferdous Ara Begum". www.culturaldiplomacy.org. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- 1 2 3 "More changes in admin". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Sesame Street comes to Bangladesh". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "48 get Begum Rokeya Shining Award-2005". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Ferdous Ara elected as president of Bangladesh Senior Citizens Forum". New Age. 2026-04-15. Retrieved 2026-08-07.