Bangladesh's madrasas are viewed with suspicion for their links with militant Islam. So what kind of schooling do they offer girls? Tahmima Anam entered their secretive world to find out
"I've navigated a series of dark lanes and tiny roads to get to the Rehmat Ali madrasa in the Tejgaon neighbourhood of Dhaka, passing shops selling car batteries, ceramic tiles, thread, water pipes, exotic birds, mutton and mosquito nets. The school is at the end of a narrow alley where the stench of open drains and rotten food is overpowering. I am here because I want to see for myself what madrasa education is all about, and because there is an inherent contradiction, it seems to me, in the existence of a girls' madrasa. If madrasas are really the orthodox institutions they are portrayed as being, what kind of students does a women's madrasa hope to produce?"
Weaker schools will face squeeze as Gove unleashes academies
The education secretary tells Jeevan Vasagar why he wants to change the rules and let the most popular schools expand their intake:
"I think it's wrong to have a situation where the local authority says: 'This is a good school, it's full up, parents have to go to the less good school down the road'.Because as a result of the local authority's failure to deal with educational underperformance, children continue to go to a poor school."
Gove hopes that the declining numbers in the less popular schools
"will compel their leadership and the local authority to ask: what's wrong?"
• Datablog: Hundreds of schools in England are applying to become academies. Where are they? And where will the new ones be?
One in five of England's 3,300 secondary schools is now an academy, and with 700 more in the pipeline, it will soon become nearly one in three. Are your local schools on the list? Simon Rogers' excellent blog shows where the new academies will be.
Academy schools mean more competition for schools – but must dog eat dog?
Children with internet access at home gain exam advantage, charity says
Children growing weaker as computers replace outdoor activity
Risk to UK universities posed by private sector is being ignored, say critics
Black students say they feel left out by 'white cliques' at universities
Martine Mccutcheon in My Fair Lady at the National Theatre. Photograph: Michael Le Poer Trench/Rex Features Do you have a student that needs help to go on and study the performing arts? In an attempt to raise standards in West End musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber has pledged to fund the education of 30 performing arts students over the next three years. Applicants should apply to the schools directly as it is the schools and not the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation that will administer the scholarships.
Gove's silent revolution in schools may ease the state-private divide
The education secretary's plans, quietly enacted, won't turn every school into Eton but could turn Eton into the exception, argues Julian Glover.
A school in Surrey is installing CCTV in its toilets in a bid to combat bullying. Photograph: Alamy A school in Surrey believes that installing CCTV cameras will help them combat bullying. But Bidisha sees the installation of the cameras as part of the ongoing "penetration of prison culture into daily life". She says "it infuses you with a paranoia of the seediest kind. You think something bad is about to happen and that neither you nor your fellow citizens are trustworthy."
• Children whose parents earn too much will be barred from a new East London college, reports the Independent. "The college will be one of the Government's flagship "free" schools, offering places to bright inner-city children to help them to get into elite universities."
• Creationism, intelligent design and other theories that contradict evolution are to be banned from being taught as science in free schools, according to the Daily Telegraph.
We're throwing the floor open to final year students and graduates for careers-related questions. So, from CV advice to job seeking tips, join our experts on Monday 23 May from 1pm. (Tip: you can post your questions earlier if you'd like to.)
Would you pay £2,000 for a week's internship? Rachel Williams uncovers the rise and rise of the bought internship.
Estelle Morris on how children's welfare dropped down the government's priorities
Geraldine Hackett reports on the continuing internecine warfare among the top public schools
Improbable research: the man who created a set of armour against bears ... complete with onboard computer and radio
Stephanie Northen talks to teachers who are quitting the UK for posts in Abu Dhabi
And much, much more ...
Reading for Pleasure
This half-day conference for primary school teachers will help you inspire students to read with pleasure and maintain the reading habit. Andy Stanton, author of the Mr Gum series, will be joined by Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's books editor, and reading development experts.
Time: 1 July, 9.15-12.45.
Cost: £48, including refreshments and resources.
Insight into Journalism: investigative and features journalism
This seminar, part of our popular Insight into Journalism series, gives secondary school teachers and college tutors the chance to spend a day at the Guardian. You'll meet specialist journalists from the investigations team, find out from writers what makes a good features article and learn about commissioning, editing and interview techniques.
Time: 8 July, 9.15-4.30.
Cost: £72, including lunch and resources.
Getting the best education for children in care
The Guardian's one-day seminar in association with Tact (the UK's largest fostering and adoption charity) will provide an overview of the UK education system and strategies for dealing with the challenges faced by looked-after children and their carers.
26 May, London.
Making the most of media opportunities to enhance your school's profile
Whether it's sharing good news or handling a crisis, headteachers and school management teams need to be able to handle the media in all of its forms. This one-day seminar in association with the NAHT is essential for new and aspiring heads as well as established school leaders who wish to update their knowledge. It includes a session on social media.
13 June, Birmingham and 20 September, London.
Distinctiveness and branding in higher education
Higher education institutions will struggle in the marketplace unless they stand out from competitors and make sense to stakeholders. The Guardian's half-day seminar in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education will explore what it takes to develop and maintain a distinctive brand that attracts students, staff and funders. Participants will hear from experts, examine case studies and have the opportunity to network with peers.
28 June, London.
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