No vice-chancellor in many universities, classes resume in most

The stalemate in the public universities of the country has started to clear up with the appointment of vice-chancellors (VC). New vice-chancellors have been appointed in at least 20 universities so far.

However, no VC has been appointed yet in about half of the universities. Recruitment is underway in those ones. However, classes have resumed in most of the universities.

Sources concerned say that the urgent financial and academic activities in those universities, where no VC has been appointed yet, are being operated through senior professors according to the directives of the education ministry.

In some universities academic activities have started without the appointment of any vice-chancellors. However, they are having difficulties to run in a full-fledged manner without VCs.

Sources of the education ministry says, the plan is to appoint vice-chancellors in older and larger universities first. Afterwards, VCs will be appointed to the remaining ones. Arrangements have been made to run emergency financial and academic activities through senior professors in universities where there is no VC right now.

At present there are 55 autonomous and public universities active in the country. Out of them, four are autonomous while the remaining 51 are public universities.

After the fall of the Awami League government in the face of the student-people uprising, top level teachers and officials including VCs, pro VCs and treasurers in almost all the autonomous and public universities who were appointed by the last government, resigned.

As a result, a state of impasse in the academic and administrative activities had been created in those universities. The interim government has started appointing vice-chancellors in those universities.

On 27 August, professor Niaz Ahmed Khan was appointed the vice-chancellor of Dhaka University. At Dhaka University, classes of all other batches except for the ones in first year are resuming from today, Sunday.

In Rajshahi University, professor at the physics department , Saleh Hasan Naqib, was appointed the new vice-chancellor on 5 September. Classes resumed at the university in full swing from 11 September.

Examinations are even going on in different departments there. The orientation and freshers' reception from 2023-24 session will be held today, Sunday. The residential halls in this university had been reopened beforehand.  The university authorities have published a notice about allocating seats in the halls anew.

On 12 September, professor at the civil engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Abu Borhan Mohammad Badruzzaman was appointed vice-chancellor of the university.

On the same day, professor at the electrical and electronic engineering department of the university, Abdul Hasib Chowdhury was appointed as the pro vice-chancellor. An official from BUET told Prothom Alo that the curriculum is now running smoothly there.

A vice-chancellor was appointed at the Jahangirnagar University (JU) on 5 September. The new VC is professor Mohammad Kamrul Hasan from the philosophy department of the university. New pro VC and treasurer have also been appointed in this university.

According to sources of the university, classes resumed casually at Jahangirnagar University on 11 August. But, the classes picked up pace after 25 August. Classes and examinations have been continuing in full swing since 1 September.

On 19 September, professor at the animal breeding and genetics department of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), AK Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan was appointed new VC of the university. However, classes and examinations at the university resumed from 1 September. The residential halls have been reopened there.

Meanwhile, professor at the genetic engineering and biotechnology department Anwarul Azim Akhand has been made the vice-chancellor of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) situated in Tangail. He was given appointment on 18 September and he joined his post Saturday, 21 September. Classes resumed there on 18 August and the residential halls were reopened on 17 August.

Retired professor from the social work department of Jagannath University (JnU), Md Rezaul Karim was appointed vice-chancellor of the same university on 18 September. He has already joined his post. Classes also resumed there from 18 August.

Professor at the sociology department of Dhaka University, Md Jahangir Alam on 18 September was appointed vice-chancellor of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University situated in Trishal of Mymensingh. He is supposed to join office at the university today, Sunday. However, the classes and examinations at the university have resumed beforehand.

There are three public universities in Khulna. Classes have resumed in all three of them already. Of them Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) has appointed professor Mohammad Mashud of the same university as the new VC. Khulna Agricultural University is still being run by the previous VC. Meanwhile, no vice-chancellor has yet been appointed at Khulna University.

Professor AM Sarwaruddin Chowdhury of the applied chemistry and engineering department of Dhaka University has been appointed as the vice-chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) situated in Sylhet. He was given appointment on 18 September and is supposed to join the post today, Sunday. However, the pro VC and the treasurer have joined already.

According to sources of the university, the residential halls at this university remain closed since 26 August. While online classes have begun in a few departments, most departments are yet to resume with classes. The decision on resuming physical classes will be taken at the syndicate meeting after the VC joins in.

Classes remain suspended at Chattogram University (CU) since 1 July. After the fall of Awami League government on 5 August, the university syndicate had taken the decision to resume classes from 19 August. However, this decision was suspended in the face of students’ demands.

Administrative activities are going on at a limited scale at the university while the residential halls are closed. Retired professor Muhammad Yahya Akhtar from the political science department of the university was appointed as the new VC there on 18 September.

Acting registrar of Chattogram University KM Nur Ahmed told Prothom Alo that the university is still closed. The newly-appointed vice-chancellor has taken charge already. And the vice-chancellor has said that he will take initiative to resume classes and examinations physically within the earliest time possible, the treasurer added.

Meanwhile on 18 September, professor Md Shawkat Ali from the applied mathematics department of Dhaka University has been appointed the new VC of Begum Rokeya University located in Rangpur. Classes will resume in the university from 29 September, he has announced.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University is a specialised university located in Gazipur. The act for this university was enacted in 2016 and the university started operating in full swing two years later from June 2018.

After the change of government, the vice-chancellor of this university also resigned. No new VC has been appointed in the university yet. However, a student of the university told Prothom Alo over the phone on Saturday that their academic classes are continuing.

No new VC has been appointed at the Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) either. However, a senior teacher is discharging the administrative and financial responsibilities. Classes resumed there on 8 September.

There are no VCs at Cumilla University and Jashore University of Science and Technology at present. But reportedly, classes are continuing in these two universities though.

Several higher-up posts including that of the vice-chancellor, pro vice-chancellor, treasurer, student adviser, proctor and provosts of six residential halls at the Islami University, located in Kushtia are vacant.

The teachers and the students are not feeling confident about resuming classes and exams physically. Members of Students against Discrimination there have given an ultimatum for appointing a VC within today, Sunday.

With this demand, they blocked the Kushtia-Khulna highway around 11:30 am in the morning on Saturday as well as in the afternoon on Friday. With the same demand, the students also held demonstrations twice last week.

Till a VC is appointed, senior professor ABM Siddiqur Rahman Asrafi is performing the emergency administrative and financial duties there. He told Prothom Alo that meetings have been held with the deans of all faculties, chairpersons of all departments and all other teachers.

Everyone is positive about resuming classes physically within this week. There will be another meeting today, Sunday. Physical classes are likely to resume within this week. However, it might not be possible to hold examinations though. There could be decision on this after the appointment of the VC.

Professor at the institute of education and research of Dhaka University SM Hafizur Rahman told Prothom Alo that if there is no vice-chancellor at a university a lot of activities get disrupted. So, qualified teachers need to be appointed as vice-chancellors as soon as possible to run the academic and administrative activities smoothly.

[Prothom Alo staff correspondent and correspondents in respective areas and universities have assisted with information in writing this report]

*This report appeared in the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for Prothom Alo English by Nourin Ahmed Monisha