Bonikbarta Exclusive

After the fall of the Awami League-led government, vice chancellors of public universities in the country began to resign. Other top university administration officials, including pro-vice chancellors and treasurers, also resigned. In some universities, even if they did not resign, the top administrators have been absent from their workplaces. Altogether, nearly 40 universities became "parentless." Meanwhile, the interim government has appointed vice-chancellors in several universities. However, at least 14 public universities still do not have vice-chancellors appointed. As a result, these universities are facing a sort of administrative crisis. To overcome this situation, teachers and students from the respective campuses have called for immediate completion of the appointment process for vice-chancellors and other top administrative positions in the universities.

On August 8, under pressure from students, Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam, the Vice Chancellor of Islamic University, Kushtia, along with Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Mahbubur Rahman and Treasurer Dr. Almagir Hossain Bhuiyan, resigned from their positions.

University teachers and students have reported that the top administrative positions, including the vice-chancellor, are vacant, and the syndicate meetings and academic council sessions are not regularly held. As a result, administrative complications have increased. Although classes are being conducted online, examinations and other activities have been suspended for over a month. Many residential halls face various crises, and the officials and staff responsible for managing the halls are not receiving clear directives. They have demanded the swift appointment of a qualified vice chancellor to resolve the crisis.

A state of stagnation also prevails at Barisal University (BU). On August 20, under pressure from students, Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Badruzzaman and 19 other administrative officials resigned. With these essential positions vacant, students are facing various problems.

Teachers and students have reported postponing exams and classes has raised concerns about session jams. Due to the absence of a vice chancellor, examiners cannot be appointed, and many types of financial transactions cannot be conducted without one.

On August 11, under pressure from students, Professor Dr. AFM Abdul Moyeen, the Vice Chancellor of Comilla University (CoU), resigned. On August 28, Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Humayun Kabir also resigned. A new vice chancellor has yet to be appointed at this campus.

Protests and human chains were organized on Friday (September 21) at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) to demand the appointment of a vice-chancellor. A Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student said, "The prolonged absence of a vice chancellor at our university has created concerns among students about session jams."

On August 29, the Ministry of Education issued guidelines for universities without a vice chancellor to temporarily assign urgent administrative and financial responsibilities to a senior professor. Many universities are currently operating according to this directive. However, many teachers and students believe that this advice from the Ministry of Education goes against the autonomy of the universities.

On August 19, Professor Dr. Md. Giashuddin Miah resigned as Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU). Professor Dr. G.K.M. Mustafizur Rahman from the Department of Soil Science has been temporarily responsible for managing the university. He will oversee the university's administrative, financial, and educational activities until a new vice-chancellor is appointed.

Under pressure from students, Professor Md. Jamal Uddin Bhuiyan, the Vice Chancellor of Sylhet Agricultural University, resigned. Subsequently, Professor Md. Siddiqul Islam, the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, was appointed acting vice chancellor.

On September 1, Md. Jahangir Alam, the Vice Chancellor of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), also resigned. Currently, a senior dean is serving as the acting vice-chancellor.

On August 20, the Vice Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Treasurer, Registrar, and other administrative heads of Khulna University resigned collectively, leading to an administrative crisis. Following this, on September 2, during a meeting of the deans and discipline heads, Senior Professor Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim was assigned to manage urgent administrative and financial activities.

On August 17, Professor Dr. Swadesh Chandra Samanta, the Vice Chancellor of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), resigned. Subsequently, Senior Professor Mohammad Jamal Hossain from the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology was appointed interim vice chancellor.

On August 21, Anwar Hossain, the Vice Chancellor of Jashore Science and Technology University (JSTU), also resigned. Professor Dr. H.M. Zakir Hossain from the same university is handling financial and administrative responsibilities.

On August 10, the Pro-Vice Chancellor S.M. Mostafa Kamal Khan and Treasurer K.M. Salah Uddin resigned from Pabna University of Science and Technology. On August 21, Vice Chancellor Professor Hafiza Khatun also resigned. Since then, the university has been left without leadership, leading to stagnation in administrative activities.

In response to student demands, Professor A.Q.M. Mahbub, the Vice Chancellor of Gopalganj Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, resigned on August 20. The day before, Selina Akhtar, Rangamati Science and Technology University's Vice Chancellor and Pro-Vice Chancellor Kanchan Chakma resigned. Experts believe that to ensure the dynamism of these educational institutions, the appointment process for vice-chancellors and other top administrative positions should be completed immediately.

Dr. Md. Mohiuddin, a professor at the Institute of Business Administration at Dhaka University, told Bonik Barta, "The vice chancellor is the chief person of a university. Most decisions in universities are made under the direction of the vice-chancellor. Therefore, while someone can manage routine responsibilities for a week or two, it is not feasible to operate without a vice chancellor for a month and a half or longer. Thus, there should be an immediate initiative to appoint vice-chancellors to make the universities functional."

Dr. Mohiuddin believes that the longer it takes to appoint vice-chancellors, the longer it will take for stability to return to the campuses. As a result, education will also fall behind.