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.